IMPRESSIVE STORIES ON THE MIRACULOUS MEDAL
Before we begin, a little introduction about the Miraculous Medal. The Miraculous Medal was shown to St. Catherine Laboure’ in a vision by the Blessed Virgin Mary in 1830. Our Lady told her that great graces would be given to those who wear the medal. Her words were soon confirmed by so many miracles that it came to be known as ”the Miraculous Medal.” Everyone should be wearing the Miraculous Medal. St. Catherine saw rings on the Blessed Mother’s fingers. Some were giving out rays of light, which signified the graces some souls were receiving from wearing the medal. Other rings were not giving out rays, which signified graces people were not receiving because they weren’t asking for them. The real name of the medal is The Medal of the Immaculate Conception of Mary. Thus the prayer on the oval, O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.
She was conceived in the womb of her most blessed mother, St. Anne. She was conceived Immaculate because Christ wanted a spotless mother, and it was only fitting that Our Lord should come into the world through a spotless vessel. Thus, the Scripture says of her, “The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his ways.” Prov. 8:22. “One is my dove, my perfect one is but one… The daughters saw her, and declared her most blessed.” Cant. 6:8. Hence it is that when the angel Gabriel came to her, St. Luke chapter 1, before she became the Mother of God, already found her full of grace, and thus saluted her: “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women,” 1:28, drbo.org. Those who honor the Mother by wearing the medal, and saying the prayer on it each day in her honor will be greatly blessed! Much more so than those who were healed by the handkerchiefs and aprons of St. Paul, Acts 19:11-12. St. Maximillian Kolbe called it ”a spiritual bullet.” Yet a bullet is useless unless it is put in the gun, a car is useless unless the key is put in the ignition, and the medal is useless if we don’t use it properly. The Blessed Mother said: “Great graces will be given to those who wear the medal.” And now, let us proceed to look at some of the great graces she obtained for those who accepted her medal, and used it.
A letter from the Superioress of the Daughters of Charity, at the hospital of Beuthen, (Prussian, Poland) – 1865: There was brought to our hospital, a young man of notoriously bad character. He entered our doors blaspheming, and as the physician had told the Sister that he had but a few days to live, she essayed a few words of piety and consolation, to turn his attention to the state of his soul; but he answered her by maledictions. At last, one day she said to him, “My friend, since you will not listen to me, I will ask my Superioress herself to come.” “Let her come,” was his reply, ‘’if she were to tell me to hang myself, I would obey her, but as for confession, she may talk about that as much as she pleases, I shall never yield.’’ These words were followed by so many blasphemies, that it was with a very heavy heart the poor Sister sought her Superioress. ‘’ “Have you given him a medal?’’ said the latter. “A medal!’’ was the reply, ‘’he would throw it away.’’ “Ah, well, we must put one under his pillow and trust to prayer, for it is useless to talk to him.; tell him only that I say he is not worthy of going to confession, and I forbid him from doing so!’’
As soon as the Sister who was taking care of him left the presence of her Superioress, the latter threw herself upon her knees, and began to repeat that beautiful prayer, the Memorare. ‘’Remember O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known, that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thy intercession, was left unaided. Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins my Mother. To thee I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy, hear and answer me. Amen. In a very few minutes the Sister returned, this time shedding tears of joy. ‘’Ah! Sister,’’ said she, ‘’he wishes to confess. As soon as I put the medal under his pillow and recited the Memorare for him, I delivered your message.’’ ‘’Indeed,’’ said he, rising from his seat, ‘’Well, I would just like to see the person that could prevent it! Tell your Superioress that tomorrow morning at eight o’clock, I am going to pay the Cure’ a visit.” (Cure’ is the priest).
The Sisters felt a little troubled concerning a confession apparently dictated by the spirit of contradiction, but their fears were dissipated when the penitent returned bathed in tears. He had just been to Holy Communion, asking the Sister’s pardon for his past misconduct. He begged them to implore the Blessed Virgin to let him live eight days longer, that he might weep for his sins. This favor was granted him, and daily did he bedew his pillow with tears. At the end of eight days he died, blessing God, and pressing the medal to his lips! – Taken from an old 1880 edition of a book on the Miraculous Medal.
BABE RUTH AND THE MIRACULOUS MEDAL
On August 16, 1948, the magazine Guideposts, a non-denominational inspirational magazine, received an autobiographical article written and submitted by Major League Baseball icon and American legend George Herman ‘’Babe’’ Ruth, Jr. In a twist of tragic irony, the same day Guideposts received the article at their office, Ruth died of cancer. The Babe- as he was affectionately called- had composed the article weeks earlier with the help of friends, and it was eventually published in Guideposts in October 1948. In this, his final message to his adoring fans, Ruth wrote about his troubled youth, his Catholic education, his zeal for life, his faith journey, and how he was introduced to the Miraculous Medal.
Ruth ended his article by detailing his experience in 1946 of facing a difficult surgery, and , his own mortality. (It was now time to get serious about his own judgement at death). ‘’ In December, 1946, I was in a French hospital, New York, facing a serious operation. Paul Carey, one of my oldest and closest friends, was by my bed one night. “They’re going to operate in the morning, Paul,’’ Paul said. “Don’t you think you ought to put your house in order?” I didn’t dodge the long, challenging look in his eyes. I knew what he meant. For the first time, I realized that death might strike me out! I nodded, and Paul got up, called in a chaplain, and I made a full confession.* (“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all iniquity.” 1 John 1:9. )
“I’ll return in the morning and give you Holy Communion,’’ the chaplain said, “But you don’t have to fast.’’ “I’ll fast’’ I said. I didn’t have even drop of water. As I lay in bed that evening, I thought to myself what a comforting feeling to be free from fear and worries. I now could simply turn them over to God. Later on, my wife brought in a letter from a little kid in Jersey City. “Dear Babe,’ he wrote, ‘Everybody in the seventh grade is pulling and praying for you. I am enclosing a medal, which if you wear, will make you better. Your pal – Mike Quinlan. P. S. I know this will be your 61st homer. You’ll hit it.” I asked them to pin the Miraculous Medal to my pajama coat. I’ve worn the medal constantly ever since. I’ll wear it to my grave.” End of story.
Your Day In Court.
Have you ever thought about when you die, you are going to appear before a judge whom you have possibly offended thousands of times? In an earthly court, we would only have to offend the judge a few times and he would be ready to throw the book at us. Do you think you would need a good lawyer? And now, here we are, before Jesus Christ, whom we have offended thousands of times, and we’re hoping for mercy? Isn’t that kind of like expecting a piece of straw not to burn in a raging fire? Yet, if you have a very good lawyer, who is also close friends with the judge, and he pleads for you and assures the judge of your amendment, your chances of receiving mercy are much, much better. Now imagine yourself, dead, appearing before Jesus Christ, to answer for all the thousands of sins you have committed against him in your whole life , and not only that, but this kind judge has even given his own life for you that you may be saved. And all those times, you were disobedient and spurned his graces. Do you think, now, at the hour of your death, you are going to need a very good lawyer, a powerful advocate who will plead with you at that dreadful time? What kind of foolish man would go before his judge without some very good representation? Who is going to intercede for You? For us Catholics, in that terrible hour, it is going to be the most holy Virgin Mary. For when we pray the rosary every day, we ask her, “Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now, and at the hour of our death. “ She will be there to plead for us when we pray her rosary every day.
First of all, a good attorney will counsel their client to get their affairs in order. In this case, A Catholic, like Babe Ruth, will go to confession. Having been restored to the grace of God, the Blessed Mother will inspire her children who are praying the rosary to root out their sin. The third promise of the rosary says: 3. ‘’The Rosary shall be a powerful armor against hell, it will destroy vice, decrease sin and defeat heresies.’’ It will destroy vice and decrease sin. This will help Our Lord see on the day of judgement that we are indeed, amending our life. Now at death, after all the thousands of rosaries we have prayed, our Blessed Mother will be there to plead our cause with her Divine Son. And there is no one on earth whom Our Lord loves more than his own Mother. He honors her prayers as the prayers of a good Mother, and out of respect for his Mother, he grants her requests, like any good son would. Yes, if you want to receive mercy, call on the Mother of Mercy with the Hail Mary prayer often and the daily rosary. Being a powerful armor against hell, the devils will not have as much power against you, because much prayer brings much grace, and grace strengthens us against sin, and defeating heresies, she will keep us in the true Catholic faith. Those who have left the faith, who once prayed the rosary and have given it up, or never said it at all, ask yourself, ‘’When did I lose the faith?” and you will see, the answer is, ‘’When I gave up my devotion to Mary.’’ There is an article online, that explains why we must be devoted to Mary to be saved. There is a good article online explaining the need for devotion to Mary, which can be found at this link: https://motherofgodlibrary.org/2019/05/18/devotion-to-mary-a-great-sign-of-predestination/ or this short link here: https://bit.ly/2LtFFll
How many millions of Catholics have left the Church in recent years because they nor their families prayed the daily rosary. Fr. Hugh Thwaites explains the necessity of the family rosary in homes to preserve the faith of the parents and the children. The Importance of the Family Rosary > http://www.olrl.org/pray/ On the left sidebar, click on The Importance of the Family Rosary and the Power of the Rosary . Now, let us return to the impressive stories!
Around the year 2,000, two ladies I know, one was my own sister, saw a program on TV about a woman with a problem pregnancy. After the delivery, the lady was in a coma. Someone in the room with the husband gave him one of these miraculous medals and said, “Put this on her head, and say a prayer for her.” When the husband did so, she came out of the coma, and when I related this story from my sister to the second lady, she said, “Yeah. I saw that too, and she was alright after that!”
These next two stories I am not going to print out as they can be easily found on the internet. Fr. John Hardon had an incredible experience with the medal in the beginning of his priesthood in 1949. He knew little about the medal but was just following the advice of a Vincetian priest who told them, “You all should use the medal. It really works!” http://www.therealpresence.org/archives/Miracles/Miracles_002.htm or just search: Fr John Hardon the miraculous medal. This second story is equally impressive, and very beautiful when you see what the Blessed Mother did for Claude Newman on death row in Mississippi in 1943, after he started wearing the medal. Here is the link on this amazing story. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doL4DPN2CIg . Both stories are now in video format for those who wish to listen to them driving down the road.
THE TERRIBLE FIRE
”A serious fire had broken out in the city of Salonica. The flames soon appeared opposite the Sisters’ house, the buildings on the other side of the street, a few yards distant, being seized and devoured by the fire, which the wind continued to fan into activity. Already theSisters’ roof and that of the adjoining house were covered with dense smoke. I cast therein several Miraculous Medals. There was no prospect of human succor (help), as the rumor of their being powder in the vicinity had caused everyone to seek safety in flight. I also retired, deeming it useless to expose myself longer; and besides, I was obliged to go to the assistanceof a poor man, who, partially intoxicated, persisted in remaining near the fire. I returned shortly after, expecting to see our house in flames; I doubted not but that they would be wholly consumed. As I approached, a young man stopped me on the way, and said: ‘Your property is saved, Sir; the Sisters’ house is not even in danger.’ Only on reaching the scene could I be convinced that he had spoken truly. It would be impossible to express my emotion at the sight. I sent to inform our dear Sisters of the fact, and they could scarcely credit this marvelous preservation. It suffices to add, that all Salonica is unanimous in pronouncing it a miracle.” Letter of Sister M. 1855. – Again, Taken from an old 1880 edition of a book on the Miraculous Medal. To be continued…
Although Father’s Day is past, these items are actually good for any time of the year, because they stress the importance of being a good spiritual father to our children.
A CAREFUL FATHER I WANT TO BE! Poem: https://tinyurl.com/5n7a9cxb
My Little Boy mug https://www.gearbubble.com/mlb01
Father’s Day tee shirt https://www.gearbubble.com/mlbts01
Faithful friend is a treasure tee shirt https://www.gearbubble.com/ffrtee09
Holy Communion tee shirt https://www.gearbubble.com/hctee076
The Sinless Virgin Mary mug https://www.gearbubble.com/immug79
Hail Mary travel mug https://www.gearbubble.com/hmtmug085
Hail Mary pillowcase https://www.gearbubble.com/hmpillowcase08