Saint Benedict Prayer: The Words on the Medal and How to Pray Them
The Saint Benedict Medal is a prayer in metal. Every inscription on it, the Latin letters surrounding the cross on the reverse, the phrase around the border on the front, the word PAX above the cross, each one is a prayer that the Church has used for centuries to seek God's protection and reject the influence of evil.
Many Catholics wear the medal without knowing what the words mean. This guide explains the prayers inscribed on the medal, provides a complete text to be prayed with it, and suggests simple ways to integrate the Saint Benedict prayer into daily life.
The Prayers on the Medal
The reverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal is organized around the Cross of Saint Benedict. Surrounding and inscribed on the cross are abbreviations of Latin prayers that form the core of the Saint Benedict devotion.
Around the cross: Crux Sacra Sit Mihi Lux — May the Holy Cross be my light. Non Draco Sit Mihi Dux — Let not the dragon be my guide.
These two phrases express the fundamental orientation of the Christian life: toward the light of Christ's Cross, away from the deceptions of the enemy.
On the cross itself: The vertical beam carries the letters C S P B: Crux Sancti Patris Benedicti, the Cross of our Holy Father Benedict.
The horizontal beam carries the initials of the famous exorcism prayer: V R S — Vade Retro Satana: Begone, Satan. N S M V — Nunquam Suade Mihi Vana: Never tempt me with your vanities. S M Q L — Sunt Mala Quae Libas: What you offer is evil. I V B — Ipse Venena Bibas: Drink the poison yourself.
Around the border of the reverse: P A X — Peace. The motto of the Benedictine Order.
Around the border of the front, near the image of Saint Benedict: Eius in obitu nostro praesentia muniamur — May we be strengthened by his presence in the hour of our death.
These are not magical incantations. They are prayers, each one directed to God, invoking the Cross of Christ and asking for Saint Benedict's intercession. Their power comes from the faith with which they are prayed and the grace of God to which they appeal.
The Saint Benedict Prayer in Full
The inscriptions on the medal can be prayed together as a single prayer of protection. This is the text most commonly used by the faithful:
May the Holy Cross be my light; let not the dragon be my guide. Begone, Satan. Never tempt me with your vanities. What you offer is evil. Drink the poison yourself. May we be strengthened by the presence of Saint Benedict in the hour of our death. Amen.
This prayer can be prayed holding the medal, before putting it on in the morning, when facing temptation, or at any moment that calls for a conscious renewal of trust in God's protection.
How to Pray with the Medal
At the start of the day. Before putting on the medal or bracelet, hold it for a moment and pray the words on it. This brief act of conscious prayer transforms dressing into a moment of devotion and places the day under God's protection.
In moments of temptation. When temptation arrives, touching the medal and recalling its words is a simple and effective way to interrupt the movement toward sin. "Begone, Satan" is not a dramatic formula; it is a quiet, firm prayer of refusal.
Before sleep, reviewing the day in light of the medal's prayers, where did you walk in the light of the Cross, where did you let the dragon lead, is a form of examination of conscience rooted in the specific graces this devotion seeks.
For others. The Saint Benedict prayer can be offered on behalf of others who are facing illness, spiritual difficulty, or temptation. Praying it with someone else's name in mind is an act of intercession consistent with the communal spirit of the Benedictine tradition.
Saint Benedict and the Life of Prayer
Saint Benedict did not leave behind a collection of prayers in the modern sense. What he left was a Rule, a structured way of life built around the Liturgy of the Hours, the daily rhythm of communal prayer that the Church still prays today.
His most famous contribution to the theology of prayer is a phrase from the Rule: Ora et Labora, pray and work. For Benedict, these were not two separate activities competing for time. Prayer was meant to penetrate work, and work was meant to be a form of prayer. Every task done well, with attention and care, was an offering to God. Every prayer was also a form of work, requiring effort, consistency, and fidelity even when consolation was absent.
The Saint Benedict Medal carries this vision into everyday life. Wearing it is a way of praying without ceasing, of carrying the prayers of the Church through every activity of the day, in the quiet as much as in the difficulty.
The Blessing of the Medal
The Church encourages that a priest bless sacramentals before use. The blessing does not add magical power to the medal; it invokes the Church's prayer upon the object and upon the person who will use it. A blessed medal carries the Church's intercession alongside the wearer's personal prayer.
If you have a Saint Benedict Medal that has not been blessed, bring it to your parish priest and ask him to bless it. The rite of blessing for the Saint Benedict Medal is among the most complete in the Roman Ritual, including prayers of exorcism and invocation that make it particularly meaningful.
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