Universal Living Rosary Association of Saint Philomena (ULRA)

DOUBLING FOR THE MOTHER OF GOD

God, in His goodness, gives us the particular grace that is suited to the hour. We need to know that God is near us and that we are of infinite worth. WHY? Because modern writers and thinkers have made us little more than animals whose destiny is the grave. From the professor’s chair and the ever reeling press, we are told that life is hardly worth living. But, then, out it comes, from 19 hundred years in the past, the voice of St. Paul, the voice of John the Baptist and the voice of Jesus Christ that man has a divine destiny and we learn to lift up our hearts, our heads and our eyes. They tell us we are the branches of the Vine, members of the Mystical Body of Christ. This truth changes the whole universe for us. Life and living take on a fuller more sacred meaning. This is a dogma that not only dignifies but actually divinizes us. I am quite convinced that when this doctrine has become known and loved and lived, the world will be saved! Mary, who is a member of the Mystical Body of Christ, is also It’s Mother. The proofs for this doctrine are in Scripture, Tradition and Reason.

How wonderful if you and I could reproduce perfectly in ourselves the motherhood of Mary! St. Paul says that he “fills up in his flesh the things that are wanting of the sufferings of Christ.” Although the great drama of Redemption is ended, the great drama of redeeming goes on. Christ made satisfaction for our sins and He did it superabundantly. But that satisfaction must be applied to souls! The great drama of redeeming is now going on in the soul of every baptized person who has his or her particular role to play. Many motherly things you do now for the Mystical Body of Christ, Mary did for the Physical Jesus. There are many modern ‘Bethlehems’ today of closed doors and crowded inns, a world of human cruelty, with heart-wrenching anguish. In crowded hospitals and nursing homes, we find a double for Mary, bending over the beds of pain, soothing bodies and comforting souls.

How like Mary are the Contemplative Orders, those silent souls behind cloister walls and heavy grills. The Mother of God watched and wept and lovingly adored the broken Host of Calvary at the first Mass. The Poor Clares, Carmelites, Trappists and Orders of Perpetual Adoration do what Mary did 19 Centuries ago: they watch, weep and lovingly adore the outraged God in the Tabernacle of His Love. Our great work in life is that Christ be formed in us. This is the summation of the whole Spiritual Life. In Mary, this work began with her “FIAT!” We must make our fiat to everyone and everything in our lives. This is the whole secret of sanctity and the deepest foundation of a spiritual life. If you fail to see Jesus in the bright eyes of the children you know, the wife or husband you have been given, colleges of eager students, your workplace or shop, you have missed a vital part of your formation. It is not humanity that you serve. NEVER! It is divinity in humanity! And that combination is found only in Jesus Christ and the members of His Mystical Body. What you are doing for the young, the sick, the old and discarded, Mary did for the Physical Jesus. In doing these things you do, you are doubling for the Mother of God! This concept makes every life very worth living and it brings Heaven right to your door. You are taking care of Jesus, for there is only one Christ – the Whole Christ!

This concept of doubling for the Mother of God is not a passing fancy, it needs to become for you a pulsating, palpitating part of your life. You will see that your attitude towards everybody and everything will change. Can you not see how easy this will make the spiritual life for you? No matter what his or her character may be, every single person may be looked at as a member of the Mystical Body of Christ, either actual or potential, and thus he or she can be seen as Christ.

At an early age Mary spoke five words, “Be it done unto me” according to Thy word. She meant every one of those words. They brought God into her womb. Some years later, she spoke another five words, “Do whatever He tells you.” Other than these words and the glorious hymn of the MAGNIFICAT, Mary was silent. It hurts to be misunderstood; it hurts not to be trusted; unkindness and rebuke are hard to take. But remember that it was God’s way of fashioning the soul of His Mother. He has only one pattern and one ‘plan, it is the Cross! He traced it on the soul of Mary Immaculate from the moment of her conception until the day of His Crucifixion. He will do the same on yours.

Sorrow is Sanctity’s Sculptor!

Sorrows will come but, when they do, remember that God is putting on the finishing touches to the saintly soul of His Mother’s double. When they come, seek Jesus. You will find Him in the temple and He will wipe away your tears. There are times when our whole world goes black, our hearts are sore and our minds are sick, we stagger and grope and sway along the way in the dark. We have to go on! For 33 years, Mary went on pondering what Simeon has said. in the temple. Not until Calvary did she clearly understand. You will understand it one day too, if not on Calvary, then in Heaven! The great drama of the Redemption was planned to be a Divine Romance, but if you fail in your role of doubling for the Mother of God, it could end an Eternal Tragedy.

Walk like, talk like, think like, act like, live like, be like Mary!
Be Generous! Be Sacrificial!

Heaven or Hell can depend upon how you double for the Mother of God. Study closely the Maid of Nazareth. You must know Her Heart, Her will and all Her ways. You must know Mary more intimately than yourself. To insure perfection in your portrayal of Mary, live her character, submerge yourself in her, concentrate with a fierce intensity on being like Mary the woman you represent. Then, never step out of character! In all things you will respond to God with Mary’s tremendous words, those which embodied the contract between the Holy Spirit and the Mother of God: ‘Be it done unto me’ according to Thy Will. Learn Mary’s words perfectly; then live them with all your heart!

There is but One Sorrow and that is
The Loss of God!

MEDITATION ON THE HOLY GHOST

In his Encyclical on the Holy Ghost, Pope Leo XIII strongly urged the faithful to have a special devotion to this Divine Spirit and exhorted all Bishops and priests to preach this sanctifying devotion with a new and burning zeal. His Holiness pointed out that the Holy Ghost is constantly at work in the Church, which undertakes nothing of importance without invoking His aid in the solemn hymn, Veni Creator.

The words of the Holy Father were most timely, for many of the faithful seem to have forgotten the important role which the Holy Spirit plays in the life of the Church and of the individual. He is the guide and the sanctifier of both. Indeed, He is the very soul of the Church.

Shortly before His Ascension into Heaven, Jesus commended this devotion to the Apostles and promised to them the coming of the Holy Ghost. “But the Paraclete, the Holy Ghost,” He said, “whom the Father will send in My Name, He will teach you all things, and bring all things to your mind, whatsoever I shall have said to you.” (Jn.14:26)

In order to understand the powerful influence exercised upon the Apostles, consider how timid they were when they assembled in the cenacle after the crucifixion of their Divine Master and Leader, Jesus Christ. They undertook no missionary work: they remained in prayer, awaiting the coming of the Holy Spirit who would transform them into intrepid Apostles, proclaiming the Gospel of Christ in all lands.

“And when the days of the Pentecost were accomplished,” relates the Acts, “they were all together in one place and, suddenly, there came a sound from Heaven, as of a mighty wind coming and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And, there appeared to them parted tongues, as it were of fire, and it sat upon every one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they began to speak with diverse tongues, according as the Holy Ghost gave them to speak.” (2:1-4)

Not only did the Apostles receive the gift of tongues but they received the courage, strength and fortitude to use that gift and, thus, to proclaim the Gospel of Christ to friend and foe. They became valiant and fearless men: instead of fleeing danger, they esteemed it a privilege to face perils of all kinds and even to die for the Faith of Christ.

Before ascending into Heaven, Christ instituted a Sacrament through which the Holy Ghost comes to us in a special way and enables us to profess our Faith as strong and perfect Christians and soldiers of Jesus Christ. That is the Sacrament of Confirmation: it is so called because it confirms and strengthens us in the Faith. The Acts relates two incidents of the Apostles administering this Sacrament.

“When the apostles in Jerusalem,” Acts says, “heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John. On their arrival, they prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost for, as yet, He had not come upon any of them, but they had only been baptized in the Name of the Lord Jesus.” (8:14-16)

Equally explicit is the second case related in Acts: “On hearing this, they were baptized in the Name of the Lord Jesus; and when Paul laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they began to speak in tongues and to prophesy.” (19:5-6)

What a pity it is for a person seeking to advance in holiness not to go to the Holy Spirit, the source of holiness, light, strength and consolation! Pray to the Holy Ghost and He will multiply His holy inspirations in your soul; He will pour His gifts into it and He will take up His dwelling within you.

RESOLUTION:

I shall cultivate a special devotion to the Holy Ghost and come to Him for light to know my duty and strength to fulfill it. Every day, I shall say some prayers in His honor.

Share Your Gift of Faith

For 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.

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