The meaning of the Miraculous Medal and its wonderful power

The Miraculous Medal of the Immaculate Conception, popularly known throughout the world as the Miraculous Medal, has an exceptional place in the hearts of Marianists of the Immaculate Conception, since it paved the way for the Church´s official declaration of dogma in 1854. The Miraculous Medal is surprising because Our Lady herself presented the family design that can be seen engraved on it today.

The front of the miraculous medal represents Mary standing on a balloon, with the head of a snake under her feet. Surrounding the oval medal is the inscription:

"O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee."

On the reverse side, twelve stars surround a large "M" from which a cross emerges. Below the "M", the medal shows two burning hearts.

The left heart, surrounded by thorns, represents Jesus. The heart on the right side, pierced by a sword, represents Mary.

History of the Miraculous Medal.

Just as in the case of the revelations of the Divine Mercy, it was made known in 1930, in Poland, to Saint Faustina, a young unpretentious nun, once again, God chose an unlikely helper, and this happened 100 years before.

The Lord selected a 24-year-old novice from the community of sisters known as the Daughters of Charity, Paris, France, in 1830.

The extraordinary story begins on the night of July 18, 1830, when a mysterious child awakens Sister Catherine Labouré. The child takes her to the convent chapel. There, Sister Catherine sees the Virgin Mary, sitting on a chair. She kneels beside Mary, and rests her hands on the Virgin´s lap.

The Blessed Virgin and Saint Catherine spoke for several hours. During the conversation, Mary promises that she will return and give the young nun "a mission". The child carries Catherine back to her bed. Catalina listens to the little knock of the clock, it was already 2:00 am on July 19.

Four months later, Sister Catherine learns what Mary wants. During her afternoon meditation on November 27, 1830, Catherine has a vision of Mary standing in a position similar to that depicted on the medal. Later, changes in the vision include the inscription found on the front of the medal. The Virgin Mary speaks to Catherine, saying:

"Have a medal struck according to this model. Those who wear it will receive great graces. Graces will be abundant for those who wear it with confidence".

Effects of the Miracle Medal.

The first medals were made in 1832 and distributed throughout Paris. According to the Association of the Miraculous Medal, the blessings that Mary promised began to pour out in abundance on the medal bearers.

Devotion spread rapidly. In 1836, the Church conducted an investigation declaring the apparitions to be authentic

Meaning of the inscription on the Miracle Medal

To answer this, let´s discover why it works in every detail that has this miraculous medal inscribed.

1. Miraculous Medal Front.

• Mary is in a balloon, crushing a snake under her feet. In describing the original vision, Catherine said the Blessed Virgin appeared as radiant as a dawn, in all her perfect beauty.
• The rays coming out of Mary´s hands, she said to Catherine, symbolize the graces that are poured on those who ask for them.
• The words of the vision form an oval frame around Mary that says, "O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to you.

Seen as a matrix, the elements of the frontal design encapsulate the main Marian dogmas:

• A Mother with her arms open, the "resource" we have in her.
• The Immaculate One, the words "conceived without sin".
• The Assumption. She is in the world.
• Mediator. The rays that come out of her hands that symbolize "thank you
  Our Protection that crushes the snake (Gn. 3:15)

2. Reverse side of the Miracle Medal.

• A cross and a crossbar on a large "M".
• 12 stars scattered around the perimeter.
• Two hearts are shown below the "M", the left one is surrounded by a crown of thorns, the right one crossed by a sword. From each, a flame emanates from the top. Once again, we can see how the design on the reverse side contains great symbolism that reflects the main dogmas of the Catholic faith.

3. Design and meaning of the Miraculous Medal

• The big letter "M": Mary as Mother, Mediatrix.
• The Cross and the bar: The Cross of the Redemption of Jesus.
• The 12 stars: represent the 12 apostles, who formed the first Church.
• The Left Heart: The Sacred Heart of Jesus, who died for our sins.
• The right heart: The Immaculate Heart of Mary, who intercedes for us all.
• The Flames: The burning love that Jesus and Mary have for us.

The Miraculous Medal is one of the most precious devotions granted by the Virgin Mary to the faithful. Let us practice it with faith and hope in God, its meaning will make us understand God´s love for us.