Saturday, January 13, 2018

In His House

BEADS OF JOY 01-13-18
“In His House”
©2018 James Dacey, Jr. OFS

My Friends,


Today’s Gospel: Mark 2:13-17 (The Call of Levi)
“He went out again beside the sea; and all the crowd gathered about him, and he taught them. And as he passed on, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax office, and he said to him, "Follow me." And he rose and followed him. And as he sat at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners were sitting with Jesus and his disciples; for there were many who followed him. And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, "Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?" And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; I came not to call the righteous, but sinners."

Reflection:
Today I’d like to start with the Prayer of Augustine.
"Lord Jesus, our Savior, let us now come to you: Our hearts are cold; Lord, warm them with your selfless love. Our hearts are sinful; cleanse them with your precious blood. Our hearts are weak; strengthen them with your joyous Spirit. Our hearts are empty; fill them with your divine presence. Lord Jesus, our hearts are yours; possess them always and only for yourself." Now you see why I am starting with this prayer, it keeps all things in perspective. We are all sinners, no one is better than anyone else. As scripture says, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” Romans 3:23.

Like Fr. Larry Richards says, “Try to stop sinning, it is impossible.” If you listen to his talk called Confessions, you will learn how if we go through the commandments honestly, most of us have sinned more than we ever thought. So, how do we change that, or at least lessen that? The best way is through knowledge of them and awareness of other ways to keep our minds and our hearts and our time occupied. Daily prayer is the key and keeping Jesus ever present in our lives is a great start. I’m no preacher and I’m no saint. My life has been the testing ground, for me, to make the adjustments necessary to do my best to try to live a holier life. I will say this, it does consume me, in that I must be aware of my every thought and my every choice, every day. God knows my heart, but even with all this said, I still sin.

The key to living a life pleasing to God, is going to Confession frequently, look at scripture, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9. Today’s gospel just has me pondering and puttering around the thought of how scripture often talks about Jesus being with sinners. And then I think of the life of a Medical Doctor. He or she is always around sick people, helping to heal them. Jesus is a Healer of our soul, and He is here to help us get well and to help prepare us for Heaven.

Pondering these thoughts today: Might I say this? I suggest picking out a prayer or a devotion or staying focused on scripture, this wonderful thought of incorporating this into your life will consume you. The old saying, “Garbage in – Garbage out” it’s true, so instead focus on, “Jesus in – Jesus out” your thoughts will be consumed by prayer and/or scripture or both. It is a great way to cleanse your mind and your soul; and it will, in time, purge out so much of what needs to be purged out. My focus is on the Rosary, personally and in an evangelizing way of sharing the Rosary. The life of St Dominic, is one that I try to emulate. He spent his entire life sharing the Rosary and teaching others how to pray it. Since 1983, I felt our Lady tug at my heart and our Lord nudge me in this direction. Find your ministry. Where is your heart aching to be?


LOVE YOU GUYS !!!!

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

Today is Saturday: We pray the Joyful Mysteries:

The Joyful Mysteries

1. The Annunciation (Humility) – Luke 1:26-28
2. The Visitation (Love of Neighbor) – Luke 1:39-45
3. The Birth of Jesus (Poverty of Spirit) – Luke 2:1-20
4. The Presentation (Purity of Mind and Spirit) – Luke 2:22-38
5. Finding in The Temple (Obedience) –Luke 2:41-50

I simply love Saturday mornings, because Saturday like every other day of the week -begins with the Rosary.

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