Tuesday, November 15, 2016

I Give To The Poor

BEADS OF JOY 11-15-16
“I Give To The Poor”
©2016 James Dacey, Jr. OFS

My Friends,


Today’s Gospel: Luke 19:1-10 (I Give To The Poor)
“He entered Jericho and was passing through. And there was a man named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector, and rich. And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not, on account of the crowd, because he was small of stature. So, he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, make haste and come down; for I must stay at your house today." So, he made haste and came down, and received him joyfully. And when they saw it they all murmured, "He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner." And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, "Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have defrauded any one of anything, I restore it fourfold." And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of man came to seek and to save the lost."


Reflection:
A rather curious title for today’s blog, don’t you think? It’s not my own personal expression, nor is it something I am saying we must do. Rather it is simply an excerpt from today’s scripture, a true reflection of the words we read today. But in all honesty, it isn’t only something for Zacchaeus to be saying, but it should be for us as well. There was something exciting about Jesus to Zacchaeus that made him climb that sycamore tree to see Him; and when He came to his house, Zacchaeus changed dramatically. We’ll never fully know, or will we? We know how excited we individually feel about our love for our Lord; well, Zacchaeus had a change of heart by being in Jesus’ presence. He went from being a selfish, money hording, stealing tax collector; to being a man who wanted to make amends with everyone he offended and stole from. He even wanted to help the poor, how admirable.

There are many people in this world like Zacchaeus. Yes, there are many who are like him before and after his transformation. But who are we? If Jesus decided today to drop in to your home uninvited, how would you feel? Would you be ready for Him to see and know the things you/we do in the privacy of your/our home? And if so, who would be ready to give them up or make amends with those we may have offended or hurt by our actions? None of us will ever be perfect, by no means, we are all sinners. But, if we keep ourselves busy in the Lord, we will stay distracted in His work so that we won’t fall in trap of selfishness and greed and worldliness that so many fall into.

Staying busy in the Lord is far more easier than one might think. Simply get yourselves involved with daily scripture readings and a daily devotion (like the rosary) and you’d be surprised how consumed your time can become. Once you do that, pray for creativity and the joy of the Lord to help guide you. Then add daily Mass when you can, weekly Confession and weekly Adoration. Also, the greatest joy I found is going to a handful of different churches in your area, ones that are ten minutes away and ones that are even thirty minutes away. Through the years I have found this to be a most wonderful variety of peace in my life. I get to see different people in different communities, I get to travel to different places, I simply love this habit of mine. On my wall over my desk I have six churches I randomly go to. Yes, I still wish to add more. Spice is the variety of life, it is true, even in the spiritual realm. Stay busy in the Lord and use the drive time for prayer, singing spiritual songs, contemplation. I have found the drive time to be such a relaxing blessing. I am praying that you to find this wonderful peace in staying busy in the Lord. Talk to you tomorrow.



LOVE YOU GUYS !!!!

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

**(NEW DAILY FEATURE)

Today is Tuesday: We pray the Sorrowful Mysteries:

The Sorrowful Mysteries

1. Agony on the Garden (Sorrow for sin) –Matt 26:36-46
2. Scourging at the Pillar (Purity) –Mark 15:1-16
3. Crowning with Thorns (Moral Courage) –Matt 27:27-31
4. Carrying of the Cross (Patience) –Mark 15:20-22
5. The Crucifixion (Perseverance) –Luke 23:33-46

Thank you Lord for loving us so much…

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