| Dear Apostles of the Immaculate Heart of Mary,
We wish to thank you with all our hearts for the glorious support you are giving the Family of the Living Rosary which reaches the far corners of the earth. United the world over through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, our Daily Decades hold infinite power before the throne of God. Please reach out to everyone you can with this magnificent devotion of Faith, Hope and Charity. Mary, the Mother of Jesus, received an invitation to a wedding that would take place in Cana, Galilee. A wedding in Palestine and among the Jews was an important event and took the form of a religious ceremony, for it was the means of perpetuating the race until the fullness of time, that is, until the coming of the Messiah. It is good to attend to our social obligations. We should not just tolerate them, but rather cultivate them. One should never use the excuse of asceticism and become anti-social. Mary did not go to the wedding feast to be served. She was the first one to notice that the wine was running out. Nothing that a Christian does is indifferent, everything has repercussions. By the mere fact that the Blessed Virgin was there, the wedding feast at Cana was changed. Jesus and His disciples were invited. Charity obliges us to be our best. The more we are on fire ourselves, the more we enkindle the same fire in others. The closer and more united we are to God, the more good will we have for those around us. Sometimes, only a smile is needed or a little interest in others, or a friendly manner. We exercise our love for God in how we treat our neighbor. Christ should be placed at the center of society, so that His Spirit may permeate all human activities, transforming and renewing them. We must be like red-hot irons; otherwise instead of influencing our environment, it will overpower us, change us as it likes and make us slaves of worldliness. In a phrase of only a few words, Mary made known to Christ the need of the newly married couple: “They have no wine.” This was her prayer of petition. It is so brief and concise that it hardly seems a prayer at all. It is a statement of need, a petition of simplicity, made with total confidence. Mary was the most perfect of creatures; therefore, her prayer was, without doubt, the most perfect prayer. It is a humble prayer. She did not want to trouble her Son. He was God and His Mission came first. But, She was His mother and, in humility and helplessness, She appealed to His mercy. It was a prayer for others, not something for herself. She did not bargain with God, ‘If you do this for me, I will do that for you.’ When we bargain with God, the absence of our love for Him is so very obvious! Mary merely pointed out the problem and left the rest to Him, leaving Him perfectly free to do His own will. She told the waiters, “Do whatever He tells you.” The faith of Mary contained in these few words, overcame time and hastened the hour when Our Lord would manifest His divinity by a miracle. So often, we try to tie God down and restrict His action to only one possible solution, the solution that we, with our limited intelligence, consider the most fitting. If we do not get what we ask for, our prayer becomes weaker and weaker, and finally we abandon it altogether. Our Lord has shown us the way. We must only try to be simple, humble and trusting: God will do the rest. Our Lady asks us to do, not just something, but precisely what He tells us to do. We must listen to her Son, the Messenger of the Father. Christ was obedient unto death, even to His death on the Cross. There is no incompatibility between freedom and obedience. Humility is Truth! Truth makes us free! He is free who has no sin, for sin separates us from Truth, and makes us servants of falsehood and pride. We are free to the extent to which we are united to Christ – to Truth – by obedience. Obedience is the key virtue and the fulfillment of our vocation for every creature has been made to give glory to God. Disobedience is rebellion which results in death and damnation, obedience is salvation! Obedience is not simply avoiding mortal sin, for we are not simply to avoid offending God, but to love and please Him. We should learn obedience from the servants to whom Mary told to do whatever Jesus should command. They put themselves at His disposal immediately. When He told them to fill the water-pots, they filled them to the brim! They returned to tell Jesus that His orders had been carried out and, at His direction, they took the wine to be tasted to the chief steward, knowing only water had been placed in them. They never hesitated. They never tried to find out what was going on, they simply obeyed! They were servants and ready to serve. Promptness of obedience is essential for a servant. The consequences of delay, procrastination, passivity and unwillingness are immeasurable! Time is a gift too precious to be wasted. The servants obeyed without saying a word. Obedience should be silent. Protests, remarks and sneers at the Master undermine His authority. The jars were filled to the brim! No one could ask for more; the servants did a perfect job. We cannot obey in halves; we must do a complete job. What Our Lord tells us to do is too important to be left half-done! It is never something trivial, but a serious duty whose significance very often we cannot even suspect. This then is the advice, the only advice that Our Blessed Lady has left to us, that we should do whatever her Son tell us, obey Him willingly, be ready to do anything asked of us, obey promptly, silently, fully and with our whole heart. Mary gave us this perfect example at the Foot of the Cross. Let us imitate Mary in her obedience to her Divine Son for the greater honor and glory of God in time and throughout eternity! One of our members is dying. Agnes has MS and for years has suffered silently the ravages of this disease. Recently she wrote: I am having a stroke, my brain is bleeding. Please pray for me: “I know what God is doing is for the best.” Pray for her husband who suffers with prostate cancer. Her prayer reminds me of the prayer of Our Blessed Mother, the perfect prayer that brings salvation: “Behold the Handmaid of the Lord, be it done unto me according to Thy Will!” Our prayers are¬ with you both day and night. PATTI MELVIN, Director – ULRA Let us pray for one another. Click here to download a full color .pdf version of this article |
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| Dear Mrs. Patti Melvin,I am a mother of two children from Sri Lanka. I heard about your prayer group through one of my uncles who is very devoted to St. Philomena, who has been a great blessing to us in these troubling times that we are undergoing. I would like to join the Living Rosary. My husband and mother would like to enroll in the Living Rosary.
Our son, Nevaan, who is just over two months, was born at 24 weeks weighing only 1.6 pounds. The doctors claimed he will not survive, but now he has been alive in the hospital for 78 days already. He had a brain hemorrhage that led to the development of some cysts in a critical part of his brain. The ventricles in his brain are severely enlarged due to this and the doctor says that this is almost 80% guaranteed to lead to severe disability later on. Added to that, there is a slight haze around his corneas, which also the doctors say may be a sign of blindness. So many prayers have been offered for him from priests, religious and all our family and friends. On the day after he was baptized, he started breathing on his own, without any machines. This is very unusual for a baby of his size, and is a miracle in itself. He went through a lot of complications but has gained weight and is looking better today. This is nothing but the power of God working, as the doctors and nurses are also surprised at how far this little fighter has come! We had drifted away from God and this trial has already been miraculous in the sense that it has brought us so much closer as a family and so very much closer to Him through prayers and sacrifice. Thank you so very much, truly divine providence that we received your parcel just on the day before the surgery! Baby Nevaan will undergo the brain surgery this Friday, February 26 at 7.00 am (Sri Lanka time) as the size of his cyst had drastically increased. The doctors are recommending the insertion of a shunt that will help drain the fluid that has accumulated. This will however be a life time device he will have to wear. We read an article in your Spring 2009 Dedicated Decades, a story of a 22 week old baby surviving a very similar ordeal and was healed through prayers. Similar to that story, we too have tied St. Philomena’s cord around his ankle, and we apply the holy oil on his heels daily. Please let us know if there are any other special prayers we can offer. Our little man is hanging in there, like the blessed little fighter he is! He has a 3 year old sister, Neraaya, who is really looking forward to having him in her life. She was also born prematurely at 32 weeks and is also another little miracle! Thank you for your message! The surgery went well without complication, and baby is recovering. We cannot thank God enough! This is more proof that God is holding us in His Arms through this journey, and Jesus’ Precious Blood will not fail to deliver! The journey with Nevaan’s condition is just beginning but we are confident in God’s goodness and expect a miraculous recovery for him in His time! Despite the doctors’ prognosis, we are so confident of complete healing for him. We have immense belief that through Our Blessed Mother and St. Joseph, and the intercession of St. Philomena, St. Jude, St. Anthony, St. Therese, St. Michael, St. Peter and all the other Angels and Saints that this child will receive complete healing. We have offered him up for a vocation and we know that his testimony will be a powerful one! Thank you and God bless, so happy to be part of this blessed Living Rosary group! < Dineshini – SRI LANKA > Click here to download a full color .pdf version of this article |
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| Dearest Patti Melvin
I exclaimed full of joy and heartfelt gratitude, Wonderful! Wonderful! Wonderful! I am really overwhelmed by the size of the parcel I received through Esico Express on 22nd February, 2016. Due to poor network, I could acknowledge it only now. Thank you and our Benefactors! St. Padre Pio of Pietrelcina says in one of his letters, “Pray fervently for all who work for the salvation of souls and for the Glory of God.” You are one of them! You and all your supporters are the ones we are called upon by St. Pio to pray for fervently every day. Rest assured that we are praying for all of you Thank you for your encouraging and soul searching letters. You could see from the attached pictures how I was covered by so many rich materials: St. Philomena Oils, 56 packets of Luminous Rosaries, Miraculous Medals, Scapulars, wonderful wrist Cords; large pictures of St. Philomena, Holy Family of Nazareth, Our Lady of Fatima, Immaculate Heart of Mary; Life of Pauline Marie Jaricot, The Future of The Church, How to Secure a Happy Death, a Holy Hour Booklet, Novena to St. Joseph, our Patron, beautiful – this year we shall pray the chaplet of St. Joseph during our Community Novena to St. Joseph, Mater Dolorosa Chaplet, St. Philomena Chaplets, large Medals and pictures of St. Philomena, Calendars, The Holy Sacrifice of the Holy Mass, Mary The Power of Her Holy Name, Dedicated Decades for Spring and Winter 2015, the Garment of Grace, Fatima booklet, Holiness through Mary, Children your Mother is calling, etc. I am extremely happy and grateful for the Sacred Heart Novena Booklet. I am devoted to the Sacred Heart and the Holy Eucharist, our Source and Summit. The Sacred Heart bleeds everyday out of love for us. We are very, very grateful for the sacrifices you make to send us these spiritual materials for our spiritual growth. May Our Good God continue to keep you healthy and strong to continue to lead souls to Him. The History about the Living Rosary Center is good. It is a beautiful Center. We thank God for you. In the next parcel, kindly send large pictures of Ven. Pauline Jaricot so that during my talks I can show to the people. Members are begging for more Prayer for Spouses Cards, Decade prayer cards, Jesus’ Name prayer cards and St. Philomena statues. We are sorry for asking you too much! Please join me to pray for Sister Bernadette Nyongo, our great promoter, that St. Philomena may heal her miraculously. I remain grateful for all that you do for us. May Almighty God bless and reward you and all our benefactors! Please find attach the pictures. To Jesus through Mary! With lots of love and prayerful wishes, Sr. Mary Florence Angwe Click here to download a full color .pdf version of this article |
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Share Your Gift of FaithFor centuries, our cherished Catholic faith has been passed from person to person, parent to child, etc. Each of us carries in our heart a special memory of how God first graced us with the knowledge of the faith and how Our Blessed Mother, Saint Philomena, Venerable Pauline Jaricot and other saints changed our lives and brought us closer to Christ. In our work in the Universal Living Rosary Association, we see first hand how millions of souls are currently living without that knowledge of God and are living outside of His grace. We have been given a beautiful opportunity to carry out Christ’s work and pass on our faith and blessings to others who would otherwise never be introduced to Our Lord, the Savior of all mankind. Just as we pray for the souls in Purgatory who have no one to pray for them, we should also make it a part of our life’s mission to pass on our faith to as many souls as possible who have no one else to pass it on to them, who don’t know Our Lord and His promise of salvation.
This is the box we send out to the foreign Missi4 lb. box @ $53 (in place of $42.70), 20 lb. box @ $95 (in place of $86.25), 1 lb. package @ $22 (in place of $20)7.95. It contains Rosaries, Scapulars, Miraculous Medals, Cord & Oil, Newsletters, Calendars, Catechism books, 2 TAN books, large color prints, lists and encouragement for our Promoters. |
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Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category
Weekly News Flash from the Universal Living Rosary Association of Saint Philomena, Wednesday, March 9, 2016
Wednesday, April 20th, 2016
Weekly News Flash from the Universal Living Rosary Association of Saint Philomena, Wednesday, October 8, 2014
Sunday, November 30th, 2014| Dear Mrs. Melvin,First of all, thanks for the airlifts, I got yesterday. I wanted to write to you but I was very tired. I reached Peshawar on October 2, early in the morning. There was no time to take rest. So, after breakfast, I went with Sr, Rozie to her school (St. Michael Convent High School). After a formal welcome, I explained the aim of the ULRA. The Rosaries, Scapulars, Miraculous Medals and Decade cards were given to the students after enrollment. Then, along with all these things, books and big pictures were given to teachers also. Sister Gulnaz received the statue of St. Philomena on behalf of Sister Rozie.
Then, Sister sent me to the Junior campus of St. Michael School. The teachers took the responsibility to teach the students and pray the Daily Decade with them in the school. After giving the devotional items to this school, I was taken to St. John Vianney High School which is run by the Brothers of Charity. There, I distributed the Sacramentals and the DD cards to the students and teachers. There were some prominent students also who scored excellent marks in religion education. I gave them big pictures. On 3rd, I visited the Presentation Convent High School. I left for Faisalabad at 1 p.m. At 9 p.m. when I reached the bus stop, there was too much rush due to Eid festival. I could hardly get the ticket at 11.15 p.m. but got the bus at 1 a.m. I had back pain due to prolonged standing. I reached home at 7 in the morning. I was feeling very tired, so the whole day I slept. My body was aching but my back was very painful. Now, it is a bit OK. I am leaving for Gojra after few minutes. In the evening, I hope to return home. In spite of all these difficulties, I am happy I could reach out to about 1400 hundred students and their teachers and brought them to Our Lady. God bless you! < Afzaal – The Living Rosary, Pakistan Center >
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THANK YOU AND GOD BLESS ALL OF YOU! |
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IN MEMORY OF YOUR DEPARTED LOVED ONES When we love, we remember, and this memory – the effect of love – is not a barren thought. It resolves itself into DEEDS for the loved one. They are at peace for they have escaped Hell forever. But, they are sentenced for a time to expiating fire. Behold their plight and helplessness. Listen to their lamentations. In sympathy and charity, hasten to their assistance. Enroll your Departed Loved Ones in thirty days of Requiem Masses in Ukraine. Fr. Ivan Kolodiy has arranged for these Masses to be offered from 1st to 30th November. The names you send will be placed upon the Altar during this time. A Mass card will be sent out to you for each one you enroll. SUGGESTED STIPEND DONATION: $5.00 each for Enrollment in the NOVEMBER Bouquet of thirty days of Requiem Masses for your departed Loved Ones: PRINT VERY CLEARLY EACH NAME! |
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TRUE DEVOTION TO MARY (continued) WE SHOULD PERFORM ALL OUR ACTIONS WITH MARY, THROUGH MARY, IN MARY AND FOR MARY! It is not enough, says St. Louis Grignion de Montfort, to have given ourselves once as slaves to Jesus, through Mary, nor is it sufficient to do so every month or every week. This would be too fleeting a devotion and would not raise the soul to that degree of perfection which it would otherwise be capable of attaining. This very Act of Consecration, if made often and sincerely, is in itself a sublime act of virtue, drawing down upon us the complacency of God and of His Holy Mother. It requires no great effort to practice the outward form of this devotion and say every day a few vocal prayers as prescribed. The great difficulty is to enter into the spirit of this devotion which makes a soul interiorly dependent upon the Blessed Virgin. We enter into the spirit of this devotion when we give ourselves to Mary entirely as Her full possession, and this spirit is nourished within us by performing all our actions with Mary, through Mary, in Mary and for Mary. Performing All Our Actions WITH Mary To perform our actions with Mary, we must regard Her as the accomplished model of every virtue and perfection. She must be, for us, the perfect model which we try to imitate according to our ability and weakness. In every action, we should consider how Mary did it or how She would have done it, had She been in our place. For this end, it is well to meditate on the sublime virtues which She practiced during Her life: First of all, Her lively faith, by which She believed, without hesitation, the Angel’s word and believed it faithfully and constantly up to the foot of the Cross. Secondly, Her profound humility which made Her hide herself, hold Her peace and consider herself the last of all. Thirdly, Her immaculate purity which has never had its equal. In addition to these virtues, our Saint mentions others which we should try to imitate; i.e. Her implicit obedience, Her constant prayer, Her mortification in all things, Her glowing love of God and of neighbor, Her heroic patience, Her heavenly meekness and wisdom. “Blessed are they,” says Mary to us in the words of Holy Scripture, “who keep my ways, who imitate my virtues and, with the Grace of God, walk in my footsteps. They are blessed already in this life by the superabundance of Grace and consolation which I impart to them from my abundance. They are still more blessed in death, at which I am present myself, to assist and lead them to eternal joy; and for this reason, their death is usually sweet and peaceful. Blessed, finally, shall they be throughout Eternity, because never has one of my faithful servants been lost, who during life imitated my virtues!” |
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Share Your Gift of FaithFor centuries, our cherished Catholic faith has been passed from person to person, parent to child, etc. Each of us carries in our heart a special memory of how God first graced us with the knowledge of the faith and how Our Blessed Mother, Saint Philomena, Venerable Pauline Jaricot and other saints changed our lives and brought us closer to Christ. In our work in the Universal Living Rosary Association, we see first hand how millions of souls are currently living without that knowledge of God and are living outside of His grace. We have been given a beautiful opportunity to carry out Christ’s work and pass on our faith and blessings to others who would otherwise never be introduced to Our Lord, the Savior of all mankind. Just as we pray for the souls in Purgatory who have no one to pray for them, we should also make it a part of our life’s mission to pass on our faith to as many souls as possible who have no one else to pass it on to them, who don’t know Our Lord and His promise of salvation.
This is the box we send out to the foreign Missions $77.95. It contains Rosaries, Scapulars, Miraculous Medals, Cord & Oil, Newsletters, Calendars, Catechism books, 2 TAN books, large color prints, lists and encouragement for our Promoters. |
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Weekly News Flash from the Universal Living Rosary Association of Saint Philomena, Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Wednesday, August 8th, 2012 |
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Newsflash from the Universal Living Rosary Association of Saint Philomena on Missionary Sunday, October 24, 2010
Monday, October 25th, 2010
| Dear Apostle of the Immaculate Heart of Mary,Today, Catholics all over the world participate in Missionary Sunday. The Society for the Propagation of the Faith (the sponsor of Missionary Sunday) was founded by the Venerable Pauline Jaricot. Pauline is the foundress of the two greatest works of the Church in the 19th century – The Propagation of the Faith and The Living Rosary. These two great works were the very first organizations of the Church in France, Switzerland, Belgium and America after the devastation of the French Revolution. They are the fruit of the blood of martyrs.
The Propagation of the Faith is the mission of Christ upon earth, born of His merciful Heart – Christ’s Most Precious Blood poured into the Heart of Pauline that it might be spilled out upon the world. The Propagation of the Faith had its origin in God. Pauline was given the first impulse to work and develop it, shelter it as a sacrifice and return it to the Church, fertile and abundantly fruitful. On this Missionary Sunday, I would like to express our deep gratitude for your continued and wonderful help. It is such a strong support of our missionary work abroad and, right here, at home. As times become even more grave, the labor of this beautiful Rosary Family is most urgent. We find ourselves absorbed in a thousand daily cares: personal, social, family, political, the endless demands that crowd every minute of our day. We rush from place to place and, then, back again. Our days are not well organized and the hours slip through our fingers without our even realizing it. At the end of the day, we feel exhausted and, yet, gnawing at our gut is an empty and apathetic feeling. We are trapped, buried alive in our self-centered world! Looking at the voids in our lives, we feel cheated, empty, aching, lonely and scared. Something important is missing. It is love! There is really no such thing as a void. A vacuum sucks in whatever is near the hole. We may try to fill the voids with food, amusement, drinks, drugs or business. Christ gave us the great Commandment to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. Why? Because caring for others, moves us from self-centeredness to God-centeredness. By giving love away, God rushes in and fills up the emptied places in our soul with His very own presence.
God is the unique and unequaled Giver. He gives life, the universe, faith and wisdom, but He is not satisfied with giving them alone. GOD GIVES HIMSELF. What a gloriously true incomprehensibility! What an unfathomable Gift! Unsurpassed and inexhaustible! Just think how God humiliates Himself! In Holy Communion, God gives to us the gift of Himself. He has done His part in excess, but our co-operation is lacking: We fail Him. If we only realized that Heaven is but the eternalization of Holy Communion, how frequent and fervent would our Communions be, how often we would pause to unite ourselves with Him in prayer, and how eagerly we would reach out to our neighbor with His Love. Our lamentable defect, “WE HAVE NO TIME!” would give way to a super-abundance of faith which is the foundation of all contemplation. Nothing is too much to give to God after all He has given us. Let us organize the hours of our day with a plan that puts God first. MY GOD, I LOVE THEE! Please pray for me! |
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Dear Members and Benefactors of the Living Rosary Association, In this month of October which is dedicated to the Most Holy Rosary, I want to express my deepest thanks and gratitude for your support in the promotion of the Universal Living Rosary Association of Saint Philomena (ULRA) in Ukraine. The people here have a strong devotion to the prayer of the Rosary because it is simple and easy to learn. But, sadly, among the youth, it is not well practiced. The Rosary is called by the name of the “small Gospel” because by reflecting on it, everyone is able to walk through the Life of Jesus and the Virgin Mary. Many Ukrainians, who were imprisoned in the concentration camps in Siberia, fashioned the Rosary beads out of bits of bread made into a paste, and then let dry, using these bread beads to count the Hail Mary’s.
The Living Rosary Association has brought to us the wonderful habit of praying the Holy Rosary before and after every Sacred Mass on Sunday. This is a great help in teaching the faithful that the Rosary must lead us to the Holy Eucharist where we find the source of all Grace. It is our comfort and our strength. This year, the Living Rosary organized the Annual Rosary Pilgrimage. Through your kindness, we have distributed 5,000 Rosaries, free of charge, and next year we hope to do ten thousand Rosaries. We have printed 50,000 copies of the booklet, “How to Pray the Rosary.”
Most of our people are poor and unable to buy either the booklets or the Rosary. Therefore, we are organizing a campaign to give to every soul this spiritual weapon which will win the battles of our families and our youth for Jesus and Mary. All these projects are possible only through the prayers and benefactions of the Living Rosary. We encourage all our priests and members to pray the Rosary for you and for your families. You are so special and dear to our people. We await the time that selfishness and hatred, impurity and injustice will be no more. Then, Mary will be Queen and Christ Our King, and God’s Truth, Justice, Charity and Peace will reign over mankind. With prayer and respect, Fr. Ivan Kolodij and all the grateful members of the Living Rosary in the Eastern Block Countries |
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| “The Future of the Church depends Upon the Faith and the Virtue of our Youth”
The story of devotion to St. Philomena begins with the account of her martyrdom called the Acts of St. Philomena, which received the imprimatur of the Holy Office on December 21, 1883. LET US PRAY
Today, the enemy sows his errors unchecked through every outlet. Each Christian urgently needs the single-minded wisdom and uncompromising courage of the virgin-martyrs. God saw this apocalyptic dark night. He gave us St. Philomena to steel us for the great battle we face at the hands of today’s modern Diocletians. This, greatest of virgin-martyrs, was revealed to the Church on the 24th of May, feast of Our Lady, Help of Christians! God has drawn our attention to His most beloved daughter through giving her the ‘gift of miracles’! Five successive Popes recognized her as a priceless help from God and made devotion to her universal. Pope St. Pius X, Patron of youth, sealed her devotion against the attacks of her enemies, when in 1912 he stated:
Pope St. Pius X gave to St. Philomena the title, “Patroness of Youth”. The future of the Church depends upon the faith and virtue of our youth. St. Philomena’s most glorious title was bestowed upon her by Pope Pius IX: “Patroness of the Children of Mary.” She is here to teach us child-like confidence in the Mother of God. Her mission is to form us into pure, trusting and perfect “Children of Mary“! How is she to accomplish this awesome task? Pope Gregory XVI imparted to Saint Philomena the title: “Patroness of the Living Rosary”
Saint Philomena sacrificed life itself to preserve her vow of virginity and consecration to Jesus Christ. Her great mission is to help the innocent remain pure and protect and defend our Religious in their heroic calling to live the vows of their consecrated lives. Saint Philomena, Champion of Chastity, Save our Youth! |
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| PURITY
Saint Philomena carries a message to the world which is absolutely critical to our Age. Today, every possible influence is being exerted to destroy the purity of both the young and the old. For us to remain silent in this matter is criminal! According to modern psychology, sin is not sin and virtue is weakness rather than strength. God supplies to every century a saintly model that suits its particular needs. He saw clearly that the most prevalent sin in our Age is sensuality. To recall the modern world to its sense of duty to Him, He sent to it the soul of a saint who was the embodiment of the virtue opposite of this vice, PURITY! God exalted her quickly and gifted her with miracles. The fame of St. Philomena spread throughout the whole world like a bushfire. Everyone who calls on St. Philomena is helped. We are on the field of battle facing the enemies of purity and we are bound by the iron-clad law: Either FIGHT or DIE! St. Philomena resolved that nothing in this world would divert her from her true destiny which was Heaven. Let us, too, make the resolve that nothing in the world will divert us from our duty to God, Who is our sole reason for existence and Who will be our Judge and reward. Death is coming and it is really coming near with appalling suddenness. Are we prepared and ready for death should it come today! In that hour, we will be separated from life, from the world, from property, riches and family. All is left behind save two things: the sins we have committed and the good works we have performed. Nothing else matters. Sin and good works alone are important at the moment of death. Man has forgotten God. He goes from one care in life to another, occupied night and day between the fevered quest of the twin prizes: Money and Pleasure! If we leave God out of our lives and suppose that death is the only result of life, why live at all! For Christians, life is not a hopeless riddle. Thank God for our precious Catholic Faith which teaches us the fundamental purpose of our life here on earth: God made me to know, love and serve Him These two truths contain the whole sum of wisdom for they are more important to us than anything else in the world. Our happiness here on earth and our Eternity of happiness depend largely on how firmly we grasp these truths. We are free to fulfill God’s purpose in our creation or refuse to serve Him. The chief test for our fitness for Heaven is the test of purity. We can measure the terrible nature of sin by the losses it entails. Deliberate sins against purity are mortal for, through them, a soul is slain, the grace of God is forfeited, Heaven is closed and Hell is opened. The first consequence of sin is that the unhappy creature, who thus falls, no longer cares to pray and gives up daily devotions. He begins to doubt whether there really is a God or Eternity. In false shame, sins are concealed in the confessional, thus rendering his Confession and Communion sacrilegious. Hardness of heart sets in and the understanding is darkened. We must have confidence in God, call upon Him and rely upon His help, avoid all idleness and fly from all persons, places and things which are a temptation to sin. We must avoid those substances which weaken our will to say NO to sin, dress modestly, shield our eyes from nakedness and seek always goodness, truth and beauty. The world seeks to destroy not only our purity but also our very belief in purity. Familiarity between the sexes, nudity, free love, taking partners, divorce, movies, bad companions and constant media exposure opens our soul, day and night, to the filth of impurity. Our adversary is paganism. Not the old paganism which worshipped idols, but the new paganism which worships SELF! It makes man a law unto himself, which denies that man has a soul and a free will. The modern world does not believe in God or life after death. By the Sixth Commandment, we are commanded to be pure men and women, to live good lives, wholesome, clean, noble, virtuous and consistent with our dignity as men endowed with immortal souls and stamped with God’s image and likeness, the noble life of a Christian, followers of Christ, children of God, future inhabitants of Heaven, a life consistent with our dignity as a tabernacle of Our Lord in Holy Communion. That Christian man should live the life of an animal is a contradiction and a catastrophe. Purity, then, in thought, word and deed is commanded of us by the Sixth Commandment. What does the Sixth Commandment Forbid? Adultery means the sexual union of two people, at least one of whom is married to a third person. Fornication is the sexual union of two persons who are single. Neither Fornicators nor Adulterers All sins of impurity and immodesty, all external actions contrary to holy purity are forbidden: all impure words, desires and thoughts. God forbids anything that can sully the purity of our bodies, minds or souls. He forbids absolutely, unconditionally, at all times, in all places and under all circumstances, any impure act whether done against purity, committed with another or alone. God’s standard for men and women is identical. Is this command difficult? It is the most difficult of all the Commandments! It is the chief test to which God puts man to determine his fitness for Heaven. Unless we make use of the means God gives us to observe this Commandment, we will not succeed. Most sins against the Sixth Commandment are committed neither in cold blood nor in overwhelming passion, but as a result of certain moods we fall into. If you find yourself sulking, fidgety, cranky or childish, learn to pull up quickly. Resist these moods by doing the opposite of what they suggest. This will be for you a very healthy form of conquest and self-denial. Our Father Who art in Heaven, Hallowed be Thy Name!
Today, unbridled passion is called love. IT IS NOT LOVE! It is stark naked lust. It is wrong to tamper with truth, it is wrong to squander money, it is wrong to ruin the name of another; but can you tell me, it is not wrong to tamper with the means to create life, not wrong to cheapen love and to squander God’s creative power! Can it be right to say that sins against life and love do not matter? The sin against sex is a sin against life, a sin against God. It is a sin that God punishes even in this life. Lust is no substitute for love! Good God, what damnable liars these men and women are when they defend this sin! To be modest, one must build for himself a strong Christian character, a life dominated by principles: frequent prayer, frequent confession and frequent Communion. Daily spiritual reading will bring to mind the great religious truths of our Faith. Daily self-denial, habitual reflection, spiritual reading and fervent prayer make us strong to resist temptation. Prayer is not to be delayed to the moment of temptation, when it is too late, but daily we must ask God to give us strength for when the moment of temptation comes.
The words of the Blessed Virgin Mary to Blessed Jacinta Marto in 1917, Fatima MODESTY – The Guardian of Chastity! Frequent Confession will help us to develop a conscience which is sensitive to sin. Frequent Communion will make the soul strong just as food taken will help make the body strong. Daily spiritual reading will bring to mind the Sacred Truths of our Faith. The Third Person of the Most Blessed Trinity comes to take up His abode within us at the time of Baptism, and dwells habitually within us until we drive him out by mortal sin. “If a man will come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow Me!” Our generation is given over to excesses. They have never been taught discipline nor have they learned obedience. Harried parents have given into self-indulgence and, for a peace which is false, they have allowed the defiant child to have his way at every turn. The child will not obey, he will not study and his every wish for food, snacks, movies, money and video games is gratified; if not at first, then after a series of nagging cries, he gets his way. He has never been taught to sacrifice, deny himself and develop self-control. At the root of all sin and, most especially, the sin of impurity, is the absence of self-control. To obey the Will of God and to avoid all forms of excess, self-denial is necessary and training in self-denial should begin at the earliest possible age. We make the sacrifice of self-denial not only for the salvation of our own soul but also for those in danger, today, of dying in mortal sin. My dear friends, there is a pestilence about us to which hundreds of thousands are succumbing each day. When a pestilence is raging, it is the duty of the parent and the pastor to warn the people against it. The pestilence is the sin of impurity! It is as necessary to practice prayer and self-denial with regularity as it is to have two wings to fly. Self-denial means moderation in all things, resignation without grumbling, control of temper, tongue and all impulses, refusal to read what is impure or watch any video or movie which contains impurity of speech, action or dress, sitcoms which ridicule family life or religion and glorify unbridled license. It means that we should, every day, do something that is hard and disagreeable. Self-denial is the business of training the will to choose God over creatures, Heaven over Hell, Goodness over Evil! Fly to the Heart of Mary! The Heart of Mary is the mirror of God and the masterpiece of His creation, the Living Tabernacle of the Most Blessed Trinity. The daily rhythm of the Rosary, that calm solitude of prayer, opens to us the mercy of God. The Mother of Jesus leads us along the high road of suffering and pain to union with her Divine Son, quietly refining and shaping our soul. Prayer obtains all. The Heart of Mary is there, let us knock! The grace of purity will be given to us if we persevere in asking for it. In the Heart of Mary, we will find courage and strength. In her heart, we will be nourished and protected. Mary is in anguish for her children in sin. A mother weeps to see her child suffer; she is deeply distressed when the child is in grave danger. God’s own Mother will keep her vigil through the dark night at the bedside of all her mortally wounded children who have been separated from God’s grace due to sin. Mary came to Lourdes and Fatima, to plead with us to pray and do penance for sinners. We must fly from temptation and seek refuge in this GROTTO DIVINE! With Mary, let us advance on this Pilgrimage of faith that we may arrive at our destination pure in body and soul and be greeted with these words: “Well done, good and faithful servant! Enter into the Kingdom that has been prepared for thee.” I WILL TO WILL THE WILL OF GOD! O my God, I offer myself to undergo death and, from this moment, I accept it willingly from Thy Hands. I want to welcome it with love, in whatever way it comes to me, suddenly or slowly, easily or bitterly, be it in comfort or in desolation, completely abandoned by men, or in the midst of my brothers. In a word, I want the death Thou hast chosen for me. It is enough for me if it is precious in Thy sight. From this moment, I unite my agony to Thy agony, my death to Thy death. I implore Thee, O Jesus, that my death may be very holy and according to Thy good pleasure and that the last act of my life may be an act of pure love of Thee. Great Is Your Reward In Heaven! |
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When we love, we remember, and this memory – the effect of love – is not a barren thought. It resolves itself into DEEDS for the loved one. They are at peace for they have escaped Hell forever. But, they are sentenced for a time to expiating fire. Behold their plight and helplessness. Listen to their lamentations. In sympathy and charity, hasten to their assistance.
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The evils which surround the Church, today, are overwhelming. We do not have to search far to realize that, after the Sacred Mass, the Rosary is our greatest means of defense and integrity. The core element in the Life of Christ was a deep love for His Mother. As true disciples of Christ, we share in this love for Mary and prove it daily through our faithful prayer of the Rosary. The person offering his beads pleases so much Our God and draws His blessings down upon himself and his family. The Rosary gives to Mary new power to crush the head of the Serpent and to destroy his evil hold on the world.
Why is Saint Philomena the most beloved? Our Lady holding Jesus appeared to her when she was loaded with chains in her prison cell awaiting death. The Queen of Martyrs came, not to end her sufferings, but to steel her for the greater sufferings, which lay ahead. Compared with all the saints, apostles and martyrs, how could this thirteen year old be the most beloved? On one side stood Diocletian, undisputed monarch of the whole known world, who demanded the unquestioning and total obedience of every man in that world; every person, that is, who is terrified of scourging or crucifixion. On the other side stood a girl of thirteen, who claimed love and obedience to a dead figure of history whom Diocletian despised! In the public humiliation of her cruel scourging, this despot was aiming the lashes at Jesus Christ whom he knew and hated.
The essence of Christian martyrdom is not the killing but the hatred of Christ, which inspires the killing. Church Fathers of the Fourth Century, with justice, called Diocletian anti-Christ. In Philomena’s heroic resistance unto death is summed up the perennial war between Christ and anti-Christ. We see everywhere today a raging battle; war between God and Satan! It is a battle for souls. The Glory of God is at stake! Philomena became involved in this cosmic struggle. She consecrated her virginity to Jesus Christ and her whole life. By this act, in those times, she unleashed the powers of Hell against herself. Our Lady had inspired her to a virginal love of Christ and She powerfully interceded for her beloved daughter that others might be strengthened and inspired, consoled and comforted. Our Blessed Mother put steel into this gentle maiden’s heart that we might all draw strength from her example and remain faithful to our Baptismal vows even unto death, through the power of her intercession.
Saint Philomena is given to us in this interim between the FRENCH REVOLUTION and its imminent culmination in the Godless “One World Order”. Our attention is focused on her through the marvels she works in our favor. Successive Popes, since Gregory XVI, have recommended devotion to St. Philomena, as if to convey that, without the grace which comes from her wisdom and example, we will comprise and so surrender. St. Philomena was a “Bonny Fighter!” After each bout with Diocletian’s henchmen, she had emerged more healthy, more beautiful and more resolute. Little by little, the pagan onlookers marveled at the love and courage Jesus inspired in her. One by one, they forsook their false gods and embraced the True God. The blood of this virgin-martyr is the seed of Christians.
From the bloody persecutions of the early Christians, the Church emerged triumphant. After the edict of toleration in 313, the relics of the martyrs were placed in the altar stones of each Church in order to encourage the people who gathered around them to draw strength from their deaths and to teach them heroic virtue.
This great Pope knew well what lay ahead for the world and Church. When successive Popes teach a matter of faith to the whole Church, then Papal infallibility is involved. St. Philomena is a key to the Kingdom of Heaven. She is a singular gift of the Immaculata to her children!
Our Lady came to Fatima with this singular message: “I am the Lady of the Rosary – YOU MUST PRAY THE ROSARY!” Queen of Prophets and Martyrs, Mediatrix of all Graces, this is her message to us. Sadly, today, the family Rosary is rarely prayed. People cannot be persuaded to make even this small effort. Yet, the Living Rosary, asking 15 different people to daily pray an assigned Decade, gets a good response. Eventually, the DAILY DECADE will lead to the praying of the whole Rosary. Through the power of the union of its members, this prayer holds utmost sway before the throne of God in obtaining enormous grace for the whole world. Our little Saint, all-powerful with God, achieves the impossible by getting people to take the ‘first-step’. Her mission is defined and she sets off to the far corners of the world to serve her Rosary Queen, in obedience to the voice of her Spouse, Jesus Christ.
We call God Father because He created us. But, God has actually given to man the astonishing power to be a father too; God shares His creative power with a man and a woman to call into existence His children. As the tiny body of the child is formed by the parents, God breathes into it an immortal soul. Try to realize the dignity and nobility of fatherhood and motherhood. It is a power given by God that must not be tampered with. Sex is used for the purpose of begetting children and must be surrounded with the most profound respect and reverence. It is noble. When sex is misused, this beautiful God-given instinct is turned into an instrument of pleasure and it is the pleasure that is worshiped, the pleasure that is set up as god. For many, it is a means of recreation not the procreation of the children of God. To God, they say, “I WILL NOT SERVE!” When we profane our bodies, we profane what is sacred in God’s sight. When we profane our bodies, we actually commit as great a sacrilege as one who profanes a church or altar. The body which the Holy Spirit animates must partake of His Holiness.
“The sins that lead most souls to Hell are sins of the flesh! Certain fashions will be introduced which will offend Our Divine Lord very much…”
Enroll your Departed Loved Ones in thirty days of Sacred Masses in Ukraine. Fr. Ivan Kolodij has arranged for these Masses to be offered from November 1 through the 30th, and the names you send to us for enrollment will be placed upon the Altar during this time.
