Earthly Pain … Eternal Gain!  In the beginning, there was no suffering. It was not until the angels rebelled that pain and suffering made their appearance in God's universe. Suffering is a necessary expiation of the outrages offered to the majesty of God by His creatures. It is a fulfillment of the Eternal Law that he who sins must suffer. But suffering is much more than that. It is a remedy for the disease of sin, the kindly knife of the surgeon who heals. Suffering is the payment asked by God for the joy that is to be ours for all Eternity. It is our share in the redemption of mankind. As Jesus came to suffer, it was necessary that Mary suffer with Him. This was her greatest privilege and she knew it to be such. If we could have seen Mary upon earth, we would have been struck by her undisturbed peace. This she possessed because of her perfect patience and readiness to accept everything at God's Hand. "Behold the handmaid of the Lord, let it be done unto me according to Thy word." If this be my motto, I will have both peace and joy amidst the greatest sufferings and trials of this life. My heaven will have already begun upon earth.
Are you sick? Are the old days of bright mornings and a healthy appetite gone? Is your valuable time spent in doctors' waiting-rooms, fingering through old magazines? Will you ever be well again? Do you find yourself saying the gloomy word, "IF"? If only I had done this, if only I had avoided that, if only I was well, I could be productive and not be a burden on others? These are all useless IF's and serve to discourage you, depress you and lead you into despair. Get rid of them at once!!! 
Are you a prisoner in a bed? Do you hear the rumble of wheels outside your window, people laughing and talking, going places, filled with the pulse of life and looking forward to the future? Your instinct of self-preservation is aroused. You do not want to die. Who can blame you? Do not pull closed the shutters and live in self-imposed darkness. God is still in His Heaven and He remembers you. When we are seriously ill over a period of time, our thoughts naturally contemplate death. This is a real blessing. Sickness should not make us gloomy. Even though we may be subjected to long sieges of illness, we are not sure of dying immediately. Those, who have been sick for years, by a strong will-power, have lived and worked effectively. Sometimes, we suffer for our own actions. Life and death are mysteries. Still, we have the consolation of knowing that whatever happens is not without the knowledge and will of God. Whenever we are in affliction, let us console ourselves and thank God for it, since all sickness and pain are a sign that God wishes us to be saved. He chastises in this life, out of love, where the suffering is slight and short, in order not to punish us in the next life, out of justice, where chastisements are cruel and eternal. The time of sickness is a time for testing a person's mettle. Some people are pious and cheerful when they are in good health. But when visited by sickness, they lose their patience and complain about everything, giving themselves up to melancholy. Their gold of piety turns out to be the base metal of self. How long will you be sick? Perhaps, you do not want to think of the answer to this question. You know you will never be well again. But the truth is that you will be sick as long as it is the Will of God. When you are afflicted with any sickness or other trouble, go at once and beseech God to help you. Present your affliction to Him saying, "Behold Lord, I am in distress." He will not fail to comfort you and give you the strength to suffer with patience. The cross that you carry will prove to be of greater good to you than if you had been freed altogether from it. In all the vicissitudes of life - sickness, losses and persecutions - be ever mindful to bow with resignation to the Will of God and rest calmly in the thought:" God wills it so, and I would not have it otherwise."
"How patient God
Has Been With Me!" Patience is the most important virtue to practice during the time of sickness. In health and prosperity, people have little time for patience and resignation. In sickness, poverty and distress, nature and friends fail us. We turn to God impatiently demanding relief without delay. We are forgetting that this life is only a short time of trial to prove our worthiness of entering Heaven. The chief point of our trial here upon earth is conformity to the Will of God. Our prayer should be one of readiness to embrace all that is His Will. "Oh, Lord, I have no wish either to get well or remain sick: I will only that Thy Will be done." Employ the remedies which may be healing, share your need for prayers with your neighbor or even pray that God will liberate you from your sickness. Always conclude your prayer as Christ did at the approach of His bitter Passion: "My Father, if it is possible, let this chalice pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as Thou Wilt." When we do God's Will, a wonderful thing takes place in our soul. By the grace of God, we feel a happiness which the world cannot give. Souls who are truly resigned to God's Will, if they suffer poverty, desire to be poor; if they suffer sickness, desire to be sick; if they suffer humiliation, desire humiliation. Whatever God wills for them, they desire it all and they are happy in this world. Are you sick in a room from which you will not emerge for a long time? By all means, get a Crucifix and hang it on the wall immediately. Seek to find an artistic and beautiful one, for here will be your inspiration for each day. Gaze upon that Face which agonized for you and was tortured in every muscle and torn member. When you awake in the morning, let your first glance be a long thoughtful one on your dying Savior. He who keeps his eyes on the wounds of Jesus forgets his own pains. You might pray, "I thank Thee, O Lord, for giving me a share in the sufferings Thou didst endure while nailed to the Cross for love of me." How often do we say to ourselves, while suffering, "IF ONLY" I had my health, I would go to Church, receive Holy Communion, study, do apostolic work, help others to save their soul? How foolish to say we wish for health, not in order to avoid suffering, but to render greater service to God. Why would we desire these things? Is it to please God? It is certain that in your sickness it is the Will of God. You should not be given over to long prayers, frequently receiving Holy Communion or helping others. On the contrary, it is the Will of God that you should suffer the infirmity and pains which He sees fit to send you with patience. But you say, I am troubled because I am useless and a burden to others. These desires and regrets do not spring from love of God, but from love of self. You say, you can do nothing. Quite the contrary, you are doing everything by doing the Will of God. You could do nothing more or nothing better to please Him. Have patience with your suffering and forget the things YOU want to do! In sickness, a person can reach the heights of holiness which a well person is incapable of attaining. People who are well are running here and there, visiting friends and neighbors, attending office, shopping and caring for the family. But a sick person lives quite alone. In his solitude, he feels abandoned and becomes more like Jesus. The poorer you are, the less help you have in sickness, the more holy you can become if you do not complain against God. Your room is like Mount Calvary where the poor abandoned Jesus suffered. It is not easy for those who have robust health to understand how heavy a cross a long-term illness is to bear. It is not merely the physical pain you suffer that is difficult to bear, but also the weariness, languor, depression and restlessness of not being understood, coupled with long hours of being alone. Grant me patience, O Lord, patience to suffer for Thee and with Thee, and never to murmur even when my pain and suffering is the greatest!
If there is anything at all you can do to keep busy while you are sick, how much more forgetful you will be of your pitiful condition. Occupy each moment of your sickness with prayer, writing, knitting, stringing Miraculous Medals, anything at all to be productive and use what ability you may have left. During the time which remains to you, it is not enough to fold your arms and look up to Heaven. Since you are not able to give yourself over to long prayers, have a list of little verses that will lift your heart up and unite you with God: My God and My All! Mary, Help Me! All for Thee, O my Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary! My God, I love thee!
If we are living for God and are in dependence on Him, then we shall be filled with the supernatural gladness that God bestows on those who love Him. This joy comes from Heaven. It surpasses all earthly joy and makes our sufferings sweet. One drop of it on earth sweetens all bitterness, makes our suffering light and gives us the strength and courage to endure all things for Christ's sake. During your sickness, make frequent acts of Spiritual Communion. Invite the Royal Guest into your soul. You have great need of Him Who is your Divine Physician, the Light of your solitary confinement and your best Friend. His most Precious Blood will mingle with your blood, your tired body will exult with His Life. Jesus will be your Viaticum, your Food for the journey Home. Do not wait too long to call the priest to give you Extreme Unction. Set your affairs in order and put aside every worry. Heaven is a much better place than Earth. Everything that happens in our lives will help us to attain God and reach our Home in Heaven. Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, What God has prepared for those who love Him!
Prayer for Courage  All you Holy Martyrs, brave in the confession of your faith even through torture and death, I beg thee to obtain for me and for all whom I pray, the virtue of fortitude and patience in suffering. May I have the strength and courage of mind to endure pain and adversity for the sake of justice and to bear whatever God may send for my merit or trial! I am, of myself, most weak and fearful; unable to endure patiently the least affliction; but I trust by the grace of God and through your prayers, to become strong and firm, brave enough to overcome evils, to withstand temptations, to encounter dangers according to the Will of God, to resolve and carry out whatever is best for His holy service and the good of those whose souls depend on me. Let me be courageous in confessing my faith and strong in practicing it, and while I may never be called on to seal that faith by the witness of my blood in martyrdom, help me to live with the love and courage of the martyrs, so that I may come, at last, to a like reward in Heaven. Amen.
God's Gift to the Modern World! 
Saint Philomena, Virgin and Martyr! In these days, when so many are suffering, does not Our Lady say to her Daughter, as she once said to her Divine Son, "They have no wine! They have nothing to make glad their hearts!" It is written of Divine Providence, that not only does it arrange the means, but it reaches the goal. Gentleness is remarkable in the former and strength of character in the latter. St. Philomena received from Jesus Christ in the heights of Heaven, her mission. It seems the King of Kings to Whom all power is given from the Father, distinguished her in the midst of the assembly of Saints by a particular satisfaction and preferential love. "Go, I have chosen you and wish to place you in the fields of My Church like a new sowing, destined to make It productive. You will bring to Me the fruits which My Hand prepares for you; may your firmness augment for Me, your savor."  Ah, Christ Our Savior wishes to use the glorious St. Philomena to console us, to instruct us and to encourage us. She will be our Anchor of Hope in this Age of Darkness. We need her in these unhappy times to which the words of St. John apply so well: "My dear children, we have come to the last hour. You have been told that the anti-Christ is nigh, or there are a great number of anti-Christs in the world. This is why we affirm that the last hour has tolled. Preserve your doctrine, my children, which was taught to you from the beginning. It will keep you constantly united with the Father and the Son." The anti-Christs will conspire with such malice, audacity and slander that, not only in the cities but even in the hamlets, his reign will infest you with a disgusting poison and impious vomit. False prophets will spring up, God's laws will fall to scorn, souls will be gorged with silver and gold, sanctuaries will be profaned. Fathers and mothers will be insulted by their children, marriages torn asunder and incest will stain all classes.
Divine Wisdom cries out: "Have Faith! It is I Who permit these fearful winds and storms. Have Confidence! It is I Who permit the tides to rise. I will come at the moment you need Me. If I must move the heavens and the earth to make you triumph over your enemies, I will do it! Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will enter into My glory." In falling under the tyrant's sword, Philomena was victorious. She received an immortal crown and was placed upon a throne in eternity. Her reign will have no end! 
Peace be to you, Philomena! Pauline-Marie Jaricot was born at Lyon on July 22, 1799, to a profoundly religious family of silk merchants. Her life was spent at the feet of Our Lady of Fourviere. Her entire life was given completely to God and to Holy Mother the Church through the glory of the Cross. We know her universally as the foundress of the Propagation of the Faith and the Living Rosary Association, but she was so much more than that. Pauline founded many other works for the Church, remarkable for their diversity and copiously fertile propagation. At heart, Pauline was a contemplative, a very great one indeed! Her union with God was the source and secret of her influence upon souls.  The greatest miracle of St. Philomena took place before the Holy Father's eyes. Pauline Jaricot, sick and very near death, visited him before her journey to Mugnano. Immediately upon her return from Mugnano, she visited him again and was the picture of health.
While Pauline remained present in Rome for over a year, the Office, Mass Common and Fourth Lesson proper to a double minor rite were given to Philomena. Pope Gregory XVI waited three years to follow the movement of devotion to St. Philomena and to be certain of the miracles reported. It was Pope Gregory XVI who gave the Living Rosary its blessed Patroness, "Now, all the Living Rosary is under the protection of St. Philomena! Pray to St. Philomena, whatever you ask of her, she will obtain for you."  Pope Gregory XVI passed away in 1846 and Pius IX, his successor, who had been cured by St. Philomena of the condition of epilepsy, was able to ascend the throne of St. Peter. He did not forget his "little Saint" and it was at the altar of St. Philomena that he promised to resist iniquity until his death. Pope Pius IX proclaimed St. Philomena secondary Patroness of the kingdom of Naples. On July 6, 1853, the Office and Mass composed according to liturgical regulations was accepted.
One would never be able to say the decisions of the Holy See concerning devotion to St. Philomena had been ill-advised. Pope Pius IX was the Pope to proclaim the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception! As a last act of homage, the Holy Father sent His chalice to Mugnano as a sign of gratitude and to grace the resting place of his heavenly benefactress. It was Pope Pius the IX who placed all of the Children of Mary under the patronage of St. Philomena. Today, on the property of Pauline Jaricot in France, is a beautiful chapel entirely dedicated to St. Philomena. Not only do pilgrims visit this chapel but the bishop offers Holy Mass there once a month.  In 1878, Pope Leo XIII mounted the pontifical throne which he was to occupy for 25 years. Leo willingly approved of the red and white cord in honor of the virgin and martyr, and he embellished this devotion with rich indulgences. He granted the title and privilege of Archconfraternity to St. Philomena's devotion.
Pope Saint Pius X, elected in 1903, had a great desire to beatify the Curé of Ars whose name is closely bound to the glory and name of St. Philomena. On August 8, Pius X participated in the festivities of St. Philomena by sending a gold ring to the reigning Princess of Mugnano. He was very saddened to hear what was being written about her at that time. How can such writings be possible? Horacio Marucchi denied her very existence. Pope Pius X spoke at length on this Wonder-Worker of the 20th Century stating: "... to discredit the present writings concerning St. Philomena as not being permanent, stable, valid and effective, necessary of obedience, and in full effect for all eternity, proceeds from an element that is null and void and without merit or authority." (St. Pius X) St. Peter Julian Eymard, personal friend and confidant of Ven. Pauline Jaricot, was cured of a grave infirmity by St. Philomena and was then able to go forward amidst persecution and setbacks to found the noble order of the Adoration Fathers of the Most Blessed Sacrament.  After visiting the house of Venerable Pauline Jaricot, the holy Curé of Ars took St. Philomena for his own. Pauline gave him a relic of the dear saint which he housed in a special chapel at Ars built in her honor. She was his little saint and did everything for him. He, in turn, sent everyone to her altar, that she might give them light, hope and joy. The healing of bodies at Ars seemed to be reserved to the Little Saint.
 It was behind St. Philomena's glory that St. Jean-Marie Vianney hid his own. For 18 hours a day in the summer time and eleven during the colder months, the Curé was bound to his Confessional as to Calvary. All of the penitents having seen and heard the Curé, left with the seeds of salvation planted in their souls. Certainly, it was the wondes of conversion that most often occurred in Our Lady's chapel at Ars. St. Jean Marie Vianney had the gift of reading souls. He knew what was in their hearts and could tell them when, where and how their lives had been led and what must be done to obtain peace from God. Father Vianney's strength had been sustained beyond human provision. His scant sleep at night, diet of cold moldy potatoes and the many penances he imposed on himself, had left him no more than an "armful of bones covered with skin." Moreover, he was no stranger to illness: he had abdominal pains and constant headaches, and to these miseries were added other painful infirmities. The devil gave him no rest. Even so, he remained smiling, active, always exhausted, but ever ready to labor for souls. One day, however, he was forced to stop. It was around May of 1843. All alone in a crushing ministry, with the number of pilgrims flocking to Ars ever increasing, doing his best to "make his corpse gallop," he was unable to go on. Bedridden despite himself, he was soon at death's door and began his preparation for death. Four doctors were in attendance of him "watching him die." His confessor was called in to administer the Last Sacrament.
After receiving Extreme Unction, he made a vow to Saint Philomena. He promised to have always a large candle burning in her honor and to have 100 Masses offered in her honor. The first Mass was offered at once by Father Dubouis, the pastor of Fareins, in the chapel at Ars. Jean Pertinand, who was with the dying Curé, as the Mass was being offered, related, "The Mass was scarcely over when he exclaimed, 'My friend, a great change has come over me. I am healed!' I heard him murmur the name of his dear protectress several times and believe that Saint Philomena appeared to him." 
In return for so many benefits, known and unknown, the Curé of Ars showed every mark of gratitude to his "Beloved". The Roman Breviary declares, "He inspired souls with a tender piety toward the blessed Philomena." He cherished a plan to have a splendid shrine built in her honor, but only death prevented him from fulfilling this plan. In his last days with trembling hand, amid the tears and sobs of all, he wrote these lines: "I will pray to God for those who help me build a beautiful church to Saint Philomena." (Jean MB Vianney, Curé d'Ars April 2, 1859)
 After reading of his life, writings, and the miracles that took place at Ars, no one can deny that he alone, Jean-Marie-Baptiste Vianney, had done as much, if not more, for the glory of Saint Philomena than all others combined. During his life, he honored her constantly, loved her deeply, and she him. Without leaving his poor, obscure church, he had made the young virgin of the catacombs known and loved all over the world. Far more than this, he himself had become living, tangible proof of the existence and sanctity of the child saint. Who would ever dare to pretend that a miracle-worker, a sage, a Saint like the Curé of Ars, who is now declared the Patron Saint of all Priests in the world, lived an illusion? That a man who read the secrets of hearts would not have discovered this error, this falsehood, in his own heart? He proved himself to be a man of total truthfulness and heroic in the virtue of prudence. Would such a man, believing in purely imaginary visions himself, have engaged millions of souls to pray to a virgin-martyr unworthy of the name?
"The great argument in favor of devotion to Saint Philomena is the Venerable Curé of Ars." (St. Pius X)
It is written in the declaration of canonization of St. Jean-Marie Vianney that he should be imitated in all his spirituality. How could one follow this directive without including a tender devotion to the Saint, whom he loved and honored in a singular way throughout the long years he lived as a holocaust for souls? "O, Powerful Saint Philomena, 'Guardian Angel' of the Living Rosary Association, obtain for us the gifts of the Holy Ghost in order that we may be given the light to know the Will of God, the science of loving Him, the wisdom of discerning what pleases and displeases Him, the fear of saddening Him, and the strength to obey Him." (Venerable Pauline Jaricot, Foundress of the Living Rosary)
ST. PHILOMENA, POWERFUL WITH GOD, LEAD US WITH THEE TO THE JOYS OF HEAVEN! |
How very many letters come across my desk which share the real and great sufferings you undergo in your daily lives. Yet, amidst your own heavy crosses, you reach out so generously to help the Missionary Church in distant lands. This edition of the NewsFlash gives testimony to your love, zeal and sacrifice. Never lose heart!
St. Philomena Chapel, rising in the country of Lebanon
The Living Rosary campaign is reaching out to schools and parishes with the devotion to St. Philomena and Our Lady's Sacramentals. People of all ages sign up for the daily Decade and they love to wear their Brown Scapular. When the pilgrims visit the old monastery where I work, it gives me an opportunity to spread the ULRA devotion with them. Also, the Arab Christians from Syria, Iraq, Jordan and Palestine visit the old monastery.
It is with great joy and gratitude that I acknowledge receipt of booklets, Rosaries, St. Philomena cord and oil, reading materials of St. Philomena and package of stampitas of St. Jean Marie Vianney in celebration of the YEAR FOR PRIESTS which you sent through Rev. Fr. Elmo Borgueta, Parochial Vicar of St. Francis Xavier Parish, Palompon Leyte.
