Miraculous Medal. The grace obtained by two spouses

The Miraculous Medal is not an amulet, nor simply an ornamental object: it is a tangible sign of trust in Our Lady’s maternal care. Here is a testimony showing us that this is not superstition, but rather a way of invoking Mary and asking for her intervention in our lives.

The Story of a Married Couple

Cristina and Giovanni meet in Turin around 2000. He is of Sicilian origin and is discerning his vocation: at first, therefore, they develop only a beautiful friendship. When this process comes to an end (Giovanni realizes that the Lord is not calling him to the priesthood), the two begin a relationship that culminates in marriage. Before long, however, this couple, deeply devoted to Our Lady, must face a great trial: the inability to have children. “The Head of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital advised us to resign ourselves to it,” Cristina recalls, “which our gynecologist in Turin had already told us several times.” About four and a half years later, Giovanni finds himself teaching a very difficult accounting class: when the time for school trips arrives, no teacher wants to take responsibility for accompanying those terrible students to Paris. The students then try one last resort: they implore Professor Giovanni. He agrees, but on one condition: they must go somewhere with him. During their stay in Paris, the students keep their promise and accompany the teacher to the Shrine on Rue du Bac, precisely where the Miraculous Medal originated. Giovanni invites his students, one by one, to kneel and ask, together with him, for an important grace for his family, without specifying what it is. Everyone complies with the request without asking questions. The following month, Giovanni and Cristina find themselves expecting their first baby: what a surprise! And over the years, the family’s joy will multiply: they will in fact have four more children! On the day of the couple’s firstborn’s Baptism, a friend of theirs, unaware of any of this, shows up with a basket: “I thought you would like to give a gift to all the guests… I prepared these Miraculous Medals to give as presents.” Giovanni and Cristina are stunned. That very day, before handing them out, they tell their family and friends what they have been through. Among those present are some of the students from that accounting class, direct witnesses to that grace... (The story of Giovanni and Cristina was first told in an article by Francesca di Giovanni: “Reckless students on a trip to Paris pray to Mary: they obtain a miracle for their professor,” published in the Puntofamiglia.net magazine.)

The origin of the devotion

Devotion to the Miraculous Medal is linked to the story of Saint Catherine Labouré (1806-1876). Born into a family of French farmers, after her mother's death - which occurred when she was 9 years old - Catherine felt an ever-stronger bond with the Virgin Mary and, from a very young age, began to sense the call to consecrate herself entirely to God. She rejected several marriage proposals, but her father, opposed to the possibility of her becoming a nun, tried to keep her occupied in every way possible. His various attempts were unsuccessful: on April 21, 1830, he gave in and allowed his twenty-four-year-old daughter to enter the seminary on Rue du Bac in Paris, belonging to the Daughters of Charity congregation. In the convent, Sister Catherine began having visions of Jesus and Mary. The best known occurred on November 27, 1830. Our Lady showed her both sides of what would come to be called the Miraculous Medal, explaining: «Those who wear it will receive great graces, and graces will be abundant for those who have confidence». At first, neither Sister Catherine nor her spiritual director, Father Aladel, were concerned with giving the Medal a special name. It was called many things: «the Medal», «the new Medal», «Mary's Medal», «the Medal that heals», «the Medal of the Immaculate». The description “miraculous” gradually took hold, precisely because of the many wonderful graces granted. Through Father Aladel, as many as 714 healings and conversions connected to it were documented over the first thirty-two years.

The meaning of the images on the Medal

 The side depicting Mary represents her offering the world to God. Rays emerge from her hands: a sign of the graces Mary obtains for us from her Son if we invoke her with confidence. The words can be read: «O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to you», with which we ask her to intercede for our cause. On the other side, an “M” is intertwined with a cross: a sign of the inseparable union between Christ and his Mother. Below are two hearts: Jesus' heart, crowned with thorns, symbolizing the Passion he endured for us, and Mary's heart, pierced by a sword, because she too suffered with her Son out of love for us. Twelve stars surround the image: they symbolize the twelve tribes of Israel and the twelve apostles, representing the people of God and the Church; they also symbolize Mary's queenship.