Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal: the first great step toward re-Marianization in the 19th century, preparing the great movement of souls that culminated with the proclamation of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception

Saint of the Day – November  27, 1963

by Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira

“A Roman and Apostolic Catholic, the author of this text submits himself with filial devotion to the traditional teaching of Holy Church. However, if by an oversight anything is found in it at variance with that teaching, he immediately and categorically rejects it.”

 The words “Revolution” and “Counter-Revolution” are employed here in the sense given to them by Prof. Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira in his book Revolution and Counter-Revolution, the first edition of which was published in the monthly Catolicismo, Nº 100, April 1959.

Rue du Bac Sanctuary (Paris). Sculptural ensemble depicting the apparition of Our Lady to St. Catherine Laboure

On this day, Our Lady appeared to Catherine Labouré in Paris and revealed to her the design of the Miraculous Medal, of which the first great miracle was the deathbed conversion of a bishop who had sworn allegiance to the French Revolution.

The Miraculous Medal shows an image of Our Lady of Grace as she appeared to Saint Catherine, with her hands emitting rays of light. This devotion – to Our Lady of Grace – marked a true renewal of devotion to Our Lady in Europe.

Devotion to Our Lady had been deeply eroded by Jansenism, and although Jansenism was moribund around 1829, when Our Lady appeared to Saint Catherine, it was replaced with more radical forms of Revolution, so that devotion to Our Lady left much to be desired. I think we can say that it was the first major step towards ‘re-Marianization’ in the 19^th  century, preparing the great movement of souls that culminated with the proclamation of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception, precisely because of this apparition.

With the use of the Miraculous Medal, extraordinary graces spread throughout the Church. It became a classic custom to hand a Miraculous Medal around one’s neck and place it on the chest of an impenitent patient while making the novenas and prayers prescribed by Our Lady, because it was almost certain that the person would convert. Through this devotion, Our Lady began to dispense many other graces to the world as well.

Moreover, this devotion is linked to two other very important devotions, which the Jansenists attempted to bury: the devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Everyone remembers the bishop of Florence, Msgr. Ricci, who, in the pontificate of Pius VI, i.e. before the French Revolution, had in his episcopal palace a painting of himself ripping an image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Everyone remembers the rejection of devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus by the House of Bourbon, which is why this devotion did not spread before the Revolution, as it should have. On the back of the medal, Our Lady decided to place a letter M, which stands for her holy name, and on its base one sees the hearts of Jesus and Mary, linking these three highly significant devotions so hated by the Jansenists.

Our Lady of Grace also presided over an episode closely related to us, that is, the conversion of the Jew, Ratisbonne. What he saw in the famous apparition was Our Lady of Grace. Our Lady of Miracolo, whom we venerate, is none other than Our Lady of Grace, who appeared in Rome, to Ratisbonne, with those attributes. It was there that we received very great graces during our trip to Rome at the time of the Council, graces which have linked the Church of Our Lady of Miracolo to our own history.

Devotion to Our Lady of Grace was the target of an anti-Marian offensive that sprung up right afterwards. Like every pious movement of the nineteenth century, it continued more or less until 1920, in the pontificate of Pius XI, when the liturgical movement gradually appeared. It actually was resurrected Modernism and with it began a campaign of silence regarding devotion to Our Lady and the myriad forms of devotion to her. That caused a great drop in devotion among the faithful to the Miraculous Medal, as well as to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and to St. Therese of Lisieux (a devotion distinct from the other two but seen here from the same spiritual perspective). And at the same time there arose the stupendous ultramontaine movement in the philosophical, political and social domains, a 19^th century movement devoted to Our Lady, papal infallibility, and the Sacred Hearts. And all that gave rise to a Counter-Revolution led by Pius IX and continued by St. Pius X.

This means that, for us Catholics, this devotion retains all its relevance. Furthermore, there is a virtual promise by Our Lady, in view of the consoling insights and graces that she gave us at the Church of Miracolo, that we will receive many graces by cultivating this devotion.

Tomorrow, the vigil of this feast, it is reasonable for us to prepare for it. In view of the considerations I’m giving here, let every one ask Our Lady for one, two, three, or five graces he wants, which mean something of capital importance in his spiritual life, perhaps even in his lifetime. But let him ask at least for a great grace in his spiritual life, one of these graces that push us forward; let us ask Our Lady to give us that grace on this date.

Let us ask for this tomorrow and try to attend Mass the day after tomorrow, and ask for this grace to during Communion and attend Mass in honor of Our Lady of Grace. This is how we can prepare ourselves for this feast, which is so meaningful to us.