Nov. 27
OUR LADY OF THE MIRACULOUS MEDAL.
Short history and prayer
SHORT HISTORY
In 1830 in France, St. Catherine Laboure was visited by the Blessed Virgin Mary three times. During the second apparition, St. Catherine saw our Lady standing on a globe with rays of light streaming from her hands and the words, “O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to Thee.” Our Lady told St. Catherine to have a medal made. The medals were called the Medal of the Immaculate Conception and, because many favors were given to the people wearing the medal, it became the Miraculous Medal.
PRAYER TO OUR IMMACULATE LADY
OF THE MIRACULOUS MEDAL.
Virgin Mother of God, Mary Immaculate, We dedicate and consecrate ourselves to you under the title of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal.
May this Medal be for each one of us a sure sign of your affection for us and a constant reminder of our duties toward you. Ever while wearing it, may we be blessed by your loving protection and preserved in the grace of your Son.
O Most Powerful Virgin, Mother of Our Savior, keep us close to you every moment of our lives. Obtain for us, your children, the grace of a happy death; so that in union with you, we may enjoy the bliss of Heaven forever. Amen.
Our Lady’s Apparition to
Sister Catherine Labouré on Nov. 27, 1830
Saturday afternoon, November 27, 1830: the next day would be the First Sunday of Advent and the Sisters of Charity were making preparations for the coming of this great Christian Feast of the year. Sister Labouré was praying hard to know her mission, of which Our Lady had spoken on the first occasion. During her prayer she heard the same rustle of silk over St. Joseph’s altar in the Chapel, and there stood the Blessed Virgin Mary clothed in white! She was standing on a globe, one foot crushing the head of a serpent on the top of the globe. In her hands she held a smaller orb, a golden one surmounted by a Cross, which represented the world. Our Lady was offering this to God, looking toward Heaven and praying for its acceptance by the Almighty. On her fingers were many rings, filled with jewels and precious stones, from which shining rays of light descended. Our Lady said to Sister Labouré:
“This orb which you see is the world, France in particular, and each person individually. I am praying for it and for everyone in the world. The rays which fall on this orb are the graces which I give to those who ask for them. But there are no rays from some of the stones. For many people fail to receive graces because they neglect to ask for them.”
After a time the small orb representing the world in Our Lady’s hands vanished and she lowered her arms outstretched, and the rays glittered and glistened more brilliantly than before. Around her Queenly head appeared the luminous letters of the words: “O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.” A frame of gold appeared around the entire vision as Our Lady said, “Have a Medal struck after this model. All who wear it will receive great graces; it should be worn around the neck. Great graces will be given to those who wear it with confidence.”
The apparition turned, revealing the model for the reverse side. This was a large “M”, surmounted by a Cross on a bar. Below the “M” were two hearts, one encompassed with thorns, the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and the other pierced with a sword, the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Encircling the whole were twelve stars bordering the golden elliptical frame. The vision disappeared.
It was repeated several times. The last time Our Lady said, “You will see me nor more, but you will hear my voice in your meditations.”
This was her first official herald, the Heaven-sent insignia of the modern Age of Mary. It was to be called the “Medal of the Immaculate Conception;” the prayer inscribed on it honored Our Lady’s unique privilege: “O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to Thee.” It would prepare the world for the great declaration of a quarter of a century later when Pope Pius IX would declare the great dogma of the Immaculate Conception as an article of Faith, an essential element of Catholic belief.
The Medals of the Immaculate Conception streamed from the presses by the millions. They overflowed France into the world beyond.
Not long after, there was an epidemic in France. The death rate soared and medical science was unable to cope with the crisis. People turned to the Sisters of Charity who gave them the Medal of the Immaculate Conception with the assurance that great graces would be showered upon all who would wear it with confidence, especially if it were worn around the neck. After the first cures, people demanded it excitedly. The Archbishop of Paris found it efficacious to secure the return to the Church of an archbishop nearby, who repented on his deathbed. He died in the arms of his fellow prelate. So many favors, cures, and conversions were effected through its instrumentality that its name and doctrinal significance were lost in the clamor; it became known simply as “The Miraculous Medal.”
-Excerpt taken from salveregina.info
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