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Weekly News Flash from the Universal Living Rosary Association of Saint Philomena, Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Wednesday, August 8th, 2012
With great enthusiasm and warm affection, I greet you and give thanks to God for your united zeal in wielding well the armament of the Immaculate Conception over the enemies of Holy Mother the Church, and over souls. Your love, sacrifice and zeal, in these days of darkness and terror, are truly a beacon of light!

Dear Apostles of the Living Rosary,

With great enthusiasm and warm affection, I greet you and give thanks to God for your united zeal in wielding well the armament of the Immaculate Conception over the enemies of Holy Mother the Church, and over souls. Your love, sacrifice and zeal, in these days of darkness and terror, are truly a beacon of light!

May the Holy Ghost be the very breath of your soul, its invincible Fortitude, essential Purity, supreme Consolation, and the most sweet and tender Delight of your life! May He impart to you that holiness of which He is the Fount! May He give you valiant courage in the face of persecution, strengthen and sustain you in your weakness, and fill you with Sanctifying Grace to lift you above the things of this earth. And, may all these gifts from His Divine Treasury flow with abundance into your soul through the Immaculate Heart of Mary … for this is the Will of God!

The power of the Living Rosary Association is based upon two concrete principles of the spiritual life: charity and unity. These essential Pillars of Fire are without equal. They are gifts of God the Holy Ghost and are His essence. He is the principle of unity of the Church, of Her organization, and of all the gifts conferred upon Her members. God the Holy Ghost is the source and the secret of that "unity of Spirit in the bond of peace" within the Church. The teaching and pronouncements made by Holy Mother the Church are to be received as sacred and canonical, whole and without question, when presented by the Vicar of Christ to the Universal Church for Her edification, Her instruction and Her sanctification.

O Holy Spirit, Soul of my soul, I adore Thee. Enlighten me, guide me, console me and strengthen me! Tell me what I ought to do and give me the grace, wisdom and humility to do it without question. Thou, O Holy Ghost, are the infallible guide of the Catholic Church, unchanging and faithful, to the end of time!

Holy Mother the Church is not an individual but, rather, is a mystical person and Her endowments are derived from the Divine Person of Her Head, Jesus Christ and that Divine Person, God the Holy Ghost, Who is Her Life. She is imperishable, indivisibly one and infallible – both in Her belief and in Her teaching, because the Voice of the Holy Ghost, and His Illumination are immutable. Holy Mother the Church is never on trial or probation; She is never subject to science or reason, nor is She subject to the Age or to the Times. She can never be affected by the frailty or sins of the human will. What the Church was in the beginning, the Church is now, and ever shall be, in all the plentitude of Her Divine endowments, for all the operations of the Holy Spirit are perpetual and absolute.

The teaching and pronouncements made by Holy Mother the Church are to be received as sacred and canonical, whole and without question, when presented by the Vicar of Christ to the Universal Church for Her edification, Her instruction and Her sanctification.

The voice of the Living Church, in the hour in which She declares what God has revealed, is no other than the voice of the God the Holy Ghost and She, therefore, generates Divine Faith in those who believe. Our Lord has said, “He that heareth you, heareth me!” The Definitions and Decrees of the Pontiffs, speaking ex-cathedra, or as head of the Church and to the whole Church, whether by Bull, or Apostolic Letter, or Encyclical, or Brief to many or to one person, undoubtedly emanate from a Divine Assistance, and are infallible.

Whether the final words of science, speculation or reason ever solve the riddle of the material universe or historical evidence makes no difference to Catholic doctrine. The Judgments of the Lord are true, and are justified in and of themselves: They stand for all time. A Saint is indeed a glorious and sublime being, but Who makes him so? THE HOLY GHOST! To Him, the Saint owes everything. God the Holy Ghost infuses Sanctifying Grace into his soul at Baptism, inundating him with wondrous light, docility, constant self-restraint and courage, distinguishing him as a creature of rare and singular nobility. He communicates strength and fervor to the will of the Saint, and lavishes him/her with the treasures of heroic virtue, miracles and mystic manifestations. The Holy Ghost moves the Church to pronounce Her beatification or solemn canonization upon the Saint in order that He may place His seal upon the glory of His servant.

From the Holy Ghost comes the sudden, inexplicable, and impulsive movement among the faithful to venerate some Saint or other, which is a remote cause in the determination of the Church to raise that Saint to the Altar. From God the Holy Ghost, likewise, proceeds the solemn judgment of the Church, which pronounces officially upon the virtues and merits of the Saint. The judicial decision that the virtues and miracles of this Saint are authentic, and that he is worthy of public veneration, is an infallible utterance of the Vicar of Jesus Christ – in prescribing the veneration of the Saint throughout the whole world, HE CANNOT ERR! Hence, it is God the Holy Ghost Himself Who moves the Pope to pronounce this binding judgment, and it is God the Holy Ghost Who guides his action.

The Vicar of Jesus Christ solemnly raised Saint Philomena to the Altar, bequeathed upon her a proper Office, and crowned her with two jewels of infinite glory: her titles of "Patroness of the Living Rosary" and "Patroness of the Children of Mary". Saint Philomena reigns in power before the throne of God today and forever. The glorious patron of all priests, that indefatigable Confessor Who could, read both hearts and souls, Saint Jean Marie Vianney, tells us clearly: “To Saint Philomena, God will never refuse anything, for she gave herself entirely to God by her virginity and her embrace of a most heroic martyrdom.” He had no hesitation to admit that Saint Philomena obeyed his wishes, for God Himself obeyed him every day at the Holy Altar. We imitate the Saints, and obey the directives of the Vicar of Jesus Christ, in our devotion to this glorious Saint of the catacombs.

Our Daily Decade, offered fervently and in union with all the members throughout the whole world, will make in our hearts a nest for the Holy Ghost. They will burn like lamps, of which God Himself is the Divine Oil that will never be extinguished. Olive oil is a symbol of intimate union with God, and the peace and charity that should ever possess us. This Divine Oil, with which our souls must be aflame, is to be bought only with the currency of humility and sacrifice - it will never spoil, and will burn always for the glory of God and for our own welfare. Oh, let us enlarge our hearts that the Holy Ghost may fill our entire being, thereby setting it afire and consuming it in His Honor! May we never dim or sully the lamp of our heart by unnecessary contact with the world, through pride or self. We must ever burn with a longing for Heaven, and must be consumed by pure love to sacrifice ourselves for poor sinners!

We, as members of the Living Rosary, are bound by a special duty to love Saint Philomena, who is our Patroness and Protectress. Pope Gregory XVI, while blessing Ven. Pauline Marie Jaricot, Foundress of the Living Rosary and Propagation of the Faith, spoke these binding words:

“O Powerful St. Philomena, you are the ''Guardian Angel" of the Association, obtain for us the Gifts of the Holy Ghost in order that we will be given the light to know the Will of God, the science of loving Him, the wisdom of discerning what pleases or displeases Him, the fear of saddening Him, and the strength to obey Him. Now, all the Living Rosary is under the patronage of Saint Philomena. Pray to this great Saint, whatever you ask of her, she will obtain for you.”

These are not my words, dear Associates, but the words of the Vicar of Jesus Christ, the voice of the Holy Ghost in our regard!

Our Daily Decade, offered fervently and in union with all the members throughout the whole world, will make in our hearts a nest for the Holy Ghost. They will burn like lamps, of which God Himself is the Divine Oil that will never be extinguished. Olive oil is a symbol of intimate union with God, and the peace and charity that should ever possess us. This Divine Oil, with which our souls must be aflame, is to be bought only with the currency of humility and sacrifice – it will never spoil, and will burn always for the glory of God and for our own welfare. Oh, let us enlarge our hearts that the Holy Ghost may fill our entire being, thereby setting it afire and consuming it in His Honor! May we never dim or sully the lamp of our heart by unnecessary contact with the world, through pride or self. We must ever burn with a longing for Heaven, and must be consumed by pure love to sacrifice ourselves for poor sinners!

The very life and death of our holy Foundress, Ven. Pauline Marie Jaricot, was centered in the Cross. Assailed by creditors, by rebuffs, blame and betrayal, by calumny and scorn, her faith was tested, and her virtue refined to purest gold. By her confidence, her spiritual vigor, her gentleness, patience and serene acceptance of all these crosses, she climbed to the center of the Cross, there to descend into the very depths of that Divine Heart pierced for our salvation.

The very life and death of our holy Foundress, Ven. Pauline Marie Jaricot, was centered in the Cross. Assailed by creditors, by rebuffs, blame and betrayal, by calumny and scorn, her faith was tested, and her virtue refined to purest gold. By her confidence, her spiritual vigor, her gentleness, patience and serene acceptance of all these crosses, she climbed to the center of the Cross, there to descend into the very depths of that Divine Heart pierced for our salvation.

United today in charity, prayer and intention, the Universal Living Rosary fulfills its mission, all our hearts forming but one heart in the Heart of Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, thus constituting the Garden of Delight of God the Holy Ghost: His Paradise on earth, filled with purity and love. All virtues should blossom there – fresh and beautiful, sweetly perfumed, and worthy of Him! Lilies of purity, violets of humility, and roses of love must delight the Holy Ghost in this Garden.

O Mary! Most humble Daughter of the Father, most pure Mother of the Son, most faithful Spouse of the Holy Ghost, Sweet Advocate of Sinners, we bend low before thy Immaculate Heart, Tabernacle of the Most Holy Trinity, Seat of Power, Wisdom and Goodness and, by thy hands, offer our hearts to the Holy Ghost, imploring thy help to spread His Kingdom to the whole world!

Dear Associates, do not let your weapons fall into disuse. Do not allow yourself to be lulled into the false sleep of death. In spite of your weakness and your littleness, you must hope against all hope, and never cease to work and pray. Your most generous and persevering efforts to procure the Glory of God will have their effect in time and eternity! Your own burden will become lighter because of our union. According to our faith, we will be given our desire for the conversion of sinners, that the light of faith may penetrate every nation, and every soul.

The hour is late! Make haste to do everything possible to bring about the Triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary through the Most Holy Rosary, consecrating yourself totally to Her pure and humble Heart, that God's Will may be done, on earth as it is done in Heaven!

Please know that each and every one of you is remembered daily in my prayers and, in your charity, I beg you to remember me in yours.

Patti Melvin, Universal Director
Patti Melvin

SAINT PHILOMENA, PATRONESS OF THE LIVING ROSARY AND THE CHILDREN OF MARY,
PRAY FOR US WHO HAVE RECOURSE TO THEE!

"May Christian nations seek the protection of the Mother of God with an ardor that grows greater every day! May they cling more and more to the practice of the Holy Rosary, not only as a remedy for their misfortunes, but as the very badge of Christian piety! The Rosary is the protection of the Mother of God against the enemies of the Catholic Church. To Mary, we must fly. We wish to see it offered more widely in all places and at all times! The great Virgin of the Rosary is the most potent Help of Christians." Pope Leo XIII

“One day, through the Rosary and the Scapular,
I will save the world.”
Mother of God to St. Dominic
 

THE PASSION OF THE INFANT CHILD

"I am the vine, you are its branches; if a man lives in Me and I in him, then he will yield abundant fruit; separated from Me,
you have no power to do anything." (John XV-5)

The countryman is not impatient because the season of flowers and fruit is swiftly over and the winter is long. He knows that the life sleeping in the earth is stronger than anything, which can assail it. The life in all the living is stronger than death. This is the knowledge, which is the root of his peace. If Christ is to come to flower and bear fruit in our individual lives, there must be seasons of rest in which there is almost no activity but the total giving of self to nourish the life within. Hence, there must be a permanent state of inward rest, founded in peace of mind, which comes from COMPLETE TRUST.

Great was the joy of God at the dawn of creation. In His field, He had one little plot apart, lying under the snow where no foot had ever trodden, silent with the silence of snow that no voice had ever broken. In it, He sowed Living Bread. This little plot was OUR LADY. In her was sown the seed of His Son's Life. Christ is the Bread that gives life to the world!

The man who grows wheat has often held that grain of the wheat in his hand, and that grain is the germ of life. He can look around him at his family and see they are truly the children of the field’s wheat and he can know that not only is he their father who gave them life, but also the laboring man who has given them the joy of health in giving his body to the sowing and growing and reaping of their bread. He is not just “earning a living wage" but working for a sacramental life.

God has sown the world with living bread. He has sown the seed of Christ in the Virgin Mother. He is the Father Who has given us life! And Christ, Who is God made Man, is the laborer in the Father's field…

Christ is the Sower Who went out to sow.
He gave His Body to be our bread!

From the moment of His conception, Christ was earning the bread of life for us; in His acceptance of suffering in infancy, in His own necessity, His hunger and thirst, His need for sleep; in the agony before His Passion and in the consummation of His labors on the Cross. Our souls are alive because Christ is within them. Christ's Life in us gives the color and radiance and purpose of Christ to everything that we do. Much more than this, our human relationships with one another are a giving of Christ to one another, and a receiving of Christ from one another. Since Christ has given Himself to us, our lives have the redemptive quality of His Life, and our relationships with one another are a communion in Him.

Everyone who lives the Christ-life and, therefore, loves with the Heart of Christ, is adding Divine Love to the world. This is the only force that can conquer hate. Christ is the good seed with which our humanity is sown! The grain of wheat, which is our Christ-life, must fall into the ground and die, or else it remains but a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it then yields rich fruit. (John XII-24) The seed must be buried in the earth, which is us. The seed is not buried in angels, but in men. Christ was born not because there was joy in the world, but because there was suffering; not to riches, but to poverty; not to satiety, but to hunger and thirst; not to security, but to danger, to exile, to homelessness, to destitution and to Crucifixion! His incarnation in us is in the suffering world as it is; it is not reserved for a Utopia that will never be, nor does it differ from His first coming in Bethlehem. The seed must rest in the earth. We must allow the Christ-life to grow in us in rest. Our whole being must fold upon Christ's rest in us, as the earth folds upon the seed. Our destiny is to live the Christ-life and to increase Christ's Love in the world; to give Christ's Peace to the world. What miserly and contemptible ambitions we have beside this reality!

The ray of the Holy Spirit penetrates us because Christ is in us. The ray of the Holy Spirit is the Fire and Light that penetrates our lives and draws up the seed of Christ from out of our darkness to flower in the Light of God. "Let the Earth be opened and bud forth a Savior!"

The Divine Infancy in us is the logical answer to the peculiar sufferings of our age and the only solution to its problems. It seems that human anguish is a gathering tide ~ a storm rising higher and higher, sweeping its dark waves wider and wider, closer and closer. We feel futile and utterly helpless to do anything to stop it. The only hands that can hold back that storm are the Hands of Christ; and because the storm and waves are driven by sin, only the Hands of Christ on the Cross can heal the world of its sufferings. Christ on the Cross is the oneness of the world. In Him all our individual suffering is integrated into one redeeming act of Love. It is not "WHAT" we suffer that redeems and gives health; It is "WHO" suffers.

What does it matter that we suffer a little or a lot, but that Christ suffer in us. Not that our lives are small or are lived on a heroic scale, but that they are lived by Christ in us. Our way to share in the world's healing, to mitigate the world's suffering, is simply to foster and cherish the Infant Christ in our souls. Herod ordered the children to be killed because he was afraid that one among them might be Christ. Any child might be Christ! The fear of Herod is the FEAR of every tyrant, the HOPE of every Christian, the most significant fact in the modern world!

Not content to be "a" human being, Christ wishes to be "each" human being and is, in fact, born in the soul of everyone who will receive Him; and in each one in whom He lives, whose life He lives, He is loved infinitely by the Father, loved as what He is, the only Son. God looks down on the wreckage and misery ~ the FIASCO, if you like, that we have made of the world and seeing us in the midst of it says, “THIS IS MY WELL-BELOVED SON!" Our life is as precious to God as Christ is precious to God. On each one in whom Jesus Christ lives, the whole of the Infinite Love of God is concentrated at every moment. If only you and I could realize this, there would be no one who could not fulfill the first condition of rest, which is TRUST. Christ came to take the burden of the suffering of the world on His own back. His Love for men not only made Him live as a Man among men, but made Him live the life of every man who allow Him to enter within. Christ does not change. If He lives in us, He does so in order to motivate our lives and our actions by His own Love of God and man.

Satan has not the power to incarnate himself in our nature, to make himself man to be born of woman. He must always work from the outside. He is Hate and Hate cannot incarnate, as Love is incarnate in the world. Hate can, by no means, be born in generation after generation as Love is. It is a tormenting thing, literally the torment of the damned, for Satan is compelled to witness the indwelling of the Divine Love of Jesus Christ in the dust that we are made of, by the fitting mediums of Grace: water and fire, chrism and oil, wine, bread and salt. Mightily, he who is “Lucifer” strains and agonizes to make something equivalent to the sacramental life for himself. This may be why he never tires of tempting us to sins of the flesh; to sloth, gluttony, drunkenness and lust, and most subtly to the pride of life. Through the pitiful, sniveling sins of the flesh, the devil comes as close as he ever can to the forming of his sacramental system; he cannot be a human being with a body of his own; he cannot be born of a woman; he can never become a little child; but that which he cannot be, he can possess! But he cannot breathe life into any substance, or bestow on it the grace to be a channel of life; but his touch can impart the contagion of death. The very sins he uses to abort the incarnation do not give human nature to him, they weaken it in us. They do not make the devil human, but they dehumanize man.

It is to children and the truly childlike that Our Lady has come from Heaven in our own times, and to them she has entrusted her message of penance as man's last hope. If everyone in whom Christ lives at all, in whom He is an Infant and whose soul is alive, would surrender himself to God, resting in Him, that He might rest in them; in each one of them the world's redemption would begin as it began in Mary, the Mother of God. He trusted the expression of His Love to her. He was dumb ~ her voice was His voice. He was blind ~ her eyes were His sight. His Hands were folded; her hands did His work. His life was her life; His heart-beat was the beating of her heart. From the moment when the Christ-life is conceived in us, our life has but ONE single purpose … to express His Love for God and for the world. By allowing the Infant Christ to rest in us, not only does He grow in us but we are also formed into Him.

At His Death as at His Birth, the CIRCUMSTANCES of Christianity were the same as they are today. We hear continually that this is a post-Christian world; that Christianity is over; that it is a failure, that Christ's teaching is impractical. That wherever the Church is powerful, there is corruption and where Christ is, Judas is. There always has been, and there always will be, a bloody hand to take thirty pieces of silver. But why would anyone doubt Christ? He is consistent, He does not change… Christ remains true to every detail of His Sacred Passion and its circumstances. On the night of the very first Good Friday, Christianity looked like a failure: Jerusalem moaned in her sleep, the Apostles fled, Judas hung from a tree, Christ was dead! Christ rested in the tomb. He had done all that He could do and given all that He had to give. He had trusted His Father. He rested ~ darkness in His Eyes, silence in His Ears, peace in His Heart! Contained in the first heartbeat of the Risen Christ is the Resurrection of the world. He rests in our midst now, in the Sacred Host. He is silent, is secret and hidden in the Host now as He was in Advent or in the tomb. He trusts Himself to His creatures in the Host as He trusted Himself to Our Lady in Advent. Then, He gave Himself to one human creature who was sinless and in whom He could have His Will. Now, He gives Himself into the keeping of sinners. In the Host, He is immobile and He is dependent. He rests in the hands of the priest on the paten, in the tabernacle. He remains with us, resting in cities and lonely and unexpected places, little tin churches and great cathedrals, in schools, hospitals, prisons, asylums and in concentration camps. Wherever human creatures are, He rests in their midst.

Just as His sleeping in the boat that was threatened by the storm made His apostles ask Him: “Master art Thou unconcerned, surely we will sink…" Today, if we ask the same question, His reply will always be the same: “Why are you faint-hearted? Have you still no faith?" Christ could show His power and His glory. He could show that the Host is God. He could break down the pride of those who have no fear of God but He does not! While injustice and arrogance exist, He remains silent and helpless, and seems to do nothing at all. It has always been Christ’s way to come first in a hidden way, to be secret even in those in whom He abides. He is to be gradually recognized by His Love, thus quickening His Life within them and, only afterwards, by the force of His Power, by His Word that commands the wind and water.

When the Christ-Child once more reigns, His throne will be His mother's arms. When He is crowned, as one day He will be crowned as King of the Jews in Palestine, He will rule from the arms of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel in Czechoslovakia, in a golden cape stiff with gems, from the arms of Our Lady of Prague; in Russia, He will lean from the breast of the tenderest of Mothers, Our Lady of Vladimir. In England, He will be enthroned, firm and merry, on the knee of Our Lady of Walsingham! It is no small wonder that in an age which is the age of Redeeming Childhood, Our Lady is becoming more and more loved all over the world. For, there is no one else who can teach us as she can, how to foster the Infant Jesus in our lives.

It is the littleness, the dependence, the trust of human creatures in the Divine Infancy which will give flower to the seed of Everlasting Life. The Host appears to be divided among us; but in reality we, who are divided, are made one in the Host.

The Host is resting among us in order that Christ may work His miracle of His Love in us, changing us almost imperceptibly into Himself… that through us, HIS LOVE may overcome the world!
… By Caryll Houselander

“My Father, I accept everything! May I be condemned but may they be absolved!
May I die but may they live!

Fiat Voluntas Tua!
Universal Living Rosary Association of Saint Philomena

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Newsflash from the Universal Living Rosary Association of Saint Philomena on Missionary Sunday, October 24, 2010

Monday, October 25th, 2010
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.

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.

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!
Patti Melvin
Patti Melvin, ULRA Director

Please pray for me!
Dear Members and Benefactors of the Living Rosary Association,Saint Philomena the title: "Patroness of the Living Rosary"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.”

Saint Philomena the title: "Patroness of the Living Rosary"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.

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
http://www.livingRosary.org.ua
“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

Most courageous Martyr and most faithful Virgin of Jesus Christ, preserve in me the immaculate treasures of Purity and Faith in our God. 0 chaste heroine of Christianity, who having borne the fatigue of the most severe combat, rejoice now in the rest and the happiness of the angels! Obtain for me the graces of which I stand in need to live and die for Jesus Christ.

Saint Philomena the title: "Patroness of the Living Rosary"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.

Saint Philomena the title: "Patroness of the Living Rosary"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 the title: "Patroness of the Living Rosary"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.

Saint Philomena the title: "Patroness of the Living Rosary"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.

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:

“to discredit the present decisions and declarations concerning St. Philomena, as not being permanent, stable, valid and effective, necessary of obedience and in full effect for all eternity, proceeds from an element that is null and void and without merit or authority.”

Saint Philomena the title: "Patroness of the Living Rosary"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!

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 the title: "Patroness of the Living Rosary"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.

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!
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
In this life and to be happy with Him
For all Eternity in Heaven!

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
Shall possess the Kingdom of God.

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!

Immaculate Virgin, reawaken in us an awareness of the malice of sin and of the pain it caused thy Son so that, by prayer and penance, we may weep for our own sins and frequently wash our soul in the most Precious Blood of Jesus through the Sacrament of Penance.

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 motherhoodWe 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.

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“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…”

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!

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.

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 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.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.

ULRA-Masses:HolySouls:
Mass stipend for your departed loved one’s
Suggested Stipend Donation: $15.00
ULRA-IS0052
Booklet: Thoughts and prayers to our Beloved Dead.
$2.00
Daily Thoughts and Prayers for our Beloved Dead.
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Chaplet: For the Holy Souls with holy card.
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Rosary for the Dead
HAVE MERCY UPON THE SUFFERING SOULS, O LORD!

Hear ye not the spirits’ moaning
From the depths of cleansing fire?
Know ye not the burning anguish
Of these souls – their love’s desire?

Hear them cry in bitter sorrow,
Sighing, weeping in their pains,
While they call on us who love them:
“Break our heavy prison-chains!”

Though their lives on earth were holy
And their virtue manifest,
Yet some stains of imperfection
Still prevent their peaceful rest.

And they weep in mournful numbers,
Pleading for our fervent prayer,
Oh, take pity on their sorrow,
Let their solace be your care.

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