Universal Living Rosary Association of Saint Philomena (ULRA)

Thank you for your sacrificial offering which reaches out to souls around the world who are in the depths of persecution, poverty, disease and martyrdom. Through your love, their suffering will be animated by a vital hope that God has not abandoned them. We remembered you and your family during this Sacred Season of Holy Week and Easter Sunday. May Glory be to Jesus Christ!

Who can understand sin? No mere human mind, even the best of minds raised and enlightened by grace, can fully comprehend what it is we do when we sin. Sin is a willful violation of the Law of God, Who is our Creator and Maker, Who upholds us in existence from moment to moment and Who supports us even in the very act of our defiance of Him. The average modern, secular man has lost all conception of sin as sin, because he has so little understanding of God as God.

God’s Laws are the Maker’s instructions. It is the wildest folly to attempt to flout the Maker’s instructions in anything. God created and designed us for an unending life of goodness and beauty, truth and love, with a glorious destiny ahead of us. Certain things are ruinous and destructive to us and are therefore wrong. Stealing, for example, is not evil because it is forbidden. It is forbidden because it is evil, because it degrades and destroys us. We die and that is not the end of it. Indeed, it is the beginning of our life eternal! Sin is a violation of God’s Law.

In the Gospels, we hear of Our Blessed Lord weeping. What does this mean? What terrible vision did He have which made His tears flow? It was the vision of sin. Our willful blindness, perversity and hardness of heart have again and again frustrated God’s designs for us. Religion is not only a matter of doctrines, practices and laws, but also Infinite Love pursuing us, each of us, every moment of the day, seeking a way into our hearts! When we sin, we reject and cast out Love! Sin is a profound mystery, the mystery of the free will of men! The damned are lost because they do not want to be saved. God has made us freely and we go to Him freely.

Will we cry out, “Crucify Him!” or will we echo the words of the Good Thief, “Lord, remember me when Thou comest into Thy Kingdom!” Mercy is offered to us, every day, at every moment. Only in Hell, when the human heart has finally chosen the eternal ‘NO,’ not even Infinite Love can reach it.

Mercy is now being offered to us. Let us respond immediately to God’s voice as it calls to the depth of our soul.

I remain, one with you in the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

PATTI MELVIN, Director ULRA

Let us pray for one another!

FATHER MATEO ON THE HOLY SACRIFICE OF THE MASS (continued)

THE ONLY ONE WORTHY OF THE BLESSED TRINITY

The Mystery of the Holy Eucharist comprises two wonderful chapters: the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, which is the divine and inexhaustible source of Grace; and the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar, which theologically is the liturgical consummation of the Sacrifice.

Normally, these two parts are spiritually one. However, it is unfortunate that sometimes one is separated from the other, and that without good reason, nor without some harm coming to the Eucharistic, and even the spiritual life.

The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is the well-spring of divine life, from which the Sacrament flows as a sacred torrent. Hence, Holy Communion and the Sacred Species reserved in the tabernacle become veritable torrential streams rushing from the Sacrifice. Without further delay, then, we will mark two distinct and doctrinal points of difference between the Eucharist as a Sacrifice and as a Sacrament.

The Sacrifice is the offering which the Word makes of Himself to the Father, saying, "Behold, I come to do Thy Will, O God." (Heb. 10:9) "He humbled Himself becoming obedient unto death, even to the death of the Cross." (Phil. 2:8) "I have glorified Thee on earth…" (Jn. 1 7:4).

The Sacrifice of Calvary and that of the Altar is an ineffable realization of the words of St. Paul: "Christ… hath delivered Himself for us". (Eph. 5:2). For the Glory of the Father and the Redemption of sinful man, the Son of God offered Himself as a holocaust to His Father. This is a sublime self-surrender which words cannot render, "Father, since it is Thy Will that I die: Thy will be done! Yes, behold Me incarnate to die on the Cross. I wish to be for Thee a Victim of praise and propitiation. It is My wish to glorify Thee, O Father, as much and infinitely more than sin has outraged Thee."

THE BLESSED SACRAMENT OF THE ALTAR

Now, what is the Sacrament? After offering Himself to the Father, the Son turns to us, His "little children", and says: "The banquet of the King is ready. Come, eat My Flesh and drink My Blood. Out of the Eternal Love I have for My Father, I now give Myself to you… Come, I am the Manna from above. I am your food, your bread. I will be Jesus the Victim, entirely yours, until the end of time."

In the Sacrifice, the Word made Flesh offers Himself to the Father as Victim. In the Sacrament, ever as Victim, He offers Himself to the Church and to the faithful. Let it be well understood then, that Jesus is the same Victim in Sacrifice and Sacrament. However, the Victim of the Sacrifice is offered only to the Father, while the Victim of the Sacrament gives Himself to the faithful.

Although the Divine Victim of the Sacrifice is the same as the Victim of the Sacrament, yet those who receive what is offered are worlds apart. In the Sacrifice, the infinitely perfect Father receives Jesus the Victim. In the Sacrament, we, who are nothing but sin, receive the same Jesus.

Holy Communion is the liturgical completion of the Sacrifice. So much so that, in the words of His Holiness Pius XII, in his Encyclical MEDIATOR DEI, "the Communion of the priest is absolutely necessary." But without the Mass, there would be no Holy Communion, no Blessed Sacrament of the Altar, no Exposition and no Benediction, for the Mass brings the Real Presence to our Altars.

In the Liturgy of the Mass, there are three principal parts: the Oblation, or Offertory; the separate Consecration of the Species, the centre and essence of the Sacrifice, and the Communion which completes the Sacrifice.

I greet you in the name of Our Lord Jesus Christ and His beloved Mother of Fatima, Mother of the Living Rosary and Our Lady of Perpetual Help. I can call the Virgin Mary with so many names, because She has done so much for me.

I am already a member of the Living Rosary; my name is Keneuoe Agnes Lepota from Maseru, capital city of Lesotho. I am a devoted Catholic at the Mission called Our Lady of Victories and I attend daily Mass at 6:30 a.m. before I go to work. I joined the Filomena Prayer Group in 2012 when Sister Clara at Emmanuel Hostel, Maseru, assigned the third Joyful Mystery, the Nativity, even though I do not remember the number that was given to me.

I am writing this mail because I want to tell this, holy Family of the Living Rosary how my beloved Pauline Marie Jaricot helped me. Last year, I was in so many debts and one member told me about Pauline’s story and encouraged me to pray to her so that she could help me to come out of the situation. She gave me the pamphlet, “Ven. Pauline Marie Jaricot, Mother Of Souls In Distress.” I am even looking at it now because it is always in my handbag. I LOVE HER SO MUCH!

I started the Jubilee Prayer for Debtors; I prayed it every day asking Pauline to help me. I had so many debts that my salary could not even cover. One day, I decided to do this prayer as a novena for 9 days, because on the 9th day, I wanted to go to the bank to ask for a loan though I knew very well that I will not qualify but, with faith, I asked the Virgin Mary that I needed the money and also asked Pauline Jaricot.

On the 9th day of my novena, I went to the bank and asked for the form; the consultant opened my account and said, “You don’t qualify, you are supposed to come after 4 months.” As usual, I was praying the Rosary silently because I know all the Mysteries by heart and I pray it all the time. I prayed fervently and said, “Pauline, you were in so many debts because you wanted to help the poor; I don’t want to steal, I just need this money to pay my debts and to help my family. Therefore, please help me and ask the Virgin Mary to help me.”

I sat there looking at the consultant in tears and said, “If you only knew how desperate I am.” She replied, “Let me see if I can help you, maybe by calculating some figures here.” She was typing on the computer at the time and I was still praying the Rosary. After 20 minutes, she said “It looks like you will be able to get some money.” I didn’t believe my ears. I cried tears of joy. I thanked the Virgin Mary and Pauline. I always refer to her as my MOTHER because I am a double orphan, so she has been my beloved and trusted mother.

I got the money after three days. I went to my church and paid the stipend for a Holy Mass in thanksgiving to God, His Mother and Ven. Pauline Jaricot. I was able to pay some of my debts and helped my family. I have so many stories to tell and I will write to you again.

Thank you in Jesus’ name!

Yours faithfully,

Agnes – Maseru – LESOTHO

Our Rev. Bishop Otto Separi from the Diocese of Aitape gave permission to start the Junior Philomena Prayer Group in 2012. It was not easy to start this group. I went through rough seas. The Parish Stirring Team (PST) went against me, but I did not lose hope.

I am a Nursing Officer by profession. My colleagues often troubled me with my duties. I kept on praying to Our Blessed Mother and St. Philomena to overcome it. Also I asked Claries and other members to help me by their prayers. “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” (Matt. 7:7)

On July 21, 2012, Fr. Bruno Amanos saw me so troubled. I told him everything. He said to me: “Fear not! Have courage and faith!” Start your new journey with the Junior Philomena Prayer Group. Now, there are 45 members in our prayer group and I receive assistance from three members: Lucy Asuman, Caroline Kilip and Scholly Ares of the Senior St. Philomena Prayer Group.

Thank you and God bless you all!

ALBINA KAKA
JUNIOR SAINT PHILOMENA PRAYER GROUP
Saint Francis Sub Parish – Raihu District Hospital
Aitape, Sandaun Province – PAPUA NEW GUINEA

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.

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.

Please Click here to Share Your Gift of Faith