16 august 2008, The blessing of medals.
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Almighty God, bless this medal of Our Lady, and bless those who wear it with devotion as Our Lady requested. May they welcome the Word of God and meditate upon it in their hearts. Through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, Mother of God may we be granted all the graces promised to those who wear the medal with devotion and who pray with faith and hope. (This is the prayer of blessing used by the Daughters of Charity to bless the medals that pilgrims present at the Rue du Bac in Paris)
Approaching the Chapel of the Rue du Bac, I was surprised to see a Daughter of Charity blessing medals, near the entrance, and I stopped for a moment to watch. Bit by bit my curiosity turned into involvement and I became caught up in the interaction between the Sister and the people who came to her. In the simplicity of these face to face, encounters I seemed to feel something of God's presence
I saw men and women of all races and colours, in search of "something more" that the stunning, frightening whirlwind of everyday life. In their faces, their hands and their expressions I saw their surprise and astonishment at the message of Jesus, a simple message that we can make so complicated. Their reactions reminded me of the woman in the Gospel who wanted to touch the fringe of the garment Jesus was wearing. Her actions made it seem all right for me to reach out and touch this “holy” medal. It was a sign of God’s desire to show his merciful goodness to me. I told myself that for the one with clear sight everything can become an instrument of God’s love … and so I prayed.
I seemed to me, as never before, that this blessing of medals is a wonderful way of doing pastoral work, of evangelizing, of entering into contact with the divine; of becoming aware of Our Lady’s powerful intercession with God on our behalf.
“Requesting a blessing” is an act of faith and trust which becomes a grace for the person who asks. Through this simple action the Daughter of Charity and the person holding the medal or rosary experience the inexplicable joy of God’s presence, the emotion of which can often be clearly seen on their faces.
I felt it myself and I learned that the language of love goes beyond conventional speech for love is primarily a language of gestures and expressions. I began to appreciate a little more, how an apparently insignificant human service can become a “Mariology course”. It draws me back to remember the conversation between Our Lady and Saint Catherine on the night of 18-19 July 1830. That night a great message was confided to the Company for which every Daughter of Charity is responsible.
Thank you, Mary, and thank you Sisters, for your great fidelity and for your outreach to the poor of Yahweh, among whom I count myself.
Rosa Mendoza
Daughter of Charity
Province of Barcelona
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