Every day, God permits us numerous opportunities to become spiritually stronger. Yes, we might prefer if the Lord would simply wave a magical wand and fortify us with no effort on our part. But Christians know better.

There is no spiritual triumph without a battle, no perfect love on earth without suffering, and no Easter without Good Friday.

I often call the Scapular our armor, the Miraculous Medal our shield, and the Rosary our most powerful weapon.

Here at the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, we are working hard to equip faith-filled souls with the tools they need for the ultimate triumph over evil so they may achieve full and eternal union with God in heaven. Helping people like you “suit up for salvation,” the tools we’re offering are both spiritual and temporal.

The spiritual help is our Association’s daily, prayerful remembrance of the needs shared with us by members and friends week after week. Temporal aid includes our distributing more than two million blessed Miraculous Medals every year and sending out other Church-approved, blessed sacramentals from the National Shrine.

Today, I invite you to allow the Association of the Miraculous Medal to stand with you in the warfare against evil. Here are two easy ways you can accept:

• Send me the names of the loved ones you wish to have remembered.  The request for prayer may be for the return of their well-being of body, mind, or spirit. On Wednesday, September 3, at 12:10 p.m., CT, we will offer a Mass Remembering your loved ones and their needs, lifting them up to Jesus through Mary during the Prayers of the Faithful. These same intentions will rest near Mary’s Shrine Altar throughout the month of September.

• For the suggested offering of $29, you may request the Suit Up for Salvation Spiritual Gift Set (W155) containing a brown scapular, the Martyrs Red Crystal Bead Rosary (made in Italy), and a Miraculous Medal – all blessed here at the Shrine.

While the rosary and scapular have been around for 500-800 years, the Miraculous Medal was given to the world much more recently. It was in 1830 when Our Lady appeared to Sister Catherine Labouré, a novice in Paris, France, giving her the design of the medal and the mission to share it with the world.

To those who wore the Miraculous Medal with faith and confidence, Mary assured the young Daughter of Charity, great graces and blessings would flow from God.

Sending the names of your loved ones for remembrance is a sign of your trust in Our Blessed Mother’s promised intercession. Your prayers are a powerful weapon in the face of physical or spiritual suffering, temptation, doubt, and more.

When you return the names of your loved ones for remembrance, you may also request a Votive Light to burn at the Shrine. This sign of your faith is but another way to lift your loved ones in prayer to Jesus through Mary.

Any offering you include will help us spread devotion to Our Lady. It will also support the formation and ministries of the Vincentian priests and brothers founded by Saint Vincent de Paul.

Going up against the devil, Christians’ victory depends on both an ironclad defense and a fail-safe offense.

Thank you for allowing the Association of the Miraculous Medal to serve as your spiritual fortress to help obtain the healing, protection, defense, and salvation of your body and soul and that of all those close to you! May God bless all your efforts to serve him and draw you ever closer to himself.

Faithfully yours in Jesus and Mary,