The Miraculous Medal

The Miraculous Medal is a devotion to the Virgin Mary called the "Miraculous" Medal for the many miracles associated with those that wear it. It is one of my favorite medals to wear.

The Miraculous Medal came to the world through an Apparition of the Virgin Mary to Catherine Labouré in Paris, France in 1830. In Mary's second apparition, she asked that "a medal should be struck in this image. The people wearing it will receive my indulgence and those who piously say this short prayer will enjoy my very special protection".

One of the most famous conversions due to the miraculous medal was that of Alphonse Ratisbonne, an anti-Catholic Jewish banker. He received a vision of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. After his conversion, he became a priest and worked for the conversion of the Jewish people.

Click here to read Fr. John Hardon's testimony of a miracle brought about in front of him because of the Miraculous Medal. 

English Translation of the Traditional Prayer Said by the Priest to Bless the Miraculous Medal:

The priest who is to bless the sacred medal of the Immaculate Conception, vested in surplice and white stole, says:

P: Our help is in the name of the Lord.
All: Who made heaven and earth.
P: The Lord be with you.
All: May He also be with you.

Let us pray.

Almighty and merciful God, who by the many appearances on earth of the Immaculate Virgin Mary were pleased to work miracles again and again for the salvation of souls; kindly pour out your blessing + on this medal, so that all who devoutly wear it and reverence it may experience the patronage of Mary Immaculate and obtain mercy from you; through Christ our Lord.
All: Amen.

The priest sprinkles the medal with holy water, and presents it to the person, saying:
Take this holy medal; wear it with faith, and handle it with due devotion, so that the holy and immaculate Queen of heaven may protect and defend you. And as she is ever ready to renew her wondrous acts of kindness, may she obtain for you in her mercy whatever you humbly ask of God, so that both in life and in death you may rest happily in her motherly embrace.

All: Amen.

The priest continues:

Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Our Father (the rest inaudibly)

P: And lead us not into temptation.

All: But deliver us from evil.

P: Queen conceived without original sin.

All: Pray for us.

P: Lord, heed my prayer.

All: And let my cry be heard by you.

P: The Lord be with you.

All: May He also be with you.

Let us pray.

Lord Jesus Christ, who willed that your Mother, the blessed Virgin Mary conceived without sin, should become illustrious through countless miracles; grant that we who ever seek her patronage may finally possess everlasting joys. We ask this of you who live and reign forever and ever.
All: Amen.

AN ACT OF CONSECRATION TO OUR LADY OF THE MIRACULOUS MEDAL

Virgin Mother of God, Mary Inmmaculate, we dedicate and consecrate our selves to thee under the title of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. May this Medal be for each one of us a sure sign of thy affection for us and a constant reminder of our duties toward thee. Ever while wearing it, may we be blessed by thy loving protection and preserved in the grace of thy Son. O most powerful Virgin, Mother of our Savior, keep us close to thee every moment of our lives. Obtain for us, thy children, the grace of a happy death; so that, in union with thee, we may enjoy the bliss of heaven forever. Amen.

V. O Mary, conceived without sin,
R. Pray for us who have recourse to thee. ( 3 times.)

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Do You Want to Save Someone's Life?

Well, Priests for Life has a new brochure called You can save someone's life today (PDF file). Please pass along the information inside especially pregnany numbers. If you can't read that here is a HTML version.

Abortion is not a choice; it is murder. If you are pregnant don't think you don't have other options. God created us all to live in happiness, and only He has the right to take life being the Creator of Life. What if Mary hadn't had Jesus? Think about how much of a saint any unborn child can become. Trust in God and know that abortion is death. God is calling all to life. Trust in Him since He believed in you to the death.

Carenet/Heartbeat 1-800-395-HELP
Crisis Pregnancy Helpline 1-888-4-OPTIONS
Birthright 1-800-550-4900
National Life Center 1-800-848-LOVE
Bethany Christians Services 1-800-238-4269

Image Source: Believed to be in the public domain, source unknown

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Catholic Composition Project - Please Participate

I don't know about everyone else, but I really enjoy forums and reading and posting at them. Usually all of them are Catholic forums and my favorite questions asked are those of people trying to understand the Catholic faith. It is indeed a great gift to aid another in their journey to Christ, and God calls each of us to serve Him. I choose to serve Him by spreading the Gospel.

So, I'm commonly asked questions about the faith and try to answer them although if I could create one post on each topic here including links for more information and references from the CCC and Bible along with the Church's position and teachings this could be extremely valuable to spreading the Church to others. John Paul ll said, "How can they believe if they have not heard?" I'm hoping others will join me in working together this way to spread the Christ to others.

Would anyone care to do this? Do you think it's a good idea?

(I'm unsure on the first topic to cover although I'd like to do it on devotion to Mary or the saints and why we pray to them)

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A Daily Gospel Reading

I'd like to make this blog more open to conversation like a forum, so would anyone care to participate in a reading of the Gospel? I will post the Gospel (if not daily at least a few times a week) and I'll post a commentary on the text. This will help us correct error in interpretation draw upon the Word of God, who is the person of Jesus Christ, during the day.

Image Source: Believed to be in the Public Domain, Priest chanting the Last Gospel at a Tridentine Mass

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Rediscover the Angelus Prayer

The word "Angelus" comes from the Latin "Angelus Domini" meaning "Angel of the Lord". This is a prayer of the Church said three times a day at 6 AM, Noon, and 6 PM. The present-day form of the Angelus traces back to 1560 and is a prayer composed of a short sentence followed by a response and then followed by a Hail Mary. It is an excellent prayer reminding all of Christ's Incarnation the gift of Himself - born to come, to die, and to save. The Church also blesses this devotion with indulgences.

The Angelus is prayed three times daily and is said year long except during Easter Time (From Easter Sunday until the end of the Octave of Pentecost) when the Regina Coeli is prayed. Traditionally, the Angelus is prayed while kneeling except on Sundays and Holy Days when it is prayed standing with a genuflecting (bowing on one knee) during the statement: "And dwelt among us".

If you are praying in a Group the leader saying the "V" parts and you say the "R" part, but if you are praying alone you will pray all parts.

The Prayer:

V. The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary,
R. And she conceived by the Holy Spirit. Hail Mary…

V. Behold the handmaid of the Lord,
R. Be it done unto me according to thy word. Hail Mary…

V. And the Word was made flesh,
R. And dwelt among us. Hail Mary…

V. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

V. Let us pray.

R. Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts, that we to whom the Incarnation of Christ, Thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by His passion and cross, be brought to the glory of His Resurrection; through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

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Let Us Unite Ourselves With Christ

In the agony of the Garden of Gethsemane, Christ knew that He was to be mocked, tortured, beaten, deprived of friendship, and killed; yet His love remained. And in His agony, knowing His coming brutal death, He cried out in prayer. Read the 17th Chapter of the Gospel of John.

Let us pray with this prayer I found in a Catholic prayer book:

God our Father, it is your purpose to bring the whole of creation into unity with you. Give us the grace to further this aim and to live out your truth on earth. Bring all your people closer to one another and unite us in the sharing of your good news. Come, Holy Spirit, and help us to join into one community of believers. Amen

Image Source: Believed to be in the Public Domain

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Cardinal Clemens August von Galen

The process of sainthood is such: Servant of God - Venerable - Blessed - Saint (Read Roman Catholic sections) If you are unfamiliar with devotion to saints then please read further on the subject.

I just finished watching an EWTN special for the Beatification Mass of Cardinal Clemens August von Galen this evening. First, if you are unaware for the process of being declared a saint, someone in Heaven, then please read the Wikipedia article on sainthood.

Today I watched the Beatification Mass celebrated by Cardinal Saraiva Martins celebrated at Saint Peter's Basilica for the Beatification of Cardinal Clemens August Graf von Galen (1878 - 1946). And although Pope Benedict XVI did not celebrate the Mass since a beatification is more of a regional celebration than a declaration of sainthood, the Holy Father did arrive near the end to bless the crowd and speak. Although not spoken by Our Holy Father, I found these words spoken on the Eucharist very refreshing and brilliant. It was said that in receiving the Eucharist one's "...Heart becomes the throne of the Son of God." Is your heart worthy? After this life we will be seeing our God with our own eyes, touching Him with our own hands, but our you worthy? If not then seek His mercy in the Sacrament of Confession, the delight of souls where every single soul, by the power of God, is washed clean from sin. Thanks be to God for His immeasurable gift - His only Son, eternally begotten of the Father!

Cardinal Clemens August Graf von Galen was a huge critic of the Nazi regime. He lived the Truth in the midst of the darkness of World War II.

If you have information relevant to the canonization of Blessed Clemens, please contact:

Domkapitular Martin Hülskamp
Horsteberg 18, 48143
Münster, Germany

Image Source: Photo believed to be in the Public Domain

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Earthquake Victims

After seeing the US devestated by hurricanes, the world is again struck by a natural disaster in Asia with a 7.6 magnitude earthquake with a death toll near 20,000 now! Please start praying for these people. Let's start a Rosary network for these people praying our Rosary and leaving them in Mary's arms that she might take them to Christ, the Divine Healer, the Only Truth. Last Thurday was the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, a day commemorating a Christian naval victory attributed to the continuous prayer of the Rosary. With Mary's intercession in mind, let us walk together to Christ that we might not just save these people physically but in mind, body, and spirit. Let us pray completely for them that Christ might heal them and reign in their hearts.

Christ-Haunted, a reader of this site and a blogger, posted about the site, AsiaNews.it for more information to keep up on the subject. And if you can give monetary aid please do so through Catholic Charities (This link is for Catholic Charities USA).

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Catholic Tuner

This website, Catholic Tuner, looks like a good find with Holy Family Radio, Ave Maria Radio, Relevant Radio, EWTN, and more. And best of all, it's completely free to listen to it.

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What Goes Up Must Come Down

Image Source: Bartolomé Estéban Murillo. The Blessed Giles Levitating before Pope Gregory IX, about 1645-46 Oil on canvas, 65 1/2 x 73 1/4 in. (166.3 x 186.0 cm.)


"No man can attain to the knowledge of God but by humility. The way to mount high is to descend. "– Blessed Giles of Assisi

I just found this quotation today and wanted to share it with everyone before I will be going to Mass.

After all, we are all unworthy servants. We all sin and some are worse than others, but those truly repentant and loving are certainly in Christ's eternal heart. God knows we can't do anything by ourselves so He saves us continuously again. Some say they don't "see" God, they just can't say yes or no. And I tell you then to open your heart see the joy of the world, the complexity of the universe, the miracle of life, the joy of the Catholic faith, and the greatest source of all beauty - the Holy Eucharist. Why don't you get out of your house and look at the world and see it isn't something anyone on earth could possibly imagine. Sir Issac Newton in the preface to "Principia" translates as such, "...to lay forth the laws of nature with such clarity that no thinking man may deny the existence of God"

"Consequently, methodical research in all branches of knowledge, provided it is carried out in a truly scientific manner and does not override moral laws, can never conflict with the faith, because the things of the world and the things of faith derive from the same God. The humble and persevering investigator of the secrets of nature is being led, as it were, by the hand of God in spite of himself, for it is God, the conserver of all things, who made them what they are" (CCC 159)

Above all it comes down to the fact that God made science and therefore is still outside of it. His beauty and majesty can not be reached by a microscope or a telescope or by sitting in life waiting around. The greatest thing is that Christ died for everyone one of us and wants to know us all in such a personal way and the ONLY way to do this is the pray. Start out slow with vocal prayers and eventually move on. Throughout this whole life Christ is the source of Mercy. Come to Him as St. Faustina taught us to pray, "Jesus, I trust in you."

Remember our Lord's teachings in the Gospel, all that humble themselves will be exulted and all that exult themselves will be humbled. Do you think Christ is only in a book? No! He is in His Church preserved from the time of Our Lord's Resurrection of His teachings. The Holy Spirit is guiding us, but then again, we must humble ourselves. None of us are worthy of any grace of God, rather it is only through His mercy that we are healed.

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