Chapter V. Of the use to be made of the medal of St. Benedict

After having described the medal of St. Benedict, and given it6 origin, we will now explain the use which is to be made of it and the advantages to be derived from it. We are aware that in this age of ours, when the devil is thought by many to be an imaginary rather than a real being, it will seem to be strange that a medal should be made and blessed, and used as a preservative against the power of the wicked spirit. And yet the Holy Scriptures give us abundant instructions upon the ever-busy power of the devils, as also upon the dangers to which we are exposed, both in soul and body, by the snares they set for us. The not believing in the existence of devils, or the ridiculing of the accounts which are told of their operations, is not enough to destroy their power, and, in spite of this incredulity, the air is filled with legions of these spirits of wickedness, as St. Paul teaches us. 1

Were it not that God protected us by the ministry of the holy angels, and this generally without our being

1 Eph. ii. 2, vi. 12.

USE TO BE MADE OF THE MEDAL.

aware of it, it would be impossible for us to escape the countless snares of these enemies of all God’s creatures. But if there ever was a time when it would seem to be superfluous to prove this existence of wicked spirits, it is now, when we find reappearing amongst us those dangerous and sinful practices, which were used by the Pagans of old, and now again by Christians, for the purpose of eliciting an answer from spirits, though these can be no other than evil and lying ones. Surely our age is credulous enough in the existence of devils, when we find it so fashionable to be using again all those consultings of the dead, and oracles, and superstitions, which Satan employed for keeping men under his power during so many hundred years.

Now such is the power of the holy cross against Satan and his legions, that we may look upon it as the invincible shield which makes us invulnerable against all their darts. The brazen serpent raised up in the desert by Moses, in order to cure those who were stung by the fiery serpents, is given to us by our Saviour himself as a figure of his cross . 1 The mark made on the house-doors with the blood of the Paschal Lamb by the Israelites preserved them from the terrible visit of the destroying Angel . 2 The prophet Ezechiel tells us that they were God’s elect, who had Thau on their foreheads ; and it is this same mark which St. John, in his Apocalypse, calls the sign of the Lamb . 3 It would even seem that the Pagans had some idea of the power which this sacred sign was to exercise, at some future period, 1 St. John iii. 14. 8 Exod. xii. 23. 8 Apoc. xiv. 1.

against the devils ; for on occasion of the destruction of the temple of Serapis at Alexandria, under the Emperor Theodosius, there was found engraven upon its foundations the letters Thau , which is the figure of the cross, and the symbol which was venerated by the Pagans as expressive of the future life. The very adorers of Serapis used to say, agreeably to a tradition which they had, that when this symbol should be made known to the world, idolatry would cease.

History informs us that the Pagan mysteries were sometimes rendered powerless on account of there being in the crowd, a Christian who made the sign of the cross. Tertullian tells us in his " Apology,” that even Pagans, who had witnessed what wonders the Christians wrought by the cross, would themselves successfully employ this mysterious sign against the artifices and attacks of the wicked spirits. St. Augustine assures us that the same was done in his time : “ Nor ought we,” says he, “ to be astonished at this ; these men are, it is true, strangers who have not joined our ranks ; but it is the power of our great King, which makes itself felt on these occasions.” 1

After the triumph of the Church, the great doctor, St. Athanasius, thus expressed his own convictions and confidence in reference to this important subject: “The sign of the cross,” he says, “ has the power of dispelling all the secret charms of magic, and of rendering harmless all the deadly draughts it employs. Let any one but try what I say ; let him make the sign of the cross 1 De Diversis Quaestionibus, Quaest. lxxxix.

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USE TO BE MADE OF THE MEDAL.

in the midst of the demons, and of pretended oracles, and magical spells; let him invoke the name of Christ, and he will see for himself how the devils fly from this sign and this name, how the oracles are struck dumb, and how magic and its philters lose their power ! ” 1

So that this power of the cross is, at the same time, an historical truth, and a dogma of our faith; and it is only because our faith is weak, that we so seldom have recourse to it, and so seldom experience help from it. The snares of Satan are laid for us on every side ; we are surrounded by dangers both of soul and body : let us imitate the early Christians and defend ourselves by making a more frequent use of the sign of the cross. Will the happy time ever come again for our country when we shall be allowed to have the crucifix as our protection in our towns and highways and fields, and be permitted to reverence it in our public squares as well as in our own houses, and not be insulted for wearing it openly on our breast besides loving it secretly in our heart?

And now, applying these considerations to the medal which is the subject of these pages, we come to this conclusion, that it must be profitable to us to use with faith the medal of St. Benedict on occasions when we have reason to fear the snares of the enemy. Its protection will infallibly prove efficacious in every kind of temptation. Numerous and undeniable facts attest its powerful efficacy on a thousand different occasions, in which the faithful had reason to apprehend a danger, 1 De Incarnatione Verbi, cap. xlviii.

either from the direct agency of Satan, or from the effects of certain evil practices. We may also employ it in favour of others as a means of preserving or delivering them from dangers, which we foresee are threatening them. Unforeseen accidents may happen to us on land or on sea ; let us carry about us this holy medal with faith and we shall be protected. Even in the most trivial circumstances, and in those interests which regard solely man’s temporal well-being, the efficacy of the holy cross and the power of St. Benedict have been felt. For example, the wicked spirits, in their hatred of man, sometimes molest the animals which God has created for our service, or infest the various articles of nourishment which the same Providence has given to us. Or again, it is not unfrequently the case that our bodily sufferings are caused or protracted by the influence of these our cruel enemies. Experience has proved that the medal of St. Benedict, made use of with a proper intention and with prayer, has frequently broken the snares of the devil, procured a visible improvement in cases of sickness, and sometimes even effected a complete cure.