Episode Transcript  

One

The Vision 

Today is the Feast of the Miraculous Medal. 

On this day, November 27, 1830, Mary appeared to St. Catherine Labouré in the little chapel on the Rue de Bac in Paris. Our Lady was clothed entirely in white. She was standing on the earth, and under one of her feet Catherine saw the head of a green serpent—Satan—whom she was crushing with her heel. In her hands Mary held a golden ball surmounted by a cross.

Catherine described what she saw: “All at once I noticed rings on her fingers—three rings on each finger—each one set with gems that emitted rays of light. Mary said, ‘This ball that you see represents the whole world… and each person in particular.’” Pointing to the rays pouring from the gems, Our Lady added: “They symbolize the graces I give to those who ask for them. The gems from which rays do not fall are the graces for which souls forget to ask.”

Then, suddenly, “the golden ball disappeared in the brilliance of the sheaves of light bursting from all sides. Mary’s hands turned outward, and her arms bent down under the weight of the treasure of grace obtained.” And Catherine heard the voice say: “Have a medal struck after this model. All who wear it will receive great graces; they should wear it around the neck. Graces will abound for those who wear it with confidence.”

Two

The Medal 

Catherine shared the vision with her confessor, Fr. Aladel, but he refused to believe her. So Catherine turned to Our Lady in prayer and said, “He does not want to listen to me.” Mary responded, “He is my servant, and he should be frightened of displeasing me.”

So, Catherine went back a third time and told him plainly, “The Virgin is angry.” That got his attention. He finally brought the matter to the bishop, who simply said, “I see no drawback to striking the medal… distribute it, and then the tree will be judged by its fruits.”

The bishop gave the order for the medal to be cast, and it began to spread among the people under the title Medal of the Immaculate Conception, taken from the prayer engraved on it: “O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.”

At that very time, cholera broke out in Paris, killing 20,000. In one school, little eight-year-old Caroline Nenain was the only child not wearing a medal—and the only one to contract cholera. She was given a medal immediately and recovered at once. The same thing happened with a pregnant mother, and then with a crippled boy who was healed when he received the medal and turned to God in prayer.

So many miracles followed—healings, conversions, protection—that people stopped calling it the Medal of the Immaculate Conception. Everyone simply began calling it what it was: the Miraculous Medal.

Three

The Miraculous Medal has brought the grace of many conversions

Alphonse Ratisbonne grew up in a prominent family of Jewish bankers in France in the early 1800s. In 1842 he became engaged, and before the wedding he took a pleasure trip to Rome. There he stayed with a Catholic family who were business partners of his father. While he was in their home, the husband and wife gently tried to speak with him about faith in Jesus. But Alphonse—very worldly, very self-assured—wanted nothing to do with God.

So, the couple made him a deal. They promised not to bring the subject up again if he would simply wear a Miraculous Medal around his neck and say the prayer on it every day for one week. Just to humor them, he agreed.

Shortly afterward, on a cold January day—January 20th—the Catholic businessman and Alphonse were riding in a carriage when they passed the Church of St. Andrew of the Woods. The businessman said he needed to step inside for a funeral wake. Since it was cold, Alphonse chose to wait in a side chapel at the back of the church.

And there, in that quiet side chapel, Mary appeared to him. She showed him the true state of his soul—that he was headed toward Hell because of his pride, unbelief and selfishness. He was pierced to the heart. In that moment he recognized the truth and experienced a profound conversion.

He immediately asked to become Catholic. Eventually he entered the Society of Jesus and later founded the religious order Notre Dame de Sion—Our Lady of Zion—which today operates many schools throughout the world.

Four

Kolbe and the Miraculous Medal

St Maximilian Kolbe was ordained in the same chapel in which Mary appeared to Alphonse Ratisbonne. 

Kolbe made the wearing of the Miraculous Medal an essential part of his Militia Immaculata, which he gave to everyone he met.   

St. Maximilian writes: Because conversion and sanctification are divine graces, the Miraculous Medal will be the best means for reaching our purpose. For that reason, it constitutes a first-rate weapon of the Knights of the Immaculata; it is the bullet with which a faithful soldier cuts down the enemy, that is, evil, and thus rescues souls. Let us contribute all our strength in bringing about what was already foreseen by St. Catherine Laboure…that the Immaculata be queen of the whole world and of each soul in particular as soon as possible. 

Kolbe writes: Is it not fitting, therefore, that as we consecrate ourselves to the Immaculata without reserve, we should grace our chest with the Miraculous Medal? This medal, then, is the external sign of consecration to the Immaculata:

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Five

My Experience 

I wear a big blue Miraculous Medal, and I always carry a few extra to give away.

In May of 2022, I was in Lyon, France, for the beatification of Blessed Pauline Jaricot. At our hotel there was a young woman who seemed to be working constantly—morning, noon, and night. I spoke with her briefly, explaining why we were in town and she shared that that was great, but she was not religious. After a few days I noticed she was moving stiffly, clearly in pain. So I asked her what was wrong. She told me they were severely understaffed and she’d been working so much that her neck had become painfully stiff—so bad she could hardly turn her head.

I asked if I could give her a gift and offered her a Miraculous Medal. She took it and immediately ran off. I wondered if I had offended her. But a moment later she came back smiling—she had gone to the restroom to put the medal on the chain she was already wearing.

The next morning, as soon as she saw me, she started waving and shaking her head back and forth. She rushed over to tell me that when she woke up that day, all the pain was gone. Completely gone. She said she knew it was because of the medal.

I told her it was really the woman represented by the medal—that Mary is her mother just as she is mine. And if she would turn to Mary, Mary would help her in everything.

So, what is our resolution? 

There are so many people, even our family and friends, who are just not open to Jesus. Well, the Catechism (687) tells us the mission of the Holy Spirit is to dispose us, open us to receive Jesus and have faith in Him. And the Holy Spirit works through Mary. And a great way to introduce people to Mary, their Mother is by the Miraculous Medal!

So why not consider purchasing some Miraculous Medals, have them blessed by a priest and then give them to anyone the Spirit inspires you to do so.  

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