BEADS OF JOY 07-28-16
“Kingdom of Heaven”
©2016 James Dacey, Jr. OFS
My Friends,
Today’s
Gospel: Matthew 13:47-53 (Kingdom of Heaven)
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net which was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind; when it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into vessels but threw away the bad. So it will be at the close of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous, and throw them into the furnace of fire; there men will weep and gnash their teeth. "Have you understood all this?" They said to him, "Yes." And he said to them, "Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old." And when Jesus had finished these parables, he went away from there.”
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net which was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind; when it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into vessels but threw away the bad. So it will be at the close of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous, and throw them into the furnace of fire; there men will weep and gnash their teeth. "Have you understood all this?" They said to him, "Yes." And he said to them, "Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old." And when Jesus had finished these parables, he went away from there.”
Reflection:
I simply love this gospel today;
it offers such hope for so many. You know how many of us try and try to live a
good life and might even think, “What
for, look how others live their lives doing what they want, having so much fun,
embracing the treasures and lust and things of this world; is all that I am
doing worth it?” Well, today’s gospel confirms that indeed it is well worth
all the effort. Look at this, “The angels
will come out and separate the evil from the righteous, and throw them into the
furnace of fire; there men will weep and gnash their teeth.” That’s verse
49. I’m not hoping for the worst for others, but I am glad to see the reward of
those who are doing their best to live a good life righteous before God.
Almighty God sees and knows all
of what we do, not only in sight, but more importantly what is in our hearts.
The thought of the Kingdom of God gathering up souls into a net is incredible.
But even more incredible; have you ever considered the worldwide death rates on
an hourly, daily and yearly level? Well after doing some research I have
learned some pretty amazing things. Our Lord gathers a huge net full of souls
every single day of every single year. Check out these numbers.
I have gathered this information
from a Google search: Average life expectancy at birth is approximately 67
years. Sources: Population Reference Bureau & The World Factbook (Central
Intelligence Agency)
·
Nearly 2 people die a second.
·
105 people die per minute.
·
6,316 people die per hour.
·
151,600 people die per day.
·
55.3 million people die per year.
Prepare Now... PRAY! GO TO MASS! Love
Jesus with all your heart, mind and soul… Never allow the world to distract you
or consume you. One day we will all be on this list. We must be ready at all
times.
LOVE YOU GUYS !!!!
Your brother in Christ Jesus
And His Most Blessed Mother,
Jim (The Rosary Man) Dacey Jr OFS
And His Most Blessed Mother,
Jim (The Rosary Man) Dacey Jr OFS
