 Dear Benefactors, Apostles and Members of the Living Rosary,
Daily, we are remembering you at the Holy Altar. At this challenging time, we are very keenly aware of the strength of our union through prayer and charity. We pray that our Sacred Masses will enrich and sustain you in your daily battle to remain virtuous and strong in the difficult days which lie ahead. This world is a place where Truth and falsehood dwell side by side. In the beginning, Truth alone was to be found. The devil introduced a lie in Paradise, and now there is great duplicity at every turn. How mighty is the tree of falsehood; how thick are its branches! Beware of false prophets! My purpose today is to talk about ONE false prophet and expose it in all its hideous deceitfulness. I refer to the opinion that it is not so very wrong to tell a lie, that under certain circumstances, it is necessary. Beware of this false prophet! Both reason and religion teach us that even the least, and most unimportant, lie is sinful and therefore forbidden! God is Truth itself. He hates and abhors, and positively forbids every lie. The devil was the first liar and, through his lies, he led our first parents to the Original Sin which plunged the entire human race into misery. The liar disfigures his soul and he becomes an enemy of God. Take care, then, never to depart from the Truth. God punishes lying very severely. Most people do not scruple a lie, especially when in doing so they injure no one. The world is full of deceit. The world reasons that surely it may depart from the Truth in order to maintain peace at home, or with neighbors, for gain or to avoid quarrels and strife. Yet, in every one of these cases lying is sinful and reprehensible. It is not possible to imagine circumstances in which it is allowable to utter a lie. This is the doctrine of Holy Mother the Church. Let us never speak ill of another person as, through our speech, we may destroy his reputation and ruin his family. God forbid! Let us praise, uplift and compassionate our brothers and sisters in Christ. In whatever they may have wronged us, through our charity, it will be repaired. Much too often we look to the eye of our brother seeing the cause of our demise, when actually it is due to the downfall of our own pride and deceptions. How important for us to be humble, honest, truthful and sacrificial in our outreach to mankind to prepare the way for the Kingdom of God that it may touch the very hearts and souls of mankind! We appreciate so much your love and sacrifice for the Church in Ukraine which is suffering greatly during these days of revolution and persecution. We offer up our sufferings for those in West Africa, who are plagued with the deadly Ebola virus. May God shower His Infinite Mercy upon us all! I impart to all of you, my priestly blessing: + In the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Amen.
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TRUE DEVOTION TO MARY (continued) GLORIOUS MOTHER! PRIVILEGED CHILDREN! There is no creature, nor will there ever be one, in which God is so highly exalted as He is in the Blessed Virgin Mary. She is the unspeakable world into which the Son of God has entered to work His marvels and to take His pleasure therein. Mary is the City of God, the living throne of God! Happy, thrice happy here below, the soul to whom the Holy Spirit reveals the Secret of Mary; yes, reveals Mary herself! Happy the soul to whom He opens this garden enclosed, permitting it to enter therein and have access to this sealed fountain, so that the soul may draw there from and drink deeply of the living water of Grace! Such a soul will, without the aid of any other creature, find God and God alone in this most sweet creature. There is no place in which the creature can find his Creator nearer to himself and more proportioned to his weakness than in Mary, for it was for this end that Christ descended to Her. Everywhere else He is, as it were, the Bread of the strong and the Bread of Angels but, in Mary, He is the Bread of children. Mary’s transformation into God surpasses that of the greatest and most privileged Saints as much as Heaven is higher than the earth. Mary was made only for God and rests only in God. Whenever we give ourselves to Mary, we will experience that She does not keep us for herself but, on the contrary, immediately submerges us into God and unites us with Him. Mary is the faithful echo of God. When we say “Mary,” Mary answers, “God.” When Elizabeth called Mary blessed because she believed, Mary glorified only the Most High by exclaiming, “My soul magnifies the Lord.” (Lk. 1:46) What Mary did on this occasion, She continues to do always. If She is praised, loved, honored and extolled, God is thereby praised, loved, glorified and extolled by Mary and through Mary. Whatever is given or offered to Mary is in reality given to God through and in Mary. When we have once found Mary and, by Mary, Jesus and, by Jesus, God the Father, we have found all friendship with God, all safety from the enemies of God, all truth as opposed to falsehood, complete victory over the difficulties of salvation, all sweetness and all joy amidst the bitterness of life. SUFFERINGS BECOME MORE MERITORIOUS! Through Mary and by true devotion to Her, we obtain all good and every Grace. Through Her, we find all friendship with God and all sweetness amidst the bitterness of this life. Yet, we must not conclude that they who have found the true devotion to Mary will be exempt from crosses and sufferings. On the contrary, they may be assailed by more trials than others, because Mary, the Mother of the Living, gives to Her children portions of the Tree of Life, the Cross of Jesus. But, in choosing their special crosses, She obtains for them the Grace to carry them with patience and even with joy, so that the crosses are rather sweet than bitter. If Her clients taste the bitterness of the chalice which they must drink in order to be the friends of God, the consolation and joy which this good Mother gives, after the sorrow, encourages them exceedingly to carry still heavier crosses and endure still more bitter trials. Yes, even while they are carrying their crosses, Mary enables Her faithful and special servants to endure their suffering more easily, more meritoriously and with a greater claim to future glory. What would be an obstacle a thousand times to another or cause him to fall, will not retard the progress of Mary’s child, but will further it. This good Mother, full of Grace and the unction of the Holy Spirit, will sweeten with the honey of Her love and goodness the bitterness of these crosses which She herself prepares, as fruit is sweetened by sugar; so that, although naturally disagreeable and bitter, Her faithful servants receive them joyfully as though they were full of sweetness. And, I believe, adds St. Louis Grignion, that no one who desires to live piously in Jesus Christ and consequently suffer persecutions, will ever be able to carry great crosses cheerfully and perseveringly, without having fervent devotion to Our Blessed Lady. |
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SHE WHO WEEPS! High amidst the Alpine peaks in Dauphiny, France, near the vault of Heaven, lies La Salette. Our Lady of Sorrows appeared to Melanie and Maximin at noon as the Angelus bells rang out. Melanie perceived a strange light. A Woman sat weeping, her face buried in her hands and her elbows resting on her knees. Melanie cried out, “O my God!” The beautiful lady rose and folded her arms across her breast. She took a couple of steps and called them to her, “Come near, my children, do not be afraid; I am here to tell you great news.” Our Lady gazed at them for a moment and then lowered her eyes. While tears trickled down her cheeks, She spoke her message: “If my people will not submit, I shall be forced to let fall the Arm of my Son. It is so heavy that I can no longer withhold it. So long a time do I suffer for you. I am compelled to pray without ceasing. And you, you take no heed of it. However much you pray, however much you do, you will never recompense the pains I have suffered for you.” On a small golden chain around her neck was a brilliant Crucifix with a yet more brilliant Christ. From either arm of the Cross stood out the hammer and open pliers. The beautiful Lady reproved men for the desecration of the Holy Name of Jesus, neglect of the Sabbath and disregard for the Laws of the Church. Her rebukes were mingled with odious announcements which bore the stamp of the Queen of Prophets. She asked the shepherds if they said their prayers well, morning and night. Our Lady’s benediction wafted down from her Alpine shrine of La Salette and shed its saving balm over a weary and sin-sick world. “There will come a famine; children under seven will be seized by trembling and will die in the arms of their parents; walnuts will become worm eaten, the grapes will rot. My children, make this known to all my people.” In the realm of human realities, there are two perfections without comparison: the Blood of Christ and the Tears of His Mother. The tears of Our Lady’s Transfixion spilled down from Calvary’s Hill and fell in cascades over all living hearts. The coldness and scorn displayed towards God’s Mother is the most crucifying form of contempt and the most diabolical outrage poured out against His Sacred Humanity. Such unparalleled sacrilege must inflame His Heart to its very depth. At La Salette, Mary is alone. Suffering is the key word! Here is the solution for every human life on earth; the springboard for every higher achievement. Yet people absolutely refuse to understand that suffering is really necessary! Mary sat alone on that mysterious rock which reminds us of the other rock upon which the Church is built. On her breast, She wore the instruments of her Child’s torture and She wept as no one has wept in two thousand years! “So long a time do I suffer for you, and you take no heed of it!” She, whom the Church proclaims Our Life, Our Sweetness and Our Hope; She who is the Cause of our Joy! The apparition of Our Lady at La Salette took place on the eve of the Feast of Our Lady of the Seven Dolors. Oh, what a sea of tears and sorrow Mary was tossed upon when She beheld in her arms the Body of her Divine Son taken down from the Cross, blood drenched, wounded from head to foot, pierced by a lance and lifeless. Theologians tell us that one of the surest signs of predestination is devotion to Mary’s Sorrows. The Queen of Paradise came down from Heaven to weep for her ungrateful children who would be lost. Mary has compassion on the multitude. In the face of our misery, She extends to us mercy. Naked, torn and lifeless, Mary calls us to Herself: “Come near, my children, be not afraid. I am here!”
Coming from the mouth of Mary Immaculate, who stands above the law of common man, it is a declaration of supreme authority, an act by which She assumes the position of Conqueror: Evil is trampled under her feet. Mary comes to bring us great news, the world nears the brink of ruin, and with it all its riches, intoxications, pleasures, philosophies, civilizations, battle fields and triumphal arches; all these shall wither and vanish, because men will not submit to God. The Arm of my Son weighs heavily upon them. “How often I have gathered my children together, like a hen gathers her young underneath her wings, but thou wouldst not!” Noah spent 100 years building what was to be the symbol of Our Lady, Reconciler of Sinners, that is to say the Ark, which was destined to be born like the Spirit of God, upon waters, above the highest mountains. In this Ark was to be saved a small number of the elect. The people laughed at Noah who was a true spectacle: old, and without any knowledge of building or navigation. Yet, sudden cessation of all mockery came when the water rose seventeen thousand cubits above the mouths of those who laughed. Borne on the water, the Ark of Salvation ceased to be an oracle of wrath and became, in truth, the honored Vessel of the world’s hope! They alone will be saved and truly reconciled who implore Mary’s protection and seek her as their last hope! Mary is Sovereign; Mary is Mother! The submission She requires of us concerns her glory, which is God’s eternal desire. Mary is the House of God, the Portal of Heaven. Her sovereignty is the meeting ground for all the contradictions of Pride. Taking away from Mary this crown of universal sovereignty is an infringement on God’s Glory; it is also a stemming of God’s Grace, depriving human nature of its participation in divine life. The all-powerful Suppliant, to whom God refuses nothing, has to come down from Heaven, weeping, to tell us the news of her helplessness. When Heaven has recourse to means such as these, the need must be appalling! Man is borne up from earthly things with two wings: Simplicity and Purity. With sovereign authority, Mary tells us that the source of our wrong lies in our will and nowhere else. We are wretched creatures created to obey, and we refuse to submit! The message of La Salette contains terrible implications, but the future will most likely tear off the veil of mystery and reveal the text translated into blood on every hearthstone in the land. People will not submit and the City of God suffers violence. The Angels and Saints are sounding this alarm in Heaven! For two thousand years, Christ’s Sacrifice has been renewed but, today, Mary who has the right to offer Him, declares that She can no longer effectively do so, because the clamor of our revolt stifles her cry of intercession. The Arm of her Son is so heavy that she can no longer hold it aloft by the counterweight of her prayer. The tears of Our Lady flowed before, during and after the discourse. Mary’s tears are the very Blood of Jesus Christ shed in some way just as her compassion: a two-fold effusion of one and the same heart. One might say that the Compassion of the Blessed Virgin Mary was the Passion Itself under its most terrible aspect. “The affiliation of Christ was my own affiliation because His Heart was my heart, for just as Adam and Eve sold the world for a single apple, so my Son and I bought it back with a single heart.” The Mother of God has wept. She has given birth to us in the order of Grace – that alone suffices to make us understand how faint are the effusions of our own cowardly hearts. If Mary had not wept, the soul of man would have become parched and withered. What sorry creatures we are. The responsibility rests upon each one of us, but our pride revolts at the word chastisement! We look for natural causes through scientific explanations that contain no room for God’s intervention. Through her martyrdom, Mary has become in a special way the comforter of the afflicted. In the company of our Sorrowful Mother, we will walk more easily, fight more courageously, and suffer more patiently. When the Hand of God lays a heavy cross upon our shoulders, let us turn to Mary sorrowing and then we shall obtain consolation and strength to carry the cross with patience, perseverance and joy!
WITH MARY, EVERYTHING! WITHOUT MARY, NOTHING! |
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| Dearest Patti,
I am happy to inform you that our First National Congress was held last Saturday, August 30th and was very successful. We had fine weather for the day. I requested all the Leaders to have three days of prayers in their various places throughout the country before the commencement of the Congress at St. Peter’s Cathedral Basilica, Kumasi. I honored 41 good and active Leaders, including our National Council Executive Members and Leaders from all the Dioceses in the Country, by presenting to them gold and silver medallions as their awards. Some Leaders and Members traveled over 450 miles for the Congress. They were very happy for the award as it took them by surprise and, indeed, very much On August 25, just five days prior to the Conference, I received very sad news from Most Rev. Peter Kwasi Sarpong, Archbishop Emeritus of Kumasi, informing me that he was extremely sorry that he could not attend the Congress because he had a bad fall which had resulted in him being fitted with Plaster of Paris. “I am sure Our Lady of Holy Rosary will bless you all!” Therefore, his Certificate of Honor was received on his behalf by Most Rev. Thomas Mensah who is also an Archbishop Emeritus. I will write the THANK YOU LETTERS to the Bishops, Parish Priests, and Leaders throughout the Country to show my appreciations for all who took part. Yes, many souls were won for Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary and in honor of St. Philomena, our Patroness and Protectress. Once again, thank you very much for your great support. The devotional items you sent in the thousands were very much enough, so each and every one had a share. May God bless you endlessly! Peace be to you, Patti, and all our Benefactors! Yours in Jesus and Mary, Anthony – GHANA
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Share Your Gift of FaithFor 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. |
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Tags: Catholic, Filomena, Living, Philomena, Philomene, Rosary, Saint, Santa, Universal