Mary wishes the whole world to have the Miraculous Medal for themselves, and she is a Powerful dispenser of Her Son’s Graces
The Miraculous Medal is a heavenly gift to us from Mary. It’s everyone’s Medal, because she is everyone’s Mother. Moreover, she wants us to wear it with love and trust—not superstitiously like a lucky charm.
It’s a reminder, a tangible sign through which she expresses her Motherly love and desire to help us. We need to wear it as her true children, trying our best to imitate her virtues, to grow deeper in our faith, and to see beyond our own needs and reach out to help the poor, the forgotten, and the lonely.
It’s a reminder that she is always ready to listen, to ease our suffering, to comfort us when we mourn, to heal our souls and bodies, and to rescue us in times of trial. She wants to be our companion, our friend, and our guide. However, all of these things require reciprocation on our part.
And it’s a reminder of her powerful intercession. Mary is not divine nor omnipotent. She is not the author of grace. But she dispenses God’s grace, and, at the same time, her immaculate soul makes her uniquely powerful with God. As Fr. Moran pointed out in his sermons, God sees power differently than we do. To Him, power is measured by the amount of grace in one’s soul. We know that Mary, while on earth, was “full of grace” [Luke 1:28], so her power with God was substantial even then. The Wedding Feast of Cana depicts this beautifully. At His Mother’s four words, “They have no wine,” Jesus willingly changed His future “hour” to the present moment. Now, as Queen of Heaven, Mary has immeasurable power to obtain graces for us. And those graces can be quite formidable.
In a 1962 sermon for the Solemn Novena of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, Bishop Francis Furey, Auxiliary Bishop of Philadelphia, says that Mary “wants to protect us from the evils that threaten us. When powerful hostile forces threatened the Church and Western civilization in the l6th century, Pope St. Pius V had recourse to Our Blessed Mother, and Don Juan of Austria led the Christian navies to victory at Lepanto. When, in the 17th century, powerful armies again tried to overcome our Christian civilization, Blessed Innocent XI invoked the aid of Mary, and again the threat was turned back—this time through the victory of John Sobieski, King of Poland, outside the city of Vienna.”
In our own era, nine months after the United States entered World War II, our Blessed Mother was once again called upon to pour her blessings upon the armed forces. Encouraged by the Vincentians of the Eastern Province, pastors organized Mary’s Kneeling Army of Prayer, a movement of people who made the commitment of wearing the Miraculous Medal and praying for peace. At least ten million civilians and members of the military, signed up to be part of this cause and prayed “for the protection of America’s defenders.”13 The Western and Eastern Provinces both heard from men who returned from war and credited Mary and her Miraculous Medal for their safety.
Our Mother and her Medal are, indeed, powerful. We’ve witnessed that countless times at Mary’s Shrine. Therefore, we know the importance of getting her Medal to people in need. Whether sending them to missions in Africa or Panama, or getting them to people in emergencies, we want as many people as possible to know that they are not alone—that they have a tender Mother who is always there to help, comfort, and guide them.
THE CURE
Mary and her Miraculous Medal are just as important today as they were back in 1830. They are the solution to all of the difficulties we’re facing. Now more than ever, we need our Blessed Mother’s comfort and protection. Now more than ever, we need to discover her peace. Now more than ever, we need to know that our Mother is with us. And she is.
In a sermon given in the 1930’s, Fr. Moran told the attendees of the Perpetual Novena that:
“In a certain sense, you were present in that chapel at Paris on that evening when Our Lady appeared. You were present in Mary’s heart because at that time she was thinking of you. …
“Our Blessed Mother asks you to look upon [the Medal] not as an ornament but as a sign that she has fashioned, as a sign that has come out from the great depths of her love for you. This Medal brings to you a message, an assurance not only that she is concerned with everything that worries you, but the Medal brings to you a guarantee that she has for each one of you—saint or sinner, fervent or negligent—that thing which we call love, that thing which we call affection.
“Every time you look upon your Medal, she wants you to remember that when she made her promise to obtain great graces for those who were devoted to her through her Medal, she meant you in particular.”
Let his words sink in: “You were in Mary’s Heart when she appeared to St. Catherine.” Mary remembers her promises and keeps her word. Her Medal, which rests close to your heart, is a reminder of her love for you.
Then come to Mary’s Shrine. It’s her home, filled with her gentle presence. Pour out your troubles to her for all she’s accomplished in your life, for all the graces—big and small—she’s given you. Let her love and peace permeate your soul. Commit yourself to always wear her Medal. And, try to become so much like her that anyone who sees you would say, “You’re just like your Mother.”
The Miraculous Medal Gift Shop has a vast selection of Miraculous Medals in every size, style, and price range. Check out our Medals by visiting miraculousmedal.org/product-category/miraculous-medals
THE MOTHER Re-Printed from the Miraculous Medal Shrine, Philadelphia, PA