Universal Living Rosary Association of Saint Philomena (ULRA)

Why God Allows Problems?

The problems you face will either defeat you or develop you, depending on how YOU respond to them. Unfortunately, most people fail to see how God wants to use problems for good in their lives. They react foolishly and resent their problems rather than pausing to consider what benefit they might bring. Here are FIVE reasons God may have permitted the problems you have experienced in your life:

1. God permits problems to DIRECT you:
Sometimes, God must light a fire under you to get you moving. Problems often point us in a new direction and motivate us to change. Is God allowing this situation to get your attention? “Sometimes, it takes a painful situation to make us change our ways.” (Proverbs 20:30)

2. God permits problems to INSPECT you:
People are like tea bags … if you want to know what’s inside them, just drop them into hot water! Has God tested your faith by allowing a problem or two into your life? What do problems reveal about you? “When you have many kinds of troubles, you should be full of joy, because you know that these troubles test your faith, and this will give you patience.” (James 1:2-3)

3. God uses problems to CORRECT you:
Some lessons we learn only through pain and failure. It is likely that, as a child, your parents told you not to touch a hot stove. But, you probably learned by being burned. Sometimes, we only learn the value of something … a relationship, health, money … by losing it. “It was the best thing that could have happened to me, for it taught me to pay attention to God’s Laws.” (Psalms 119:71)

4. God permits problems to PROTECT you:
A problem can be a blessing in disguise if it prevents you from being harmed by something more serious. Last year, a friend was fired for refusing to do something unethical that his boss had asked him to do. His unemployment was a problem, but it saved him from being convicted and sent to prison a year later, when management’s actions were eventually discovered. “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good.” (Genesis 50:20)

5. God permits problems to PERFECT you:
Problems, when responded to correctly, are character builders. God is far more interested in your character than your comfort. Your relationship to God and your character are the only two things you are going to take with you into Eternity. “We can rejoice when we run into problems … they help us learn to be patient. And patience develops strength of character in us and helps us trust God more each time we use it, until finally our hope and faith are strong and steady.” (Romans 5:3-4)

God is at work in our Lives, even when we do not recognize it or understand it!

BLESSED BE THE HOLY WILL OF GOD!

Jesus, had no servants, yet they called Him, MASTER!
Jesus, had no degree, yet they called Him, TEACHER!
Jesus, had no medicines, yet they called Him, HEALER!
Jesus, had no army, yet kings feared Him!
He won no military battles, yet He conquered the world!
He committed no crime, yet they crucified Him!
He was buried in a tomb, yet He lives TODAY!

Incredibly and without our realizing it, an entire generation has lost its family values, traditions and roots. Never before in history has an era existed in which everything was questioned, changed or compromised. The family has become a democracy of individuals with no real direction other than the values society and culture dictate to it. How did a God-fearing nation turn away from Him so quickly and lose its spirit of righteousness? Fifty years ago, abortion, murder, corruption, pornography and the multitude of evils which plague our society today would never have been tolerated. Society would have revolted!

It was well calculated, planned and cultivated over a period of time. TV was introduced and we enjoyed the antics of ‘I LOVE LUCY, Brady Bunch and the fine family entertainment of Lawrence Welk’. TV introduced a whole world of new, exciting and fascinating entertainment. America took the bait and we never saw the hook! We left our backyards, quit spending time with our families on our front porches and got busier and busier. Man became more reliant on himself and less reliant on God. When we quit praying, we became less holy. Because of our lack of virtue, we became more prone to sin. This lack of holiness was a breeding ground for the great sins of our society.

This is the challenge: TURN OFF THE TV!

The pictorial history of Television describes TV as a magical, electronic “modern wizardry”. The Church Fathers tell us that, “The eyes are the windows of the soul.” If protected, innocence dwells; if exposed to the world, filth dwells. If the body is poisoned through the mouth, the heart is poisoned through the ear. Television is often used as a habitual way to ‘wind down the day’ and relax. Tragically, it is used to baby sit for our children and to keep our youth from making demands on our time. There are three areas in which this medium is used to destroy our American culture:

Materialism, Sexual Revolution and Pride

The unending and loud ads at commercial time (which is now nearly one-third of the air time) pound into our subconscious, our need for endless savory comfort or luxury items that promise happiness and health. We are programmed to believe we “deserve the best”, we “owe it to ourselves”! This is directly opposed to the Gospel, Life of Christ and message of Our Lady of Fatima:

Penance, Reparation and Prayer!

The entire sexual revolution has been launched by television and brought into the sacred confines of our home, imprinted on our minds and is a constant torment to the natural piety and modesty of our souls. The American Heresy is planted firmly in both the young and the old. “I am #1, I will do it my way, I gotta be me!” It is an entire philosophy of self-glorification, instant and complete, which has snuffed out the noble deeds of sacrificing oneself for the sake of one’s brethren.

Padre Pio was disturbed and disgusted by television. He realized that, in time, it would destroy family life and told everyone not to allow this devil in their homes, saying, “SIN”ema: THE DEVIL IS IN IT! Saint Cyprian said, “Theaters are a school of impurity and a place where modesty is prostituted”. Saint John Chrysostom stated in 347: “All should fly from theaters as from a plague.” Jesus Christ said, “Whoever allows adultery into his heart, commits the sin”. Doesn’t the TV constantly put in front of its viewers innumerable accounts of infidelity and adultery, and are these not occasions of sin? A man is a fool to think he can sit in front of this mire of impurity and not be affected by it. American Saint, Elizabeth Seton, had a vision she could not drive from her mind. In the early 1800’s, she saw in “Every American home a Black Box through which the devil would enter.” Pope Pius XII made a prophetic statement about TV back in the days of Ozzie and Harriet: “Children can often avoid the transient attack of a disease outside their home, but cannot escape the disease when it resides in the home itself. It is wrong to introduce any occasion of sin, whatever, into the sanctity of the home.”

We should replace the TV with an altar and get rid of our mountains of newspapers and magazines! These are the tools of propaganda the enemy uses to deceive even the elect. Listen to God! Never let a day go by without doing your spiritual reading and praying the Holy Rosary. The TV, especially the commercials, is the most destructive thing that has ever been unleashed against the souls of mankind. The shepherd of the family is the father, not the TV!

The Medium Is The Message!

It is the television which shapes the people. The greatest disaster of the 20th Century may well be “American television”, a vast wasteland of blood, thunder, mayhem, violence, sadism, murder, lust, gangsters, cartoons and endless commercials. Watching TV is a passive sport which promotes loss of imagination, fantasy and day-dreaming. Soap operas and sitcoms entertain the heart with thoughts that are in constant violation of God’s precepts of holiness and purity. Their message reaches people of all walks, even those who cannot read. Television entrances people, and seduces them through its dictates while entertaining the tendency to sin. Television’s BLACK BOX is everywhere and its margins are nowhere! It is all-seeing, all-encompassing, omniscient and all-pervasive! Television comforts us in our loneliness and is always there in our time of need, ministering and giving unceasingly, and this, free of charge!

Abstinence from this medium gives us the ability to think more clearly and discern more correctly. The family that gathers before this medium is mesmerized, and no one dares to interrupt the sound. Family and friends become fools sitting together in silence while the sounds blare all around. There is a real SOUND OF SILENCE with no communication between loved ones. Silence, like a cancer, grows! It kills the social exchange between one human and another. This anti-human medium can make a can of soup dance across the table, giving life to that which is without life, while real life is diminished.

To allow our children to see a movie produced by people whose lives, they believe are normal, but whose lifestyle Christianity teaches us is an abomination, makes about as much sense as letting our children play with rattlesnakes. Do I want the immoral to define for my children what family, home or environment is? Television is a thief, stealing from us time that could be given to prayer, good works and visiting the sick. In this late hour, when Satan firmly controls most of the television media, our only recourse is to attack the instrument. When a gunman is at our door, poised to kill the family, we cannot address a letter to our Congressman, nor are we interested even in attacking the instrument holding the gun, but we take aim directly at the deadly weapon, in order to save our family. Our only recourse is to get the gun out of his hands. While we cannot say that Television breaks our free will, its enslavement comes as close as one can get without doing so, and that in itself is dangerous and a violence to the free will God has given man.

We accepted this “thing” without question. We quit praying and we were deceived. How can we expect to lead holy lives, and possess spiritual wisdom without praying? We wake up to the TV, get out of the shower to it, get into the car with it, jog with it, eat with it, and are put to bed with it. We cannot escape it; public stores, bathrooms, restaurants, all resound with its message. What else has honored Satan and promoted his interests so much? What kind of beast could have authority over every language, let alone “nation,” “people” and “race”?

Science has shown us that TV deceptively stamps an image on the right side of our brain even as it bypasses our logical, analytical left side. There are one-hundred-million-dollar companies guided by people who understand these powerful methods. They use them to sell products, and influence the viewers politically. More and more, everything bought or sold is beginning to come under the control of this unseen force.

“IN WONDERMENT, THE WHOLE WORLD FOLLOWED AFTER THE BEAST!”

Our children are gifts from God. As parents, we have been entrusted with them and asked by God to lead them to holiness of life. TV interferes with our role as parents. The BLACK BOX is an eye and, through this medium, it will watch your children for you, making them docile and quiet. This is a very tempting thing for a parent who longs for a little quiet. Where are the children who gathered around the fire, listened to stories, helped with chores, and sat at table with mom and dad for the evening meal? What dealt the deathblow to the Family Rosary? The Television is the real, living thief, stealing memories and joys while implanting its godless ideals. To keep it in your home is to harbor a burglar within the confines of your sacred dwelling.

Recently, when asked, “What is the greatest threat to Russia?” a professor from Russia said: “TELEVISION! TV is a total waste of time, crushing creativity and destroying the youth in Russia. It leads to the destruction of respect, honor and values. It is sadly sweeping through Russia, leading the youth to all kinds of fads that lack purpose and wisdom. Since TV entered our homes a short time ago, crime has drastically increased; divorce, which was unheard of among those who are Christians, is rapidly increasing, and families are breaking up … We SURVIVED Communism, but we will not survive TV!”

We might argue that some programs are good. Still, it is important to note that Satan always packages things this way, presenting some good which he hates, in order to be successful in bringing about much bad. Even, if shows of merit are viewed, the time might have been used for the greater good of prayer, works of charity, reading or being with family. Life without television can only blossom if we fill that space of time with something wholesome. This will take effort, sacrifice, love and courage. Read aloud to the family ‘Lives of the Saints’, tell stories, share the special joys and challenges of your day, play games, visit shut-ins and take time to listen to your children and your spouse. Appreciate each other and cherish the presence of Christ in each family member.

Be vigilant, therefore, and hold fast to your faith! Take care to see that the many dangers and temptations by which you are surrounded do not darken the light of faith within your soul. Through constant vigilance, that light of faith will shine with ever increasing brightness, guiding you and your family on your heavenward journey.

O Blessed Faith, Thou Gift Divine, Enlightener of the darksome heart!
Cease not within my Soul to shine, and hope of heavenly Joys impart!

REMEMBER, CHRISTIAN SOUL THAT THOU HAST THIS DAY A DUTY:

God to glorify, Jesus to imitate, the Angels and Saints to invoke;
A Soul to save, a body to mortify, sins to expiate,
Virtues to acquire, hell to avoid, Heaven to gain;
Eternity to prepare for, time to profit by, neighbors to edify,
The world to despise, devils to combat, passions to subdue,
Death perhaps to encounter and judgment to undergo!”