| Dear Apostles of the Immaculate Heart of Mary,
We wish to thank you with all our hearts for the glorious support you are giving the Family of the Living Rosary which reaches the far corners of the earth. United the world over through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, our Daily Decades hold infinite power before the throne of God. Please reach out to everyone you can with this magnificent devotion of Faith, Hope and Charity. Mary, the Mother of Jesus, received an invitation to a wedding that would take place in Cana, Galilee. A wedding in Palestine and among the Jews was an important event and took the form of a religious ceremony, for it was the means of perpetuating the race until the fullness of time, that is, until the coming of the Messiah. It is good to attend to our social obligations. We should not just tolerate them, but rather cultivate them. One should never use the excuse of asceticism and become anti-social. Mary did not go to the wedding feast to be served. She was the first one to notice that the wine was running out. Nothing that a Christian does is indifferent, everything has repercussions. By the mere fact that the Blessed Virgin was there, the wedding feast at Cana was changed. Jesus and His disciples were invited. Charity obliges us to be our best. The more we are on fire ourselves, the more we enkindle the same fire in others. The closer and more united we are to God, the more good will we have for those around us. Sometimes, only a smile is needed or a little interest in others, or a friendly manner. We exercise our love for God in how we treat our neighbor. Christ should be placed at the center of society, so that His Spirit may permeate all human activities, transforming and renewing them. We must be like red-hot irons; otherwise instead of influencing our environment, it will overpower us, change us as it likes and make us slaves of worldliness. In a phrase of only a few words, Mary made known to Christ the need of the newly married couple: “They have no wine.” This was her prayer of petition. It is so brief and concise that it hardly seems a prayer at all. It is a statement of need, a petition of simplicity, made with total confidence. Mary was the most perfect of creatures; therefore, her prayer was, without doubt, the most perfect prayer. It is a humble prayer. She did not want to trouble her Son. He was God and His Mission came first. But, She was His mother and, in humility and helplessness, She appealed to His mercy. It was a prayer for others, not something for herself. She did not bargain with God, ‘If you do this for me, I will do that for you.’ When we bargain with God, the absence of our love for Him is so very obvious! Mary merely pointed out the problem and left the rest to Him, leaving Him perfectly free to do His own will. She told the waiters, “Do whatever He tells you.” The faith of Mary contained in these few words, overcame time and hastened the hour when Our Lord would manifest His divinity by a miracle. So often, we try to tie God down and restrict His action to only one possible solution, the solution that we, with our limited intelligence, consider the most fitting. If we do not get what we ask for, our prayer becomes weaker and weaker, and finally we abandon it altogether. Our Lord has shown us the way. We must only try to be simple, humble and trusting: God will do the rest. Our Lady asks us to do, not just something, but precisely what He tells us to do. We must listen to her Son, the Messenger of the Father. Christ was obedient unto death, even to His death on the Cross. There is no incompatibility between freedom and obedience. Humility is Truth! Truth makes us free! He is free who has no sin, for sin separates us from Truth, and makes us servants of falsehood and pride. We are free to the extent to which we are united to Christ – to Truth – by obedience. Obedience is the key virtue and the fulfillment of our vocation for every creature has been made to give glory to God. Disobedience is rebellion which results in death and damnation, obedience is salvation! Obedience is not simply avoiding mortal sin, for we are not simply to avoid offending God, but to love and please Him. We should learn obedience from the servants to whom Mary told to do whatever Jesus should command. They put themselves at His disposal immediately. When He told them to fill the water-pots, they filled them to the brim! They returned to tell Jesus that His orders had been carried out and, at His direction, they took the wine to be tasted to the chief steward, knowing only water had been placed in them. They never hesitated. They never tried to find out what was going on, they simply obeyed! They were servants and ready to serve. Promptness of obedience is essential for a servant. The consequences of delay, procrastination, passivity and unwillingness are immeasurable! Time is a gift too precious to be wasted. The servants obeyed without saying a word. Obedience should be silent. Protests, remarks and sneers at the Master undermine His authority. The jars were filled to the brim! No one could ask for more; the servants did a perfect job. We cannot obey in halves; we must do a complete job. What Our Lord tells us to do is too important to be left half-done! It is never something trivial, but a serious duty whose significance very often we cannot even suspect. This then is the advice, the only advice that Our Blessed Lady has left to us, that we should do whatever her Son tell us, obey Him willingly, be ready to do anything asked of us, obey promptly, silently, fully and with our whole heart. Mary gave us this perfect example at the Foot of the Cross. Let us imitate Mary in her obedience to her Divine Son for the greater honor and glory of God in time and throughout eternity! One of our members is dying. Agnes has MS and for years has suffered silently the ravages of this disease. Recently she wrote: I am having a stroke, my brain is bleeding. Please pray for me: “I know what God is doing is for the best.” Pray for her husband who suffers with prostate cancer. Her prayer reminds me of the prayer of Our Blessed Mother, the perfect prayer that brings salvation: “Behold the Handmaid of the Lord, be it done unto me according to Thy Will!” Our prayers are¬ with you both day and night. PATTI MELVIN, Director – ULRA Let us pray for one another. Click here to download a full color .pdf version of this article |
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| Dear Mrs. Patti Melvin,I am a mother of two children from Sri Lanka. I heard about your prayer group through one of my uncles who is very devoted to St. Philomena, who has been a great blessing to us in these troubling times that we are undergoing. I would like to join the Living Rosary. My husband and mother would like to enroll in the Living Rosary.
Our son, Nevaan, who is just over two months, was born at 24 weeks weighing only 1.6 pounds. The doctors claimed he will not survive, but now he has been alive in the hospital for 78 days already. He had a brain hemorrhage that led to the development of some cysts in a critical part of his brain. The ventricles in his brain are severely enlarged due to this and the doctor says that this is almost 80% guaranteed to lead to severe disability later on. Added to that, there is a slight haze around his corneas, which also the doctors say may be a sign of blindness. So many prayers have been offered for him from priests, religious and all our family and friends. On the day after he was baptized, he started breathing on his own, without any machines. This is very unusual for a baby of his size, and is a miracle in itself. He went through a lot of complications but has gained weight and is looking better today. This is nothing but the power of God working, as the doctors and nurses are also surprised at how far this little fighter has come! We had drifted away from God and this trial has already been miraculous in the sense that it has brought us so much closer as a family and so very much closer to Him through prayers and sacrifice. Thank you so very much, truly divine providence that we received your parcel just on the day before the surgery! Baby Nevaan will undergo the brain surgery this Friday, February 26 at 7.00 am (Sri Lanka time) as the size of his cyst had drastically increased. The doctors are recommending the insertion of a shunt that will help drain the fluid that has accumulated. This will however be a life time device he will have to wear. We read an article in your Spring 2009 Dedicated Decades, a story of a 22 week old baby surviving a very similar ordeal and was healed through prayers. Similar to that story, we too have tied St. Philomena’s cord around his ankle, and we apply the holy oil on his heels daily. Please let us know if there are any other special prayers we can offer. Our little man is hanging in there, like the blessed little fighter he is! He has a 3 year old sister, Neraaya, who is really looking forward to having him in her life. She was also born prematurely at 32 weeks and is also another little miracle! Thank you for your message! The surgery went well without complication, and baby is recovering. We cannot thank God enough! This is more proof that God is holding us in His Arms through this journey, and Jesus’ Precious Blood will not fail to deliver! The journey with Nevaan’s condition is just beginning but we are confident in God’s goodness and expect a miraculous recovery for him in His time! Despite the doctors’ prognosis, we are so confident of complete healing for him. We have immense belief that through Our Blessed Mother and St. Joseph, and the intercession of St. Philomena, St. Jude, St. Anthony, St. Therese, St. Michael, St. Peter and all the other Angels and Saints that this child will receive complete healing. We have offered him up for a vocation and we know that his testimony will be a powerful one! Thank you and God bless, so happy to be part of this blessed Living Rosary group! < Dineshini – SRI LANKA > Click here to download a full color .pdf version of this article |
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| Dearest Patti Melvin
I exclaimed full of joy and heartfelt gratitude, Wonderful! Wonderful! Wonderful! I am really overwhelmed by the size of the parcel I received through Esico Express on 22nd February, 2016. Due to poor network, I could acknowledge it only now. Thank you and our Benefactors! St. Padre Pio of Pietrelcina says in one of his letters, “Pray fervently for all who work for the salvation of souls and for the Glory of God.” You are one of them! You and all your supporters are the ones we are called upon by St. Pio to pray for fervently every day. Rest assured that we are praying for all of you Thank you for your encouraging and soul searching letters. You could see from the attached pictures how I was covered by so many rich materials: St. Philomena Oils, 56 packets of Luminous Rosaries, Miraculous Medals, Scapulars, wonderful wrist Cords; large pictures of St. Philomena, Holy Family of Nazareth, Our Lady of Fatima, Immaculate Heart of Mary; Life of Pauline Marie Jaricot, The Future of The Church, How to Secure a Happy Death, a Holy Hour Booklet, Novena to St. Joseph, our Patron, beautiful – this year we shall pray the chaplet of St. Joseph during our Community Novena to St. Joseph, Mater Dolorosa Chaplet, St. Philomena Chaplets, large Medals and pictures of St. Philomena, Calendars, The Holy Sacrifice of the Holy Mass, Mary The Power of Her Holy Name, Dedicated Decades for Spring and Winter 2015, the Garment of Grace, Fatima booklet, Holiness through Mary, Children your Mother is calling, etc. I am extremely happy and grateful for the Sacred Heart Novena Booklet. I am devoted to the Sacred Heart and the Holy Eucharist, our Source and Summit. The Sacred Heart bleeds everyday out of love for us. We are very, very grateful for the sacrifices you make to send us these spiritual materials for our spiritual growth. May Our Good God continue to keep you healthy and strong to continue to lead souls to Him. The History about the Living Rosary Center is good. It is a beautiful Center. We thank God for you. In the next parcel, kindly send large pictures of Ven. Pauline Jaricot so that during my talks I can show to the people. Members are begging for more Prayer for Spouses Cards, Decade prayer cards, Jesus’ Name prayer cards and St. Philomena statues. We are sorry for asking you too much! Please join me to pray for Sister Bernadette Nyongo, our great promoter, that St. Philomena may heal her miraculously. I remain grateful for all that you do for us. May Almighty God bless and reward you and all our benefactors! Please find attach the pictures. To Jesus through Mary! With lots of love and prayerful wishes, Sr. Mary Florence Angwe Click here to download a full color .pdf version of this article |
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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 Missi4 lb. box @ $53 (in place of $42.70), 20 lb. box @ $95 (in place of $86.25), 1 lb. package @ $22 (in place of $20)7.95. 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: Association, Catholic, Filomena, Living, Philomena, Philomene, Saint, Santa, Universal