Our Unique Relationship with Mary

When we are invited into the Miraculous Medal Association, we begin a unique relationship with Mary. Not only do we wear her medal, but Mary listens attentively to us who wear it. She listens because we explicitly chose to pray and talk to her. Let us try to understand a little more why Mary listens to us and how we pray to her.

If we look at the four dogmas of Mary, one of them stands out as helping us pray to Mary. The dogmas of Mary are The Immaculate Conception, the Perpetual Virginity of Mary, the Mother of God and the Assumption. They tell us how God gifted and created the human person Mary. Though she showed herself to St. Catherine Laboure as the Immaculate Conception, it is her title the “Mother of God” that helps us talk and pray to her. It tells us she was a woman and gave birth. A woman giving birth is very human. It is a fulfilment of God’s purpose in creating humans.

Catacomb of Priscilla, Rome. Smarthistory at Khan Academy, 2014

The whole idea of praying and talking to Mary did not start with St. Catherine Laboure and the Miraculous Medal Association. It started very early in the Church. Those who heard the apostles preach also heard stories about Mary from the apostles. Second and third generation witnesses repeated the stories that they heard. They knew that the one who gave birth to Jesus was Mary and that she was human.

Early in the early 3rd century, the Christians drew pictures of Mary in the catacombs. The pictures show Mary nursing baby Jesus. This human activity is known by every mother and father. But why did they paint this type of picture? Normally, this is not the first thought we have of a friend’s mother. They could have drawn pictures of Mary at Bethlehem, or of the angel Gabriel and Mary; or even a picture of the Gospel account of Mary at the Wedding Feast of Cana.

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Called to be Mary in the World

As members of the Miraculous Medal Association, we are the inheritors of the apparition on November 27, 1830, to St. Catherine Laboure. At that event, Mary asked us to spread her devotion and message to all.I would like to share with you some of my reflections and thoughts about what that message means to us as members of the Miraculous Medal Association.

One of the most powerful things that Mary said at that apparition on November 27 was: “Come to the foot of the altar, where you will receive many blessings”. It is powerful because the words themselves speak of receiving the power of grace. We who come to the altar with this medal on us will be given blessings.

 Blessings from God are the power of divine love. With these graces, God will powerfully change our hearts to be like Mary’s heart. Her Heart only wanted God and God’s will. Her heart was totally full of God’s life.

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