Happy Valentine's Day Jesus

Beads of Joy 02-14-11
Happy Valentine's Day Jesus
©2011 James Dacey, Jr. SFO

Hello Everyone,

Jimmy Loves Chrissy

Today is the day we celebrate "LOVE", the love we give, the love we share, the love we have. How do you say "I love you" to a spouse, a boyfriend or a girlfriend, or even a family member, basically anyone we love? Obviously the way you say I love you to your spouse will be very different, then the way we say it to a neighbor or your aunt. And now let's take this one step further and much more seriously into our spiritual life: How do you tell and show Jesus how much we love Him? OK, now that I got your undivided attention, that is my main focus here in today's blog: Our love for Jesus and how we might show Him how much we love Him. You do realize just the thought of returning love to someone who died for us, saved us, and who has loved us, even before we were born, will be a challenge. But thank God for His word. Let me share just a couple scriptures that really explain this,

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:30-31

"I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends." John 15:11-13

"But whoever loves God is known by God." 1 Corinthians 8:3

"Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God."
1 John 4:7

I know many of you are well versed with scripture, and I could go on and on with scripture that shares about love, especially love for our Lord and for others. So what can we do to express our love for Jesus? How can we, mere human beings of this world ever express "love" for God? For He has everything and He knows everything and He is everywhere. What's left for me to give Him? I think that last sentence just sent you down the path to figure these questions out. What is the one thing that God has given us, that we have full control of in our life? Yes, there is something, we can freely determine the choice of, and that is our free will. Do we freely love Him, and follow after Him? Or do we deny Him and want nothing to do with Him? Critically important questions that ultimately answer the question: How can I show God that I love Him? It is through God's very example of love for us, that we in turn can love Him. And we can find that in John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." Now do you see where I am going with all this? Here's another, "This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him." 1 John 4:9

There is no question that we are all loved by God. He loved us before we were born. “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you," Jeremiah 1:5. We need to fully surrender our lives over to our Lord, loving him with everything we have inside ourselves. He must be the first and foremost one who we live for, and will be willingly die for. For that is love for Jesus. Don't hide under the covers, or behind the door, when you hear someone speak His name, or about you because you spoke His name. Your boldness shows your love. For in real love, there is no fear. Here is a the perfect scripture saying this: "This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. We love because he first loved us." 1 John 4:17-19. And here are some things, some of the saints have said:

"What does love look like? It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men. That is what love looks like." ~St. Augustine of Hippo

"There is no place for selfishness—and no place for fear! Do not be afraid, then, when love makes demands. Do not be afraid when love requires sacrifice." ~Pope John Paul II

Love is a topic that we can talk about for days, weeks, even years. For centuries society and God have been talking about love. So on this very day, we celebrate love; a simple hug, a warm embrace, a care and concern for another we don't even know. Let us for today, try to love the unlovable. I won't define who that may be. We all have have these people in our lives, and for all we know, we may be that to others in their lives. I hope not, and honestly think not, but who knows. So go the extra mile for one another; buy them a coffee, hold open the door for them, let them in the elevator, stop saying mean things to them today. Even share your Twinkies, and search for that smile inside them. You will be sharing the very love Jesus has for you with them. Once the Holy Spirit finds inside us finds another person with the same Holy Spirit, the two are filled with Joy.

Happy Valentine's Day everybody.

"Jesus, I trust in You."


Your brother in Christ Jesus & His Most Blessed Mother,
Jim (The Rosary Man) Dacey Jr SFO

Today we pray the Joyful Mysteries
1. The Annunciation2. The Visitation3. The Birth of Jesus4. The Presentation in The Temple5. Finding of Jesus in the Temple