"All who carry this medal will recieve great favors..."

[Syele]

Today I got a medal in the mail. (I can only imagine they got my address from CAF since I never got Catholic things before )

I read the card and stuff over a few times. I don’t get it. A whole long story of St. Catherine Labouré being visited by Mary. Not one mention of who Jesus is or Christianity or obeying God. Just about “O Mary, Conceived without sin” and how carrying the medal with devotion will get me great favors (I assume form God since I know some Catholic theology but based on this thing it seems directly from Mary.)

Since when does God favor people based on things they carry in their pockets? How is this better than a lucky rabbits foot? In fact it seems worse to me. It calls for devotion to Jesus’ mother and fails to point to Gods Son at all!

Now I have nothing against Mary, But Marys role was to bring us Jesus, and after that she points us to Him. How can this point to Him? there is not even a note on a scripture or where to find out more about God or anything. I’m just supposed to carry the medal and show a devotion to a sinless Virgin and I will have “great Favors” that “will abound.” If I was not a Christian I would not have any clear picture of what this is all about.

Stuff like this is why so many protestants think Catholics worship Mary. I do NOT believe you do, but that others think so is totally understandable to me.

 

[Chancellor]

Yes, Catholicism has it’s goofy wing too. Sometimes, though, these medals are scams by the unscrupulous to get naive Catholics to send money to bogus charities. Sometimes it can be very hard to tell.

But lest we think this is a unique Catholic thing, when I was an evangelical protestant I received any number of offers for prayer cloths, prayer towels, blessed scarves, blessed handkerchiefs etc. , all promising miracles and answered prayer.

Most Catholics and most protestants know enough to not send money off to someone we have never heard of.

Finally, I have to admit that there have been times that I wish I could find the right holy medal or prayer towel to fix a situation where I have been critical of God’s timing.

Good question.

The Chancellor

 

[Hesychios]

Today I got a medal in the mail. (I can only imagine they got my address from CAF since I never got Catholic things before )

I read the card and stuff over a few times. I don’t get it. A whole long story of St. Catherine Labouré being visited by Mary. Not one mention of who Jesus is or Christianity or obeying God. Just about “O Mary, Conceived without sin” and how carrying the medal with devotion will get me great favors (I assume form God since I know some Catholic theology but based on this thing it seems directly from Mary.)

Since when does God favor people based on things they carry in their pockets? How is this better than a lucky rabbits foot? In fact it seems worse to me. It calls for devotion to Jesus’ mother and fails to point to Gods Son at all!

Now I have nothing against Mary, But Marys role was to bring us Jesus, and after that she points us to Him. How can this point to Him? there is not even a note on a scripture or where to find out more about God or anything. I’m just supposed to carry the medal and show a devotion to a sinless Virgin and I will have “great Favors” that “will abound.” If I was not a Christian I would not have any clear picture of what this is all about.

Stuff like this is why so many protestants think Catholics worship Mary. I do NOT believe you do, but that others think so is totally understandable to me.

Thank you for pointing this out.

There does need to be a much greater care placed on the composition of these materials. Like a fish in water does not realize it is in water, some people live and breathe these devotional materials and barely are aware that the most important point to it all may be essentially obscured.

Whomever composed the mailing you received was apparently unaware of the omission.

I think there is a little hucksterism at work here as well. They give away these medals but obviously hope you will send them a gift in return.

The wording of the promotion is probably based upon what they have learned to evoke the most positive response over time.

 

[LilyM]

Yes, Catholicism has it’s goofy wing too. Sometimes, though, these medals are scams by the unscrupulous to get naive Catholics to send money to bogus charities. Sometimes it can be very hard to tell.

But lest we think this is a unique Catholic thing, when I was an evangelical protestant I received any number of offers for prayer cloths, prayer towels, blessed scarves, blessed handkerchiefs etc. , all promising miracles and answered prayer.

Most Catholics and most protestants know enough to not send money off to someone we have never heard of.

Finally, I have to admit that there have been times that I wish I could find the right holy medal or prayer towel to fix a situation where I have been critical of God’s timing.

Good question.

The Chancellor

I agree about the charity angle. Thanks be to God, in Australia religious charities don’t fundraise by these means.

However, we cannot deny the premise that blessed objects have power. We have the evidence in Acts of people being healed by handkerchiefs that Paul has blessed. If the objects themselves had absolutely no relevance than why use them? Why instead did Paul not teach a lesson against misplaced faith in the power of the objects, by healing in absentia, as Christ did on some occasions, people who were not present with him - without use of handkerchief?

Obviously the blessed handkerchiefs had some sort of significance in and of themselves, so why not a medal that has been ‘blessed’, as it were, by Our Lady? (Normally I get my medals blessed by a priest as well, of course, but just saying …)

 

[Chancellor]

I agree about the charity angle. Thanks be to God, in Australia religious charities don’t fundraise by these means.

However, we cannot deny the premise that blessed objects have power. We have the evidence in Acts of people being healed by handkerchiefs that Paul has blessed. If the objects themselves had absolutely no relevance than why use them? Why instead did Paul not teach a lesson against misplaced faith in the power of the objects, by healing in absentia, as Christ did on some occasions, people who were not present with him - without use of handkerchief?

Obviously the blessed handkerchiefs had some sort of significance in and of themselves, so why not a medal that has been ‘blessed’, as it were, by Our Lady? (Normally I get my medals blessed by a priest as well, of course, but just saying …)

This is a valid point. In fact, I wear a scapular myself. If I was reading the original post accurately, however, the text that accompanied the medal was written in a way that did not point to Christ and suggested that Saints perform miracles.

I think sometimes we Catholics can be sloppy. We know that all power and all healing come only from God. We also pray for others and ask others to pray for us. Sometimes it’s just easier to say, “The Blessed Virgin healed me” than to say, “I was healed by Christ and thanks to the Blessed Virgin for her intercessory prayer in my behalf.”

Your example from scripture is perfect. St. Paul was given great gifts at times by God, and he always let everyone know where the power originated.

Forgive me if my post implied that I reject sacramentals or deny the value of saintly prayer.

Yes, My scapular has been blessed by a priest in the name of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

Praised be Jesus Christ, now and forever.

The Chancellor

 

[1ke]

Yes, Catholicism has it’s goofy wing too.

There is nothing “goofy” about the Miraculous Medal.

 

[Chancellor]

There is nothing “goofy” about the Miraculous Medal.

I agree. There may however be those who would use sacramentals in a goofy way. There is also nothing goofy about my Carmelite scapular.

I apologise for not having made that distinction clear.

The Chancellor

 

[Syele]

It is the wording that bothered me. the title of the thread is an exact quote from it. It reads as if Mary came and promised everyone who carries it around “great favors” that “abound.” Seemingly without faith or anything else being necessary but to carry the item around. It says no where on it that it was belssed by anyone.

Frankly, as a non-Catholic I don’t intend to keep it. Though I’m not really sure what to do with it.

 

[ralphinal]

It is the wording that bothered me. the title of the thread is an exact quote from it. It reads as if Mary came and promised everyone who carries it around “great favors” that “abound.” Seemingly without faith or anything else being necessary but to carry the item around. It says no where on it that it was belssed by anyone.

Frankly, as a non-Catholic I don’t intend to keep it. Though I’m not really sure what to do with it.

Several options exist for you.

First, send it back.

Second, donate it to a local Catholic Church.

Third, search this forum for information about disposing of it.

It should not be blessed (I hope) if it was mailed to a stranger. I personally think numbers one or two are the best options.

 

[Syele]

Several options exist for you.

First, send it back.

Second, donate it to a local Catholic Church.

Third, search this forum for information about disposing of it.

It should not be blessed (I hope) if it was mailed to a stranger. I personally think numbers one or two are the best options.

Thank you Ralph, I think I will do the first and send it back in the Business reply mail envelope they included for donations. I had thought of taking it to the local Catholic Church but it seemed an odd thing to do, to show up to a very small parish and hand them my mail.

While I believe objects can have power, this one has an inscription that is against my beliefs and the text accompanying it is too superstitious. Miracles happen with reguard to items because God granted them based on our faith in Him to do the miracles through the item, not because items themselves have special powers.

 

[ralphinal]

Thank you Ralph, I think I will do the first and send it back in the Business reply mail envelope they included for donations. I had thought of taking it to the local Catholic Church but it seemed an odd thing to do, to show up to a very small parish and hand them my mail.

While I believe objects can have power, this one has an inscription that is against my beliefs and the text accompanying it is too superstitious. Miracles happen with reguard to items because God granted them based on our faith in Him to do the miracles through the item, not because items themselves have special powers.

You are more than welcome.

As it was posted before, your understanding is quite in line with proper Catholic teaching. It is just that some of us adopt lazy ways of explaining or speaking of these things. And, I hate to say it, there are those who do hold a more superstitious view. It really cannot be helped. There are always those who hold to magical thinking instead of miraculous understandings.

THere are no saints who can do anything without God’s will in favor of it and His power used for it. The same goes for items, relics, or anything else.

I am a little bothered that the card did not explain any of the other teachings that go along with the medal. Another example, the scapular, has other conditions placed with it. Some Catholics see it as a get out of hell free card. It is not. You are called to lead a holy life and go beyond what most people do.