BEADS OF JOY 01-22-18
“Sins Will Be Forgiven”
©2018 James Dacey, Jr. OFS
My Friends,
Today’s Gospel: Mark 3:22-30 (Jesus and Beelzebul)
“And the
scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, "He is possessed by Beelzebul,
and by the prince of demons he casts out the demons." And he called them
to him, and said to them in parables, "How can Satan cast out Satan? If a
kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is
divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. And if Satan has
risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but is coming to an
end. But no one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he
first binds the strong man; then indeed he may plunder his house. "Truly,
I say to you, all sins will be forgiven
the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they utter; but whoever blasphemes
against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal
sin" -- for they had said, "He has an unclean spirit."
Reflection:
Today we look at the division of our
heart, our homes, our lives, our everything. Jesus makes it very clear in today’s
gospel, there are no neutral parties. Think about this, our bodies are the
temple of the Holy Spirit. “Or do you not
know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have
from God, and that you are not your own? For
you have been bought with a price: therefore, glorify God in your body.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20.
Ok, now that we understand that our bodies are the very place the Holy Spirit
resides, how do we live our lives?
True freedom and peace can only
be found in Jesus Christ. So, with that in mind, we remember that whatever
controls and leads our appetite and our desires in our lives, must be ruled by
Jesus. Satan will do all he can to mislead us, misinform us, and lead us into
hell, and make it look all pretty and wonderful. We must open our hearts to
Jesus and allow Him to rule in our lives. Like I always say Jesus 24/7/365! We must never put our
guard down. We must shield and protect our relationship with our Lord, even if
it costs us our lives. Yes, I said that, I know I would, I hope many others
have the same passion and love for Jesus.
Maybe another way to look at this,
is the way you love your spouse. I do know some of you are married, some of you
are single or divorced or widows or widowers. I can only share my own experience
as a widower after 30 years of true love and bliss. Yes, we had challenges like
any other marriage, but our marriage had a foundation of love that was extremely
solid and committed without question. So, no matter what, period, no matter
what the circumstances, period, we would get through it and remain in love and
dedicated to one another. Our love was real, and we did face many challenges
that shook us hard. But, we’d hug each other through it all and say, no matter
what we will get through this together. If you really love Jesus, do you yell at
Him or curse at Him or belittle Him or keep complaining to Him, if He didn’t do
what you told Him to? Of cause not, that sounds absurd. I said that, like that,
on purpose. Our love for one another must be tender and real and respectful and
sincere always, no matter what; with complete understanding and compassion and
right to pass with instant forgiveness (a
bazillion times over) in any and all situations. Now does that make sense?
Pondering these thoughts today: Is your house divided? Or rather, is your heart divided? The way we love Jesus must and should be, the way we love our spouse and our children and those around us. Can you image what a peaceful, loving world this would be, if we would stop being so selfish and thoughtless in our words and in our actions. Let us not live divided, but rather united in love. Relationships will mend, and hearts will heal. God wants us to love others, as He has loved us. Sometimes it isn’t always easy, but through prayer and fellowship and love and forgiveness, we shall find a way.
LOVE YOU GUYS !!!!
Your brother in Christ Jesus
And His Most Blessed Mother,
Jim (The Rosary Man) Dacey Jr OFS
Today is Monday: 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 Monday mornings, because every morning begins with the Rosary.
Rosary Man Jim’s Joyful Reflection: http://beads-of-joy-blog.blogspot.com/2014/02/the-joyful-mysteries_10.html
