The Miraculous Medal
An Instrument of God’s Grace
Thank you for visiting our website! Did you receive a miraculous medal and holy card from a person standing on the street? We have over 100 active street teams sharing the Gospel all throughout the world. The Miraculous Medal is a powerful sacramental that has been a part of the Christian faith since 1830 when it was given to a Catholic Saint in a vision by Mary, the Mother of Jesus. Our street teams can personally attest to the miracles associated with those who they met, who wore the medal and consecrated themselves to Jesus Christ. Below is some information all about the medal & the Catholic faith. If you have questions, email us at any time at: info@stpaulse.com
Holy medals are a sacramental
For example, in Christian baptism we are immersed in water as a sign of dying to ourselves and being united in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. That outward action is a sign of a real, inward change. Baptism is the first sacrament in which we are born again, adopted as children of God, made members of God’s family (the Catholic Church), original sin and all actual sins are forgiven, and we receive an indelible mark on our soul. We are claimed for Christ. Each of the seven sacraments are given to us to draw us closer to God. Sacraments are means that Jesus gave us to receive God’s life in us for our eternal salvation.
All of this is possible because
- God exists
- We can know God because he revealed Himself to us
- His revelation comes to us through his family, the Jewish people first and the worldwide Catholic Church second
- This revelation of God is preserved and handed down to us through Sacred Scripture and the Sacred Tradition of the Catholic Church. The fidelity of this message is guarded by the leaders of the Catholic Church (called a Magisterium) to which it has been entrusted by Jesus since He founded the Church.
This is the Gospel
- God created you in His image and likeness. He loves you. (Genesis 1:27)
- Due to sin we have a broken relationship with God. (Romans 6:23)
- Jesus Christ, God’s Son, became man, died on the cross, and rose for our salvation. (Philippians 2:7-10)
- We are saved by faith in Jesus Christ, and through Jesus our relationship with God is restored. (John 3:16)
- Through the Church we have access to grace by baptism and are nourished by the Eucharist. (Matthew 16:18-19)
- Through the Holy Spirit God changes us, his grace perfects us, and he fulfills our every desire. (Matthew 5:48)
Sacramentals
A sacramental, which you received, is a sacred sign which draws us to the sacraments. Types of sacramentals include blessings (such as blessing your food before a meal), exorcisms (minor or major), holy water, holy oils, bells, incense, candles, crucifixes, images, medals, palms, ashes, and scapulars. As we are both body & soul, physical objects can help us use our memory, will, and intellect to draw us back to God and the sacraments.
Sacramentals are generally helpful to mankind to help him keep his heart and mind on God. Both sacraments (which confer the grace of the Holy Spirit) and sacramentals (which prepare us to receive grace and dispose us to cooperate with it) flow from the “Paschal mystery of the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Christ. From this source all sacraments and sacramentals draw their power.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 1670)
The medal you received is a tangible reminder of the Catholic Church’s love and care for you and a reminder that Jesus died for you on the cross.
What Is the Miraculous Medal?
The Miraculous Medal owes its origins to an appearance of the Blessed Virgin Mary (the Mother of Jesus) to St. Catherine Laboure, a member of the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul (a religious order in the Catholic Church).
The description of the Miraculous Medal from the Catholic Encyclopedia is as follows: “Sister Catherine records that the Blessed Virgin appeared as if standing on a globe, and bearing a globe in her hands. As if from rings set with precious stones dazzling rays of light were emitted from her fingers. These, she said, were symbols of the graces which would be bestowed on all who asked for them. Sister Catherine adds that around the figure appeared an oval frame bearing in golden letters the words “O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee”; on the back appeared the letter M, surmounted by a cross, with a crossbar beneath it, and under all the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, the former surrounded by a crown of thorns, and the latter pierced by a sword.”
“At the second and third of these visions a command was given to have a medal struck after the model revealed, and a promise of great graces was made to those who wear it when blessed. One of the most remarkable facts recorded in connection with the Miraculous Medal is the conversion of a Jew, Alphonse Ratisbonne of Strasburg, who had resisted the appeals of a friend to enter the Church. Ratisbonne consented, somewhat reluctantly, to wear the medal, and being in Rome, he entered, by chance, the church of Sant’ Andrea delle Fratte and beheld in a vision the Blessed Virgin exactly as she is represented on the medal; his conversion speedily followed.”
(Glass, J. (1911). Miraculous Medal. In The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Retrieved December 11, 2013 from New Advent: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/10115a.htm)
How does the Miraculous Medal Help Us?
As a sacramental, the Miraculous Medal points us to Jesus Christ and the sacraments that Jesus gave us for our salvation. The miraculous medal is not a magic charm and is not a superstitious object. The faithful wear the miraculous medal for the same reason they wear a cross. Some people wear a cross as a status symbol or a fashion statement. Christians wear the cross to remind them of their faith in Jesus and draw their hearts and minds to God. Likewise, Christians wear the miraculous medal because they trust in Jesus for their salvation and it reminds them of the Christian story.
When we pray before meals we receive God’s grace in a particular way. When we ask Jesus to protect us from evil, we receive grace in a particular way. When we use the Miraculous Medal, we receive grace in a particular way. The Blessed Mother promised whoever wears the medal (not out of superstition, but out of faith) will receive great graces from God. Our team members can share stories of people healed emotionally, spiritually, and physically because of the miraculous medal. Lives have even been saved. Mother Teresa of Calcutta gave them away as part of her ministry.
The Symbolism
When we understand the symbolism of the Miraculous Medal, we see the Gospel story come to life.
The Front Side
- Mary stands on a globe, crushing a serpent beneath her feet. Describing the original vision, Catherine said the Blessed Mother appeared radiant as a sunrise, “in all her perfect beauty.” Like the ark of the “old covenant”, Mary was the perfect vessel that contained Jesus Christ, God Incarnate.
- Rays shoot out from Mary’s hands, which, as she told Catherine, “…symbolize the graces I shed upon those who ask for them.” Mary brings her Son Jesus to us, and likewise, she points us to her Son.
- Words from the vision form an oval frame around Mary: “O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.” As the “Ark of the New Covenant” Mary was preserved from Original Sin and bore God in her womb.
- Her open arms show the “recourse” we have in her. Mary is the Mother of Jesus, and united with Jesus, she is the Mother of all Christians.
- Mary, as the Mother to all Christians, crushes the serpent. (Genesis 3:15)
The Reverse Side
- Two hearts are depicted underneath the “M,” the left lapped with a crown of thorns, the right skewered by a sword. From each, a flame emanates from the top.
- The large letter “M” — Mary as Mother who brings Jesus to us.
- Cross and bar — Jesus’ cross of Redemption.
- 12 stars — 12 Apostles, who formed the first Church.
- Left Heart — The Sacred Heart, who died for our sins.
- Right Heart — The Immaculate Heart, who intercedes for us. Mary prays for us to Jesus.
- Flames — The burning love Jesus and Mary have for us.
Now, let’s put this all together
Again:
- God created you in His image and likeness. He loves you. (Genesis 1:27)
- Due to sin we have a broken relationship with God. (Romans 6:23)
- Jesus Christ, God’s Son, became man, died on the cross, and rose for our salvation. (Philippians 2:7-10)
- We are saved by faith in Jesus Christ, and through Jesus our relationship with God is restored. (John 3:16)
- Through the Church we have access to grace by baptism and are nourished by the Eucharist. (Matthew 16:18-19)
- Through the Holy Spirit God changes us, his grace perfects us, and he fulfills our every desire. (Matthew 5:48)
“And why do you not believe? Do you not know that faith is foremost in all matters? For what farmer is able to reap, unless first he have faith, and trust the seed to the earth? Or who is able to journey across the sea, unless first he have faith to trust himself to the ship and to the pilot? What sick person is able to be cured unless first he have faith to trust himself to the physician? Who is able to learn either an art or a science, unless first he devote himself faithfully to the teacher? If, then, the farmer believes in the earth, and the sailor believes in the ship, and the sick man believes in the physician, will not you yourself wish to believe in God, when you have so many pledges from him?
-St. Theophilus of Antioch
If you believe these truths that God has revealed, it is time to become a Christian, or if you are baptized, to come back to the Catholic Church.
Please pray with us!
This prayer is an act of faith to receive Jesus into your heart and begin or renew your journey to eternal salvation.
God our Father, I believe that you created me out of love. In a thousand ways I have sinned against you. I repent of all of my sins. Please forgive me.
Thank you for sending your Son to die for me, to save me from hell. I choose this day to renew my covenant with you and to place Jesus at the center of my heart. I surrender to Him as Lord over my whole life.
I ask you now to flood my heart and soul with your Holy Spirit and to grant me the gift of new life. Give me the grace and courage to live as a missionary disciple for the rest of my days. Amen.
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