Universal Living Rosary Association of Saint Philomena (ULRA)

Dear Apostles and Benefactors of the Living Rosary,

Glory be to Thee, O Christ Our God, Our Hope! Glory be to Thee

With deep and true joy, we send to our Living Rosary Family abundant blessings, all courage, hope and happiness. We have remembered you at the Sacred Altar all during the penitential Season of Lent and, now, we rejoice to remember you still during the glorious Octave of Easter.

Our Savior’s Resurrection is a fact founded on proof so reliable and convincing that all objections urged against it are utterly valueless. Christianity is essentially a death which leads to life; it is the work of Christ Who acquired, by His Death, the right to unite our souls to Him and to pour His own Life into them by means of the effusion of His Holy Spirit. Never dread to take up the Cross, it is the very way to the Kingdom of Heaven! The Cross is health! In the Cross is life; in the Cross is defense from our enemies; in the Cross is the infusion of heavenly sweetness; in the Cross is strength of mind and body, joy of spirit, highness of virtue and the full perfection of all holiness. If you die with Christ, you will rise with Him; if you follow Him in pain, you will be with Him in glory!

Christ stressed the Resurrection, “I am the Resurrection and the Life; he who believes in Me, though he be dead, shall live. And, everyone who liveth and believeth in Me, shall not die.” Jesus Christ addressed His message to all men. Christ was the revelation of God. This revelation was nothing short of revolutionary; it burst on the world like a new sun or planet. No human mind could clearly grasp the possibility of this stooping down of the Godhead, this Love of God for man. For all Eternity, He will be the God-Man bearing upon Him the marks of His victory, and He will gather His elect around Him. This thought must embolden us to meet life with optimism and accept the crosses sent as the Power and Wisdom of God. Every step we take along the path of life in God’s service brings us nearer to Heaven. Time relentlessly carries us swiftly toward eternal joy, peace and glory. If God permits us, at times, to be tried severely, cast down, beset with sorrows, it is to lead us more securely to Heaven. There is much consolation in sufferings when we keep Eternity before our eyes. Our joy in Heaven will be permanent and immutable, our happiness will be total. O Blessed Resurrection! What Power of Faith! What Strength and Security of Hope! What a Glorious, New and Holy Life!

I impart to all of you my priestly blessing:

In the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Amen.

Fr. IVAN KOLODIY
Byzantine Rite, Greek-Catholic Church, UKRAINE