Saint Benedict Medal

Eldest Sis bought me a rosary bracelet back in May. She mentioned that it had St. Benedict's medal and that there is a special blessing for this.

Eldest Sis is based in Virginia USA.  I live in NSW Australia.   When she visited the home country in June, she brought it with her and left it there for me.  I had just visited there so I imagined it would take at least a year before I travel back and get my new rosary. Fortunately, one of the nephews went on vacation in July and was happy to bring the rosary back to Australia with him.   

Today is a special day in Australia.  It is the Feast Day of Australia's only saint, Mary McKillop.  After the mass, I was able to have the rosary blessed.  The priest immediately noted that there was a St. Benedict Medal in the rosary.  He pulled out the prayer and blessed the rosary. 

(I apologise that I cannot recall where I picked up the Saint Benedict medal meaning. I think I picked it up from FaceBook, of all places.)  

What does the Medal of Saint Benedict mean?

Here is an explanation of the common elements found on the Saint Benedict medal:

On the front of the medal:

  1. Saint Benedict's image represents Saint Benedict as a powerful intercessor against evil and a source of spiritual guidance. He holds the written Rule of Saint Benedict in one hand and a cross in the other.
  2. On one side of Saint Benedict is a raven. On the other is a cup with a serpent emerging from it. This represents an incident in his life when he miraculously saved himself from poisoning.

    Above the cup reads: “Crux sancti patris Benedicti," which means, “The Cross of [our] Holy Father Benedict.”
  3. Surrounding Saint Benedict are the words, “Eius in obitu nostro praesentia muniamur!” which translates to, "May we be strengthened by his presence in the hour of our death."

On the reverse side of the medal:

4. The Cross signifies Christ's victory over sin and death through His crucifixion.

5. The vertical arm of the cross bears the initials "C.S.S.M.L.," which stands for "Crux Sacra Sit Mihi Lux" ("May the Holy Cross be my light").

6. The horizontal arm of the cross displays the initials "N.D.S.M.D.," which stand for "Non Draco Sit Mihi Dux", or, "Let not the dragon be my guide." This is a rejection of evil.

7. The larger letters surrounding the center cross, “C S P B”, stand for: Crux Sancti Patris Benedicti, which means, "The Cross of [our] Holy Father Benedict."

8. At the top of the medal is the word, "PAX" which means “peace.”

9. Surrounding the back of the medal are the letters V R S N S M V - S M Q L I V B. This symbolizes a Latin prayer for protection: "Vade Retro Satana! Nunquam Suade Mihi Vana!". It translates to: "Begone, Satan! Never tempt me with your vanities!" 

Blessings for the Medal of St. Benedict

Our help is in the name of the Lord Our Father.

Response: Who made heaven and earth.

In the name of God the Father + Almighty, Who made heaven and earth, the sea and all that is in them, I exorcise these medals against the power and attacks of the evil one. May all who use these medals devoutly be blessed with health of soul and body. In the name of the Father + Almighty, of His Son + Jesus Christ our Lord, and of the Holy + Spirit the Paraclete, and in the love of the same Lord Jesus Christ Who will come on the last day to judge the living and the dead.

Response: Amen.

Let us pray. Almighty God, the boundless Source of all good things, we humbly ask that, through the intercession of St. Benedict, Thou pourest out Thy blessings + upon these medals. May those who use them devoutly and earnestly strive to perform goods works be blessed by Thee with health of soul and body, the grace of a holy death, and remission of temporal punishment due to sin. May they also, with the help of Thy merciful love, resist the temptations of the evil one and strive to exercise true charity and justice toward all, so that one day they may appear sinless and holy in Thy sight. This we ask through Christ our Lord.

Response: Amen.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Glory to You, O Lord

At Mass, before the Gospel is read, the faithful make a triple sign of the cross.  We make the sign of the cross on the forehead, on the lips, and on the chest.  This is a way of praying, "May the Lord be in my mind, on my lips, and in my heart." 
Read more

The Veil Removed

This is such a beautiful video,  The Veil Removed .   There are just so many wonderful truths in those 7 minutes. When we go to mass, we provide our guardian angels to be in closer proximity to God (even if we all know that God is everywhere).
Read more

Be Thou My Vision

Image
Be Thou My Vision  is a traditional Christian hymn of Irish origin  based on an old Irish prayer.    This is the version that I like.     I first heard it played after Holy Hour at St. Bernadette's.  It is sang set to the melody of an Irish folksong called Slane.   Irish Prayer as it appeared in a 1919 Church Hymnal Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art Thou my best thought in the day and the night Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light Be Thou my wisdom, be Thou my true word I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord Thou my great Father, and I Thy dear son Thou in me dwelling and I with Thee one Be Thou my breast-plate, my sword for the fight Be Thou my armour, and be Thou my might  Thou my soul's shelter, and Though my high tower Raise Thou me heavenward, O Power of my power   Riches I heed not, nor man's empty praise Thou mine inheritance, through all my days  T...
Read more