In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The life of Saint Catherine Labouré is a beautiful life,
especially because of the apparitions of the Virgin Mary that she had and because of the
wonders that God has worked throughout the world through the miraculous medal.
In March 1832, cholera broke out in Paris in the middle of the carnival. In total there
were approximately 18,000 official deaths, but in reality there were more than 20,000.
The Archbishop of Paris learned of the epidemic in his retreat, in which he was hidden,
as a popular riot had expelled him from his bishopric on January 15th, 1831.
He immediately returned to console the suffering people, visiting the hospitals. This gesture
of the priest appeased the rioters, and at the request of the archbishop they opened
the house to care for the cholera patients.
At the end of May, the epidemic seemed to recede,
but at the end of June it flared up again and panic returned.
The miraculous medal
maker produced the first 1,500 medals on June 30th. At the beginning of July 1832,
they gave to Saint Catherine Labouré the first medal and she said: "Now we have to spread it".
The Medals were first distributed in the Paris region by the Daughters of Charity
among the cholera patients and there were many cures and conversions.
It soon began to be called The Miraculous Medal.
In two years, eight million medals had been sold in the Paris and Lyon regions.
The Miraculous Medal, distributed by millions throughout the world, contributed to popularize
the belief in the Immaculate Conception and to prepare the dogmatic definition, in addition to
carrying out innumerable conversions and cures.
Saint John Gabriel Perboyre, martyred in China in
1840, already knew the value of The Miraculous Medal. Saint John Vianney, in 1836, placed on
the altar of the Virgin's chapel a wooden image of the Immaculate Conception of the miraculous medal.
In 1835 and 1836 a Swiss nun saw the Virgin of the medal as an echo of the
apparition of November 27th, 1830.
The Reverend Father Charles-Éléonore
Desgenettes had the idea of consecrating his parish to the Immaculate Heart of Mary
and founded the Archconfraternity to obtain he conversion of sinners.
The success was so rapid
that the whole world soon heard of the miracles associated with the prayers of the confreres.
They take the miraculous medal as their insignia and undertake to pray the medal prayer:
"O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to you."
The Ugandan martyrs went to the bonfire carrying the miraculous medal.
Saint María Micaela of the Blessed Sacrament carried it throughout her life.
At the wish of the Virgin, Father Aladel founded the Association
of the Daughters of Mary,
and they all wear the miraculous medal as a distinctive symbol,
as was worn by Saint Maria Goretti
and Saint Bernadette Soubirous, who were daughters of Mary.
Saint Therese of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face also known as Saint Thérèse of Lisieux was also a
daughter of the Virgin Mary and an image of the miraculous medal healed her and smiled at her.
Saint John Henry Newman wore The Miraculous Medal around his neck on August 22nd, 1845,
two months before his conversion on October 9th of that year.
A famous exorcist priest tells us: One day I arrived in a town at dusk. They brought me
a corporal of the Civil Guard stretched out on a makeshift stretcher. The relatives who carried him
told me that he had not eaten for eight days and that he was constantly bleeding from his mouth.
Also in my presence he continued to spew blood until he filled a small vessel.
This man was very sick and I didn't even have medicine to stop the bleeding.
The sick man's wife begged me to do everything possible to save him. So, I had to speak to him
very clearly, telling him that a miracle of the Virgin Mary was needed to be able to heal him.
I must say that, when curing the sick, I have always used the miraculous medal a lot
and also in this case I spoke to the patient and his wife of the great graces that the
Blessed Virgin Mary grants to those who with great faith carry her miraculous medal.
Seeing the lively faith of both of them, I put the miraculous medal around the neck of the sick man
and, together with his wife, we recited three Hail Mary's.
Around midnight, a loud roar coming from the gate of the dispensary startled me awake, while a
strange heat flooded my room. I got up in a hurry to see what had happened, but I thought that what
had caused that noise could have been one of the sons of the patient visiting his father.
The next morning, my amazement was great when I found him sitting on the bed. He was eating
a good piece of chicken! He calmly told me that around midnight, the Virgin Mary represented in
the miraculous medal had visited him and touched his forehead and he was immediately healed.
Later he wanted me to give him a large number of those medals to make known to all the merciful and
maternal power of the Virgin Mary.
How many pounds of miraculous medals we have distributed among the
poor!
I could narrate many other wonders worked by the Blessed Virgin Mary, our wonderful mother
and queen of heaven, through the miraculous medal, when it is worn with great faith.
Saint Maximilian Kolbe founded the Militia of the Immaculate to achieve the conversion of heretics,
and especially of the Masons.
To belong to this Militia it was necessary to consecrate
oneself to the Virgin Mary, wear the miraculous medal and say the prayer at least once a day:
"O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to you,
and for all those who do not recur and especially for Freemasons.
He personally distributed thousands of miraculous medals, which he called small-caliber bullets.
A witness says: One day we were going for a walk through the streets of Rome when we were students
and an individual began to blaspheme. Saint Maximilian Kolbe approached him
and offered him a miraculous medal, which the man accepted and put it in his pocket.
Later he learned that this man had improved in his habits.
Another case, referred to by Saint Maximilian Kolbe:
A few days ago a lady came to ask me
to go to a sick person who did not want to go to confession.
The confessor priest had already gone,
and he had sent that lady to me, since her attempts had failed.
Does the sick person pray to the Virgin Mary,
praying at least one Hail Mary a day? Saint Maximilian Kolbe asked her.
I proposed it to him, but he replied that he does not believe in the Virgin.
I beg you, take this medal to him, I said, giving her a miraculous medal.
Who knows if he will accept it out of respect for you and allow you to put it around his neck!
He will accept it out of respect for me.
Well, take it to him and pray for him;
for my part I will try to go visit him.
I went to visit him, although deep in my soul I was tormented by doubt about the result of the visit.
The only hope was in the medal that the patient had with him. During the journey
I prayed the Holy Rosary. After a difficult walk I knocked on the door of the hospital.
They immediately accompanied me to the contagious disease ward where the patient was. I sat next to
his bed and started a conversation. I learned about his health, but the conversation soon
turned to religious issues. The patient expressed his doubts to me and I tried to clarify them.
During the conversation I saw a little blue cord around his neck,
precisely the one with the medal. "He has the medal, I thought, so the battle is won."
Suddenly the patient tells me: Father, could we come to the conclusion?
So, do you want to confess? Saint Maximilian Kolbe asked him.
In response, a copious cry upset his emaciated chest. The sobs lasted a long time. When the
sick man calmed down, he began the confession. Glory to the Immaculate for this victory!
Another conversion. Saint Maximilian Kolbe says: It is about a young employee. He had
been a college student in law school, but he was far behind in the religious field. In a word,
he was the opposite of the one commonly called "progressive." As hospital chaplain, I felt it
my duty to care for his poor soul as well. In my spare moments, I would talk willingly with him
about issues of faith.
However, his conclusive argument was: "I need clearer evidence."
I saw that he did not want to educate himself and despised good reading.
So what could I do? I entrusted the whole matter to the Immaculate Virgin Mary,
through the intercession of the virgin of Lucca, Saint Gemma Galgani,
recently deceased in the odor of sanctity and already known throughout the world.
The next day, I led the conversation about the confession, but the argument
proceeded with difficulty; Suddenly the door opened and a relative appeared,
who told him to hurry up because it was time to go. And they left after a short greeting.
I was left alone. "How will this matter end?" I thought to myself.
I got down on my knees and pleaded with few words, but fervently, to the Immaculate Virgin Mary
through Saint Gemma Galgani's intercession.
Suddenly an inspiration comes to me
I go out into the corridor and there I find his relative. "Excuse me, I said to him,
I still have to deal with a matter with this man." "Of course, come in," the relative answers.
My "heretic" was already leaving his room with a suitcase in his hand: I invited him to mine.
After closing the door, I took a "miraculous medal" and gave it to him as a souvenir.
He accepted it out of courtesy.
Then I proposed again to confess.
"I'm not ready. No! Absolutely not!” was his reply.
But at the same time he fell to his knees,
as if a superior force had forced him to do so.
The confession started and he cried like a child.
Another case from Saint Maximilian Kolbe:
The plenipotentiary minister of Japan in Poland,
Mr. Kawai, married to a Catholic woman, was very ill in Warsaw.
Saint Maximilian Kolbe went
to visit him.
He says:
“He told me that during a visit to France, in Lourdes
he had heard that there, since the time of the apparitions, the miracles had never ceased.
He himself mingled with the crowd of pilgrims from all over and walking through Lourdes,
had heard of the miracles, had clearly noted the religious atmosphere of that place;
yet he had not realized in himself the desire for a life of faith.
I went to visit him and offered the sick man, through his wife,
the miraculous medal and entrusted him to the mercy of Mary, praying for the sick man so that
he would be cured and obtain the gift of faith.
The Queen of mankind, our mother the Virgin Mary,
did her work and the sick man asked for baptism.
The minister wanted to adopt the name of Francis.
From the hands of the Nuncio the holy water fell on his head and the words:
“Francis I baptize you in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”.
With the holy baptism the minister experienced great inner joy, which was also evident on
his face.
During the hours that were left to him,
the minister enjoyed this joy and peace.
He repeated a few times to those of us around him:
“Why have I not embraced this religion before and have not felt this happiness before?
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.