Image courtesy of Lola.
I attended the first session our parish mission this evening. More on that later but suffice it to say that the dry spell is over! In any case, afterwards I was chatting with the lady that runs the CWL counter and she had brought in some St. Michael medals! I have been searching in vain for one to give to Luke. You can order them online but by the time I pay freight from the States, customs, etc. - well, it's a million dollar medal! Not that Luke isn't worth it but there are other things I'd like to send him too. Anyways, Mary is selling little medals for a dollar each so I bought two extras.
On the back of the medal is an image of Our Lady of Olives. I like to think I know a lot about the Blessed Mother and the different images she appears under but I had never heard of this. I was going to forget about the medals and keep searching for one that just had St. Michael but something told me to get the medal with OLoO on it.
When I got home I googled OLoO and I was SO excited to find the following!
"I was recently introduced to the meaning of the medal of Our Lady of the Olives. It is supposed to protect individuals who wear the medal against lightning strikes. Through Our Lady's intercession, it is also supposed to aid a mother during childbirth if she wears the medal devoutly.
Here is a bit of the history of this sacramental:
In a pleasant valley of France there lies a little city where by the favor of God lightning never falls.This favor, unique in the world, dates back to the time when the church of Murat (Cantal) was burned by lightning except for a wooden statue of the Virgin Mary. In 1493, and ever since, the town has been named Our Lady of Olives.
The Virgin Mary is the Olive recalled in the scriptures (Sirach 24.14).By virtue of the Medallion of Our Lady of Olives, the persons who carry it are preserved from lightning wherever they may be during a storm. It is a privilege attached to the medallion which bears the unique name in the annals of the church, "Our Lady of Olives."This marvelous way of being protected against lightning deserves to be known throughout the world and ought to be extended to the four corners of the universe.
The second privilege of the Medallion is to protect, in an unmistakable manner, women who are about to become mothers and to assist them in the hour of deliverance. Those who are afflicted with sickness, and who pray to the Divine Mother, are promptly relieved."
And then there's this...
According to this website the title "Our Lady of Olives" comes from the Bible and the symbolism of the Olive Tree in the Scriptures. Especially from the book of Sirach which speaks about Wisdom as a "fair olive tree in the field".
Our Lady of Olives is to be situated within the larger context of the biblical symbolism of the Olive tree. In the Bible, but also in patristic and medieval writings, the olive tree -- together with the vine and wheat ears -- was considered a symbol of heavenly blessings, prosperity and fecundity in times of peace. The olive tree is also a symbol of spiritual excellence and distinction such as reconciliation with God, rectitude and innocence as well as fruitfulness of good works. This symbolism applied to Mary is a sign of faithful and loving dedication to the Lord but also a symbol of Mary's strength, intercessory power and mercy.
I think I'll be buying a dozen more medals to give away!
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