The power of St. Benedict is revealed in this small object 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 and body. On this account the Medal is well known and widely used throughout the Christian world; everywhere it is regarded as a highly favored object of devotion.
Origin and Explanation Of The Medal
St. Benedict (born at Nursia, Italy, in 480) had a profound veneration for the holy Cross and for our Savior Crucified. In virtue of the Sign of the Cross, he wrought many miracles and 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 and 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 and 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, and 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, and especially to the faith and holy disposition of the person using the Medal.
The following is a partial list of the many pious purposes of the Medal of St. Benedict.
- It wards off from both the soul and the body all dangers arising from the devil.
- The Medal is powerful in obtaining for sinners the grace of conversion.
- It obtains protection and aid for persons tormented by the evil spirit, and in temptations against holy purity.
- It procures assistance in the hour of death.
- It has often proved an efficacious remedy for bodily sufferings, and a means of protection against contagious diseases.
- Expectant mothers have obtained special assistance for a safe delivery.
- In time of storms, tempests and other dangers on land and sea it has been found to be a protection.
- Even domestic animals have been visibly aided by it when infected with disease.
Article found at http://www.ewtn.com/library/mary/cspbmedl.htm
