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They provide you with a sense of peace in times of stress. They
act as an ever present reminder of a higher spiritual plane. They
are kept and cherished to remind us that we can always find a
measure of protection just from knowing the struggles these individuals
have endure. And what are these amazing spiritual aids. The medals
of the saints.
For Catholics, wearing the medal of a saint the same as
carrying a beloved friend or relative. Perhaps you already have
a St. Thomas Aquinas medal, or you're carrying a St. Thomas More
medal. You may even have a St. Thomas the Apostle medal tucked
away somewhere. (This medal, by the way, would make a perfect
gift for an architect, since St. Thomas the Apostle is the patron
saints of builders an architects.)
If that's the case you already know the strength you can derive
from these amazing medals. But did you ever wonder exactly how
this comforting tradition began? No one is really sure, but several
theories abound. No doubt, the true origins of wearing saints'
medals - like those of St. Thomas Aquinas - are lost forever.
But there are plenty of earlier examples similar religious practices
throughout history and even into ancient Rome. The first theory
is that it all started with the practice of wearing pagan talismans.
Each talisman contained an image of a specific god. Pagans wore
these as a form of protection. The ancient Irish practiced the
use of talismans extensively.
So it really was a short step, when they were converted to embrace
the general practice, only substituting images of the saints for
those of the gods. The Church accomplished two goals in this way.
First, it aided in converting pagans to Christianity. They already
felt at ease with this "protection". Pagans simply switched
from one "protector" to another.
Second, it was a tremendous way to honor the saints. The saints,
as many Catholics are well aware, have always been viewed as the
protectors of the faithful. A college student may want to wear
one of St. Thomas Aquinas, since he's the patron saints of all
students.
The medals of the saints honor those historical and spiritual
figures for their tireless work and selfless sacrifices. They
also remind us that we should try to walk in the presence of God
as consistently as possible.
But the idea and practice can easily be seen in ancient Greece
and Rome as well. These cultures wore amulets of various gods
as a form of protection and honoring their specific deity (where
depending on the period in history god-competition could be fierce,
there were so many different gods!)
The early Christians -being immersed in this culture - adopted
the practice using their own martyrs in place of the Greek or
Roman gods and goddesses.
Today, the various medals of the saints - including Thomas More,
Thomas Aquinas and Thomas the Apostle-are one of the most popular
forms of Catholic jewelry.
What is the best source of Catholic saint medals?
Start your search online. By browsing here first, you can not
only get a general feel for the different styles of saints medals,
but also a good idea of what the price range is for these pieces.
While retail jewelers carry a small variety of these, you are
far more likely to find exactly what you want on the web. All
you need to do is type "saint medals" into a search
engine (Google or whatever you use). You'll find specific sites
that actually specialize in this type of jewelry.
Depending on your tastes and the style you want, you can spend
anywhere from $40 to $400 on a good saint medal. This is especially
true if you want one in solid 14K yellow or white gold.
Whether you're looking for St. Thomas the Apostle, St. Thomas
More, or St. Thomas Aquinas, start your search on line to discover
the best selection - and the best prices. Not only that, you can
purchase your medal and have it delivered to you without ever
leaving home.
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