Monday, February 6, 2012
Saint Padre Pio
Here is a video of Saint Padre Pio at Mass (1861 - 1968):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqLxUExgZVQ
This video shows the incorrupt body of Saint Pio:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSaiQGVatZE&feature=related
Meaning and Uses of the Saint Benedict Medal
THE JUBILEE MEDAL OF ST. BENEDICT
The power of St. Benedict is revealed in the Saint Benedict medal that has been fostered by his spiritual sons many years. Marvelous is the aid which the St. Benedict Medal affords to its devout wearers in the manifold necessities of soul & body. The Medal is well known & widely used throughout the Christian world; everywhere it is regarded as a highly favored object of devotion.
St. Benedict (born at Nursia, Italy, in 480) had a profound veneration for the holy Cross & for our Savior Crucified. In virtue of the Sign of the Cross, he wrought many miracles & exercised great power over the spirits of darkness.
In consequence of the great veneration in which St. Benedict was held from the early Middle Ages, it followed that a Medal was struck, one side of which represents St. Benedict holding the Cross in one hand & the Holy Rule in the other.
Around the image of St. Benedict are these words in Latin:
"May his presence protect us in the hour of death."
St. Benedict has ever been the patron of the dying, because of the circumstances attending his own most glorious death, for he breathed forth his soul while standing in prayer before the Most Blessed Sacrament.
The reverse of the Medal shows the image of the Cross.
Around the margin are the initials of Latin words which form verses supposed to have originated with the holy Father Benedict himself.
The English translation is:
"Be gone Satan! Suggest not to me thy vain things. The cup thou profferest me is evil; drink thou thy poison."
In the angles formed by the arms of the Cross are the letters C.S.P.B., signifying
"Cross of the holy Father Benedict."
The letters on the Cross itself have this meaning:
"May the holy Cross be my light; let not the dragon be my guide."
Use
No special way of carrying or applying the Medal is prescribed. It may be worn about the neck, attached to the scapular or the Rosary, or otherwise carried about one's person.
Often it is placed in the fields, the foundations of buildings or attached to automobiles to call down God's blessing & the protection of St. Benedict. No particular prayer is prescribed, as the devout wearing itself is a continual silent prayer.
The Medal of St. Benedict is one of the Sacramentals of the Church, & as such it must be used. The value and power of the Medal must be ascribed to the merits of Christ Crucified, to the efficacious prayers of St. Benedict, to the blessing of the Church, & especially to the faith & holy disposition of the person using the Medal.
Some Purposes of The Medal of St. Benedict:
1. It wards off from both the soul & the body all dangers arising from the devil.
2. The Medal is powerful in obtaining for sinners the grace of conversion.
3. It obtains protection & aid for persons tormented by the evil spirit, & in temptations against holy purity.
4. It procures assistance in the hour of death.
5. It has often proved an efficacious remedy for bodily sufferings, & a means of protection against contagious diseases.
6. Expectant mothers have obtained special assistance for a safe delivery.
7. In time of storms, tempests & other dangers on land & sea it has been found to be a protection.
8. Even domestic animals have been visibly aided by it when infected with disease.
Prayer To St. Benedict
O glorious St. Benedict, sublime model of all virtues, pure vessel of God's grace! Behold me, humbly kneeling at thy feet. I implore thy loving heart to pray for me before the throne of God. To thee I have recourse in all the dangers which daily surround me. Shield me against my enemies, inspire me to imitate thee in all things. May thy blessing be with me always, so that I may shun whatever God forbids & avoid the occasions of sin.
Graciously obtain for me from God those favors & graces of which I stand so much in need, in the trials, miseries & afflictions of life. Thy heart was always so full of love, compassion, & mercy towards those who were afflicted or troubled in any way. Thou didst never dismiss without consolation & assistance any one who had re-course to thee. I therefore invoke thy powerful intercession, in the confident hope that thou wilt hear my prayers & obtain for me the special grace & favor I so earnestly implore (mention it), if it be for the greater glory of God & the welfare of my soul.
Help me, O great St. Benedict, to live & die as a faithful child of God, to be ever submissive to His holy will, & to attain the eternal happiness of heaven. Amen.
The Jubilee Medal of St. Benedict
This old & powerful sacramental deserves an in-depth treatment, as it gives a kind of practical incarnation of the main purpose of this book. This medal has long been regarded as especially efficacious in protecting its wearers against demonic attacks, & securing a number of special graces. Let us take a closer look at the inscriptions on its 2 sides.
On the front of the medal we find St. Benedict holding a Cross in one hand, & the Rule of St. Benedict in the other.
At his sides are the words
"Crux S. Patris Benedicti"
("The Cross of the Holy Father Benedict"),
& below his feet:
"Ex S M Casino MDCCCLXXX"
("From the holy mount of Casino, 1880").
On that date, Monte Cassino was given the exclusive right to produce this medal, & special Jubilee indulgences were added.
Still on this front side of the medal we find inscribed in a circle the words:
"Ejus in obitu nostro presentia muniamur"
("May his presence protect us in our hour of death").
The reverse side of the medal is where the real exorcistic force reveals itself.
In the center is a Cross. The Cross, which St. Benedict so loved & often used as a powerful exorcism.
The vertical beam of the Cross bears the letters
& the horizontal beam, the letters
N.D.S.M.D.
These are the first letters of the words:
CRUX SACRA SIT MIHI LUX
May the Holy Cross be a light unto me,
NON DRACO SIT MIHI DUX
And may the Dragon never be my guide.
The 4 large letters at the corners of the Cross, C S P B, stand for
CRUX SANCTI PATRIS BENEDICTI:
The Cross of the Holy Father Benedict.
In addition to the "Pax" ("peace") motto at the top, we find the following letters in a circle around the margin of this side:
V.R.S.N.S.M.V.: S.M.Q.L.I.V.B.
The letters are the first letters of a prayer:
VADE RETRO SATANA; NUNQUAM SUADE MIHI VANA.
Get behind me, Satan; Never suggest vain thoughts to me.
SUNT MALA QUAE LIBAS;
The cup you offer is evil;
IPSE VENENA BIBAS!
Drink the poison yourself!
This richly indulgenced medal can be worn around the neck, or be attached to one's Rosary, or simply kept in a pocket or purse.
The pious intention of wearing such an object, together with the Church's powerful blessing and intercessory power, make it into an unspoken prayer which has been shown to be of great help in maintaining holy purity, bringing about conversions, protecting against inclement weather & contagious disease.
The power of St. Benedict is revealed in the Saint Benedict medal that has been fostered by his spiritual sons many years. Marvelous is the aid which the St. Benedict Medal affords to its devout wearers in the manifold necessities of soul & body. The Medal is well known & widely used throughout the Christian world; everywhere it is regarded as a highly favored object of devotion.
St. Benedict (born at Nursia, Italy, in 480) had a profound veneration for the holy Cross & for our Savior Crucified. In virtue of the Sign of the Cross, he wrought many miracles & exercised great power over the spirits of darkness.
In consequence of the great veneration in which St. Benedict was held from the early Middle Ages, it followed that a Medal was struck, one side of which represents St. Benedict holding the Cross in one hand & the Holy Rule in the other.
Around the image of St. Benedict are these words in Latin:
"May his presence protect us in the hour of death."
St. Benedict has ever been the patron of the dying, because of the circumstances attending his own most glorious death, for he breathed forth his soul while standing in prayer before the Most Blessed Sacrament.
The reverse of the Medal shows the image of the Cross.
Around the margin are the initials of Latin words which form verses supposed to have originated with the holy Father Benedict himself.
The English translation is:
"Be gone Satan! Suggest not to me thy vain things. The cup thou profferest me is evil; drink thou thy poison."
In the angles formed by the arms of the Cross are the letters C.S.P.B., signifying
"Cross of the holy Father Benedict."
The letters on the Cross itself have this meaning:
"May the holy Cross be my light; let not the dragon be my guide."
Use
No special way of carrying or applying the Medal is prescribed. It may be worn about the neck, attached to the scapular or the Rosary, or otherwise carried about one's person.
Often it is placed in the fields, the foundations of buildings or attached to automobiles to call down God's blessing & the protection of St. Benedict. No particular prayer is prescribed, as the devout wearing itself is a continual silent prayer.
The Medal of St. Benedict is one of the Sacramentals of the Church, & as such it must be used. The value and power of the Medal must be ascribed to the merits of Christ Crucified, to the efficacious prayers of St. Benedict, to the blessing of the Church, & especially to the faith & holy disposition of the person using the Medal.
Some Purposes of The Medal of St. Benedict:
1. It wards off from both the soul & the body all dangers arising from the devil.
2. The Medal is powerful in obtaining for sinners the grace of conversion.
3. It obtains protection & aid for persons tormented by the evil spirit, & in temptations against holy purity.
4. It procures assistance in the hour of death.
5. It has often proved an efficacious remedy for bodily sufferings, & a means of protection against contagious diseases.
6. Expectant mothers have obtained special assistance for a safe delivery.
7. In time of storms, tempests & other dangers on land & sea it has been found to be a protection.
8. Even domestic animals have been visibly aided by it when infected with disease.
Prayer To St. Benedict
O glorious St. Benedict, sublime model of all virtues, pure vessel of God's grace! Behold me, humbly kneeling at thy feet. I implore thy loving heart to pray for me before the throne of God. To thee I have recourse in all the dangers which daily surround me. Shield me against my enemies, inspire me to imitate thee in all things. May thy blessing be with me always, so that I may shun whatever God forbids & avoid the occasions of sin.
Graciously obtain for me from God those favors & graces of which I stand so much in need, in the trials, miseries & afflictions of life. Thy heart was always so full of love, compassion, & mercy towards those who were afflicted or troubled in any way. Thou didst never dismiss without consolation & assistance any one who had re-course to thee. I therefore invoke thy powerful intercession, in the confident hope that thou wilt hear my prayers & obtain for me the special grace & favor I so earnestly implore (mention it), if it be for the greater glory of God & the welfare of my soul.
Help me, O great St. Benedict, to live & die as a faithful child of God, to be ever submissive to His holy will, & to attain the eternal happiness of heaven. Amen.
The Jubilee Medal of St. Benedict
This old & powerful sacramental deserves an in-depth treatment, as it gives a kind of practical incarnation of the main purpose of this book. This medal has long been regarded as especially efficacious in protecting its wearers against demonic attacks, & securing a number of special graces. Let us take a closer look at the inscriptions on its 2 sides.
On the front of the medal we find St. Benedict holding a Cross in one hand, & the Rule of St. Benedict in the other.
At his sides are the words
"Crux S. Patris Benedicti"
("The Cross of the Holy Father Benedict"),
& below his feet:
"Ex S M Casino MDCCCLXXX"
("From the holy mount of Casino, 1880").
On that date, Monte Cassino was given the exclusive right to produce this medal, & special Jubilee indulgences were added.
Still on this front side of the medal we find inscribed in a circle the words:
"Ejus in obitu nostro presentia muniamur"
("May his presence protect us in our hour of death").
The reverse side of the medal is where the real exorcistic force reveals itself.
In the center is a Cross. The Cross, which St. Benedict so loved & often used as a powerful exorcism.
The vertical beam of the Cross bears the letters
C.S.S.M.L.
& the horizontal beam, the letters
N.D.S.M.D.
These are the first letters of the words:
CRUX SACRA SIT MIHI LUX
May the Holy Cross be a light unto me,
NON DRACO SIT MIHI DUX
And may the Dragon never be my guide.
The 4 large letters at the corners of the Cross, C S P B, stand for
CRUX SANCTI PATRIS BENEDICTI:
The Cross of the Holy Father Benedict.
In addition to the "Pax" ("peace") motto at the top, we find the following letters in a circle around the margin of this side:
V.R.S.N.S.M.V.: S.M.Q.L.I.V.B.
The letters are the first letters of a prayer:
VADE RETRO SATANA; NUNQUAM SUADE MIHI VANA.
Get behind me, Satan; Never suggest vain thoughts to me.
SUNT MALA QUAE LIBAS;
The cup you offer is evil;
IPSE VENENA BIBAS!
Drink the poison yourself!
This richly indulgenced medal can be worn around the neck, or be attached to one's Rosary, or simply kept in a pocket or purse.
The pious intention of wearing such an object, together with the Church's powerful blessing and intercessory power, make it into an unspoken prayer which has been shown to be of great help in maintaining holy purity, bringing about conversions, protecting against inclement weather & contagious disease.
Blessed Salt
Blessed Salt is a sacramental that it seems many Catholics are not aware of.
Here is one video about it in English:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMfHbxUPet8&feature=watch_response
Here are some internet resources to learn about it:
http://www.fisheaters.com/salt.html
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13403b.htm
http://lasalettejourney.blogspot.com/2008/03/why-blessed-salt.html
To obtain Blessed Salt, you should visit your Catholic Priest and bring him a container of salt and ask him to bless it.
Below is information I found about Blessed Salt:
Blessed Salt is an instrument of grace to preserve one from the corruption of evil occurring as sin, sickness, demonic influence, etc.
Like all Sacramentals, its power comes not from the sign itself, but by means of the Church's official (liturgical, not private) prayer of blessing -- a power the Church derives from Christ Himself.
As the Vatican II document on the Liturgy states, both Sacraments & Sacramenta's sanctify us, not of themselves, but by power flowing from the redemptive act of Jesus, elicited by the Church's intercession to be directed through those external signs & elements.
Therefore, Sacramentals like Blessed Salt, Holy Water, Blessed Medals, etc., are not to be used superstitiously as having self-contained power, but as 'focus points' funneling one's faith toward Jesus, just like a flag is used as a focus point of patriotism.
Thus, used non-superstitiously, modest amounts of Blessed Salt may be sprinkled in one's bedroom, or across thresholds to prevent burglary, in cars for safety, etc.
A few grains of Blessed Salt in drinking water or used in cooking or as food seasoning often bring astonishing spiritual & physical benefits.
As with the use of Sacraments, much depends on the faith & devotion of the person using salt or any Sacramental. This faith must be Jesus-centered, as was the faith of the blind man in John 9; he had faith in Jesus, not in the mud & spittle used by Jesus to heal him.
Any amount of salt may be presented to a priest for his blessing using the following official prayer from the Roman Ritual:
"Almighty God, we ask you to bless this salt, as once you blessed the salt scattered over the water by the prophet Elisha. Wherever this salt (& water) is sprinkled, drive away the power of evil, & protect us always by the presence of your Holy Spirit. Grant this through Christ our Lord. Amen"
Here is one video about it in English:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMfHbxUPet8&feature=watch_response
Here are some internet resources to learn about it:
http://www.fisheaters.com/salt.html
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13403b.htm
http://lasalettejourney.blogspot.com/2008/03/why-blessed-salt.html
To obtain Blessed Salt, you should visit your Catholic Priest and bring him a container of salt and ask him to bless it.
Below is information I found about Blessed Salt:
Blessed Salt is an instrument of grace to preserve one from the corruption of evil occurring as sin, sickness, demonic influence, etc.
Like all Sacramentals, its power comes not from the sign itself, but by means of the Church's official (liturgical, not private) prayer of blessing -- a power the Church derives from Christ Himself.
As the Vatican II document on the Liturgy states, both Sacraments & Sacramenta's sanctify us, not of themselves, but by power flowing from the redemptive act of Jesus, elicited by the Church's intercession to be directed through those external signs & elements.
Therefore, Sacramentals like Blessed Salt, Holy Water, Blessed Medals, etc., are not to be used superstitiously as having self-contained power, but as 'focus points' funneling one's faith toward Jesus, just like a flag is used as a focus point of patriotism.
Thus, used non-superstitiously, modest amounts of Blessed Salt may be sprinkled in one's bedroom, or across thresholds to prevent burglary, in cars for safety, etc.
A few grains of Blessed Salt in drinking water or used in cooking or as food seasoning often bring astonishing spiritual & physical benefits.
As with the use of Sacraments, much depends on the faith & devotion of the person using salt or any Sacramental. This faith must be Jesus-centered, as was the faith of the blind man in John 9; he had faith in Jesus, not in the mud & spittle used by Jesus to heal him.
Any amount of salt may be presented to a priest for his blessing using the following official prayer from the Roman Ritual:
"Almighty God, we ask you to bless this salt, as once you blessed the salt scattered over the water by the prophet Elisha. Wherever this salt (& water) is sprinkled, drive away the power of evil, & protect us always by the presence of your Holy Spirit. Grant this through Christ our Lord. Amen"
Internet sources to learn about the Saint Benedict Medal
Hee are some websites that tell about the Saint Benedict Medal
http://www.st-benedict-medal.com/jubilee-medal-of-saint-benedict.htm
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13338a.htm
Here are some Videos in English about it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODvQm_e1LPY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEGufWltmmU&feature=related
Videos in Spanish:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFAfQFtxxOA&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCLgFnzj6PA&feature=related
http://www.st-benedict-medal.com/jubilee-medal-of-saint-benedict.htm
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13338a.htm
Here are some Videos in English about it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODvQm_e1LPY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEGufWltmmU&feature=related
Videos in Spanish:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFAfQFtxxOA&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCLgFnzj6PA&feature=related
1) To provide website links and other sources to purchase Saint Benedict medals of low cost
2) To provide information about the medal itself.
Here is a vintage painting of an exorcism taking place by a Catholic Priest.
Today I did a search on the internet to find cheap Saint Benedict medals, but only found a few sources with fairly good prices.
One can do a google search for medals:
and
Madonna Shops Online is a good source for decent medals. Here is an example:
They also offer small medals:
They also offer other miniature medals which are all highly detailed and of reasonable cost.
Here is a site that offers free shipping:
Ebay has listings but most of the prices aren't real cheap:
The Benedictine Mission House has a nice variety of reasonable cost:
Finally, I decided to call The Rosary House in New Iberia, Louisiana, where I bought my last supply of Saint Benedict medals. They have a website, but don't have many of their items listed on it. Their phone and other information can be found at their website:
The Rosary House is a great place to purchase Catholic items. They make rosaries there and sell them also. If you ever get down that-a-way, I highly recommend visiting their store.
Some of the items they sell are:
1) Wall Crucifixes
2) Rosaries, Rosary beads (crystal!), Rosary findings, Rosary Crucifixes, Rosary chain findings, jump rings
3) Scapulars - they have a wide variety
4) Catholic books, bibles, and childrens books
5) Windchimes of high quality
6) Beeswax Candles and other candles (votives, etc.)
7) Statues
8) First Communion, Confirmation & other Sacramental Memory gifts
9) Boxes of Catholic Cards with Saints, the Blessed Mother, etc. of high quality
10) Church supplies
11) Church Incense - they have a wonderful variety
12) Christmas ornaments
13) Holy Cards - they have a wide variety
14) Holy Water bottles, rosary cases, you name it!
I was able to buy oxidized Saint Benedict medals from them today for 35 cents each, which is half the cost or less than what you find online.
I hope this is helpful to the people out there searching for these medals!!!
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