bendict cross symbol explaination

8/10/2019 Bendict Cross Symbol Explaination

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12/9/2014 OSB. The Medal of Saint Benedict, information, description, history, effects, and suppliers

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The Order of Saint Benedict

The Medal of Saint Benedict

The Medal or Cross of Saint Benedict

Medals, crosses, rosaries,statues, paintings, and otherreligious articles have long been usedas a means of fostering andexpre ssing our religious devotion toGod and the saints. Icon s, or painted

images of Christ and the saints, are especially popular among Eastern

Christians as an aid to Christian piety and devotion.The use of any religious article is therefore intended as a means of reminding us of God and of stirring up in us a ready willingness anddesire to serve God and our neighbor. With this understanding wereject any use of religious articles as if they were mere charms orhad some magic power to bring us good luck or better health. Such isnot the Christian attitude.

Origin of the Medal of Saint Benedict

For the early Christians , the cross was a favorite symbol andbadge of their faith in Christ. From the writings of St. Gregory theGreat (540604), we know that St. Benedict had a deep faith in theCross and worked miracles with the sign of the cross. This faith in,and special devotion to, the Cross was passed on to succeeding
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generations of Benedictines.

Devotion to the Cross of Christ also gave rise to the striking of medals that bore the image of St. Benedict holding a cross aloft inhis right hand and his Rule for Monasteries in the other hand. Thus,the Cross has always been closely associated with the Medal of St.Benedict, which is often referred to as the MedalCross of St.Benedict.

In the course of time, otheradditions were made, such as theLatin petition on the margin of themedal, asking that by St. Benedict'spresence we may be strengthenedin the hour of death, as will beexplained later.

We do not know just when the firstmedal of St. Benedict was struck. Atsome point in history a series of capital letters was placed aroundthe large figure of the cross on thereverse side of the medal. For along time the meaning of theseletters was unknown, but in 1647 amanuscript dating back to 1415 wasfound at the Abbey of Metten inBavaria, giving an explanation of theletters. They are the initial lettersof a Latin prayer of exorcism against

Satan, as will be explained below.The Jubilee Medal of Montecassino

The above features were finally incorporated in a newly designedmedal struck in 1880 under the supervision of the monks of Montecassino, Italy, to mark the 1400th anniversary of the birth of St. Benedict. The design of this medal was produced at St. Martin'sArchabbey, Beuron, Germany, at the request of the prior of Montecassino, Very Rev. Boniface Krug OSB (18381909). PriorBoniface was a native of Baltimore and originally a monk of St.Vincent Archabbey, Latrobe, Pennsylvania, until he was chosen tobecome prior and latter archabbot of Montecassino.

Since that time, the Jubilee Medal of 1880 has proven to be morepopular throughout the Christian world than any other medal everstruck to honor St. Benedict.

Description of the Jubilee Medal

Because the Jubilee Medal of 1880 has all the importantfeatures ever associated with the Medal of St. Benedict, thefollowing description of this medal can serve to make clear thenature and intent of any medal of St. Benedict, no matter whatshape or design it may legitimately have.
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The Cross of Eternal Salvation

On the face of the medal is theimage of Saint Benedict. In his righthand he holds the cross, the Christian'ssymbol of salvation. The cross reminds

us of the zealous work of evangelizingand civilizing England and Europecarried out mainly by the Benedictinemonks and nuns, especially for thesixth to the ninth/tenth centuries.

Rule and Raven

In St. Benedict's left hand is his Rule for Monasteries that couldwell be summed up in the words of the Prolog exhorting us to "walkin God's ways, with the Gospel as our guide."

On a pedestal to the right of St. Benedict is the poisoned cup,shattered when he made the sign of the cross over it. On a pedestalto the left is a raven about to carry away a loaf of poisoned breadthat a jealous enemy had sent to St. Benedict.

C. S. P. B.

Above the cup and the raven are the Latin words: Crux s. patrisBenedicti (The Cross of our holy father Benedict). On the margin of the medal, encircling the figure of Benedict, are the Latin words:Eius in obitu nostro praesentia muniamur! (May we be strengthenedby his presence in the hour of our death!). Benedictines have alwaysregarded St. Benedict as a special patron of a happy death. Hehimself died in the chapel at Montecassino while standing with hisarms raised up to heaven, supported by the brothers of themonastery, shortly after St. Benedict had received Holy Communion.

Monte Cassino

Below Benedict we read: ex SM Casino MDCCCLXXX (from holyMonte Cassino, 1880). This is the medal struck to commemorate the1400th anniversary of the birth of Saint Benedict.

Reverse Side of the Medal

Crux mihi lux

On the back of the medal , the cross is dominant. On the arms of the cross are the initial letters of a rhythmic Latin prayer: Crux sacrasit mihi lux! Nunquam draco sit mihi dux! (May the holy cross be mylight! May the dragon never be my guide!).
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In the angles of the cross, the letters CS P B stand for Crux Sancti PatrisBenedicti (The cross of our holy fatherBenedict).

Peace

Above the cross is the word pax

(peace), that has been a Benedictinemotto for centuries. Around themargin of the back of the medal, the letters V R S N S M V S M Q L IV B are the initial letters, as mentioned above, of a Latin prayer of exorcism against Satan: Vade retro Satana! Nunquam suade mihivana! Sunt mala quae libas. Ipse venena bibas! (Begone Satan! Nevertempt me with your vanities! What you offer me is evil. Drink thepoison yourself!)

Use of the Medal

There is no special way prescribed for carrying or wearing theMedal of St. Benedict. It can be worn on a chain around the neck,attached to one's rosary, kept in one's pocket or purse, or placed inone's car or home. The medal is often put into the foundations of houses and building, on the walls of barns and sheds, or in one'splace of business.

The purpose of using the medal in any of the above ways is to calldown God's blessing and protection upon us, wherever we are, andupon our homes and possessions, especially through the intercessionof St. Benedict. By the conscious and devout use of the medal, itbecomes, as it were, a constant silent prayer and reminder to us of our dignity as followers of Christ.

The medal is a prayer of exorcism against Satan, a prayer forstrength in time of temptation, a prayer for peace among ourselvesand among the nations of the world, a prayer that the Cross of Christbe our light and guide, a prayer of firm rejection of all that is evil, aprayer of petition that we may with Christian courage "walk in God'sways, with the Gospel as our guide," as St. Benedict urges us.

A profitable spiritual experience can be ours if we but take the timeto study the array of inscriptions and representations found on thetwo sides of the medal. The lessons found there can be ponderedover and over to bring true peace of mind and heart into our lives aswe struggle to overcome the weaknesses of our human nature andrealize that our human condition is not perfect, but that with thehelp of God and the intercession of the saints our condition canbecome better.

The Medal of St. Benedict can serve as a constant reminder of theneed for us to take up our cross daily and "follow the true King,Christ our Lord," and thus learn "to share in his heavenly kingdom,"as St. Benedict urges us in the Prolog of his Rule.

Two Special Uses of the Medal


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By a rescript of the Sacred Congregation of Religious (4 May 1965)lay Oblates of St. Benedict are permitted to wear the Medal of St.Benedict instead of the small black cloth scapular formerly worn.

By a decree of the Sacred Congregation of Rites (6 March 1959), theBlessing of St. Maur over the sick is permitted to be given with aMedal of St. Benedict instead of with a relic of the True Cross, sincethe latter is difficult to obtain.

Approved Blessingof the Medal of St.Benedict

Medals of Saint Benedict are sacramentalsthat may be blessed legitimately by any

priest or deacon not necessarily aBenedictine (Instr., 26 Sept. 1964; Can.1168). The following English form may be

used.

V. Our help is in the name of the Lord.R. Who made heaven and earth .

In the name of God the Father + almighty, who made heavenand earth, the seas and all that is in them, I exorcise these medalsagainst the power and attacks of the evil one. May all who use thesemedals devoutly be blessed with health of soul and body. In thename of the Father + almighty, of the Son + Jesus Christ our Lord,

and of the Holy + Spirit the Paraclete, and in the love of the sameLord Jesus Christ who will come on the last day to judge the livingand the dead, and the world by fire.Amen.

Let us pray. Almighty God, the boundless source of all good things,we humbly ask that, through the intercession of Saint Benedict,you pour out your blessings + upon these medals. May those who usethem devoutly and earnestly strive to perform good works be blessedby you with health of soul and body, the grace of a holy life, andremission of the temporal punishment due to sin.

May they also with the help of your merciful love, resist thetemptation of the evil one and strive to exercise true charity and

justice toward all, so that one day they may appear sinless and holyin your sight. This we ask though Christ our Lord.Amen.

The medals are then sprinkled with holy water.

Permissu superiorum

Nihil obstat and Imprimatur , Saint Cloud, 24 April 1980.

Authentic 1880 Jubilee-design Medals
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Authentic, Beuronesestyle, Benedictine medals(Monte Cassino, 1880) have been available since1926 in a wide variety of sizes and materialsfrom Liturgical Press, Collegeville, MN 56321.

The Benedictine Mission House ofChrist the KingPriory in Schuyler, Nebraska offers Benedictinemedals for suggested donations.

Johnson SRL, Barazante, Italy, offers high qualitywholesale lots. Johnson, established in 1836, isthe oldest Italian medal factory, and thecompany cast the first Jubilee medal in 1880.

JMJ Totally Catholic and Catholic Supply areretail distributors that offer online a wide

selection of modern spinoffs such as "Benedictine" rosaries andcrucifixes that feature the Medal of Saint Benedict as a component.

Blessing of Saint Maur

Blessing of Saint Maurus over the Sick with the Medal of SaintBenedict invokes the power of the Cross and the healing of the HolySpirit.

Spread the Good News of Our Salvation in the

Cross of Jesus

Illuminate your friends and proclaim your faith and devotion with asweatshirt or mouse pad.

Bibliography and Web Resources

La ABADA de SAN BENITO (Lujan, AR)."La Medella de San Benito," abridged from the article below by Mons.Martin de Elizalde OSB.

ABBAYE SAINT BENOT de PORTVALOIS, CH.La mdaille de S. Benot, 1999.

ALTENHR OSB, Abt Albert.Crux Sancti Patris Benedicti : Die BenediktMedaille, Facetten derBenediktVerehrung und benediktinischer Frmmigkeit (AbteiKornelimnster: Spirituelles).

BOUVILLIERS, Adlard OSB.The MedalCross of St. Benedict , second ed., rev. and enlarged.Belmont Abbey Press, 1932.

CORBIERRE, A. J.
http://www.sbenito.org/medalla/medalla.htmhttp://www.abbaye-saint-benoit.ch/benoit/medaille/http://www.totallycatholic.com/subcat.php?cid=51&id=87http://www.litpress.org/Subjects.aspx?ID=25http://www.abtei-kornelimuenster.de/Spirituelles/Benediktinisches/Benediktusmedaille%201.htmhttp://www.benedictinemissionhouse.com/index.php/d-medals-stbenedicthttp://www.osb.org/gen/maurus/blessing.htmlhttp://www.benedictinemissionhouse.com/http://www.cafepress.com/osb.94239530http://www.litpress.org/Subjects.aspx?ID=25http://www.abtei-kornelimuenster.de/Spirituelles/Benediktinisches/Beneditkinisches.htmhttp://www.cafepress.com/osb#link-productCategory-103http://www.johnsonsrl.it/web/http://www.catholicsupply.com/pope/benedict.html


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Numismatique Benedictine : histoire scientifique et liturgique descroix et des medailles de Saint Benoit, patriarche des moinesd'occident d'apres des documents inedits .... 2 v. Rome, 1901.

ELIZALDE, Mons. Martn de, OSB.Espiritualidad : "La Cruz de San Benito" Revista Coloquio : Revista dela Abada de San Benito (Lujan, AR), I:4 (1998).

GUERANGER, Prosper OSB.Essai sur l'origine, la signification et les privileges de la medaille oucroix de S. Benoit . Poitiers, 1862; 11th ed., Paris, 1890.The Medal or Cross of St. Benedict: Its Origins, Meaning and Privileges . Trans. from the French; ed. with an introduction andappendix on the Centenary Medal, etc., by an EBC monk of Douai,France. London: Burns & Oates, 1880. HTML version.

HECHT, Laurence OSB.Der St. BenediktsPfennig : Kurzer Bericht ber Ursprung,wunderbare Wirkungen u. Ablsse der Medaille des hl. Benedikt, Abtund Patriarch der abendlndischen Mnche . Einsiedeln; New York:Karl und Nikolaus Benziger, 1862.

KNIEL, Cornelius.Die St. Benediktsmedaille, ihre Geschichte, Bedeutung, Ablasse u.wunderbare Wirkungen . 2. Aufl. Ravensburg: Kitz, 1895.

LA MEDAILLECRUCIFIX DE SAINT BENOT de La Mission saint Benot.

MOSTEIRO de SO BENITO do RIO de JANEIRO. Medalha e Orao de So Bento , 1996.

OTT, Michael OSB."Medal of Saint Benedict," Catholic Encyclopedia , 1913.

PATTERSON, Bernardine OSB."The Medal of St. Benedict," The Scriptorium IX (1949) 101.

SAINT JOHN'S ABBEY (Collegeville, Minn.)The Medal of Saint Benedict (Jubilee Medal Leaflet) . Collegeville,Minn.: St. John's Abbey, 1923; rev. 2008, Liturgical Press.

VETH, Martin OSB.The Medal or Cross of St. Benedict . Atchison: Abbey Student Press,St. Benedict's College, 1906.

ZELLIJACOBUZI, Leopoldo.Origen y efectos admirables de la cruz o medalla de San Benitoabad , por Don ZellyJacobuzj del Monte Casino, abad de S. Pablo enla Via de Ostia. Traducida de la 6a edicion francesa por M.M. deLegarreta. La edicion mexicana. Mexico, Imprenta Guadalupana deReyes Velasco, 1895.

Saint John's Abbey OSB Index | General OSB Information
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