O Mary, powerful Virgin, thou art the mighty and glorious protector of the Church. Thou art the marvelous help of Christians. Thou art terrible as an army in battle array. Thou alone hast destroyed every heresy in the whole world. In the midst of our anguish, our struggles and our distress, defend us from the power of the enemy, and at the hour of our death, receive our souls in paradise. Amen.
From The Raccolta
In this first week of May, the month dedicated to Our Lady, let us contemplate the extraordinary painting above, which is based on the Miraculous Medal.* She seems to be lovingly gazing down upon the world as she crushes the head of the serpent with her bare foot. Usually, we see this image with Our Lady standing upon the earth (or the firmament). It is her children’s enemy she defeats. She has a look of complete peace and as the rays of grace emanate from her hands, this battle seems effortless for her. Satan, with all his wiles and powerful minions below, is no match for this simple woman from Nazareth. What a humiliating demise as the angels look on. A demise which awaits all those who serve him on earth. We must trust, as we look at the corruption of the world and the ever-growing human rights abuses, that God has got this. As we say at the outset of every Tridentine Mass…
“Why art thou sad, O my soul, and why dost thou disquiet me? Hope in God, for I will still give praise to Him, the salvation of my countenance and my God.”
Above the Queen of Heaven’s head are the other elements of the Miraculous Medal (the 12 stars on the back of the medal do not seem to be in the painting): the Cross above her initial, the 2 Hearts and a prayer which she has herself said is one of her favorites…
“O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to Thee!”
Saint Catherine Laboure was the nun who received the Miraculous Medal from Our Lady. Her incorrupt body lies at the Chapel of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal in Paris, where she received 3 visions in the year 1830 (this year is also on the front of the medal). Pope John Paul II visited the chapel in 1980 and spoke this prayer…
"You watch over the Church for you are its Mother. You watch over each of your children. From God, you obtain for us, all graces that are symbolized by the rays of light which radiate from your open hands, and the only condition that you demand of us is that we approach with the confidence…and the simplicity of a child. And it is thus that you bring us before your Divine Son."
What does all of this mean for us? It means our Heavenly Father has given us a great advocate to help us through anything life and this crazy world might throw at us. When we are confused, depressed or anxious, we have only to appeal to her motherly love for us. For if her Son loved us so much that He died for us, how could she reject us? As the words of the “Memorare” say…
“I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins”
In this month of May, there are many ways we can give honor to the Mother of God…because she is our Mediatrix, she participated in our salvation by saying “Yes” to God, and also suffered terribly in witnessing the Passion of her Son. Perhaps we could renew our devotion to the Miraculous Medal, learning more about it and the life of Saint Catherine Laboure. May would also be a most appropriate month to begin the “Communion of Reparation 5 First Saturdays,” associated with Fatima. If your local parish does not provide this devotion, think about meeting with your pastor to establish it!
May also gives us 3 Marian feasts: Our Lady of Fatima on the 13th, The Visitation and Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary, both on the 31st. Mother’s Day is the 8th…how about a Rosary for your mother (2 birds with one stone!).
Some other feasts this month: ASCENSION OF THE LORD, Minor Rogation Days…Doctors of the Church: Saints Athanasius (the earliest Doctor), Gregory Nazianzen and Bede the Venerable…Saint Isidore the Farmer!
For the (trad) rest of May, here you go: calefactory.org
* Sorry, I don’t know who the artist is. Can anyone tell me?
Some feasts mentioned are in the new calendar. Image from fineartamerica.com