BEADS OF JOY 01-04-18
“What Do You Seek?”
©2018 James Dacey, Jr. OFS
My Friends,
Today’s Gospel: John 1:35-42 (The First Disciples)
“The next day again John was
standing with two of his disciples; and he looked at Jesus as he walked, and
said, "Behold, the Lamb of God!" The two disciples heard him say
this, and they followed Jesus. Jesus turned, and saw them following, and said
to them, "What
do you seek?" And they said to him, "Rabbi" (which means Teacher), "where are
you staying?" He said to them, "Come and see." They came and saw
where he was staying; and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the
tenth hour. One of the two who heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew,
Simon Peter's brother. He first found his brother Simon, and said to him,
"We have found the Messiah" (which
means Christ). He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him, and said,
"So you are Simon the son of John? You shall be called Cephas" (which means Peter).”
Reflection:
In today’s gospel Jesus asks, “Who do you seek?” it’s really a great question and the answer will be different for all of us. But at the same time the answer is all connected to the same answer. I hope that made sense. Many of us at some point in our lives or on our journey, wonder, “What am I doing here? or What is the true meaning and purpose of my life?” The questions may vary, but the thoughts and curiosity are usually in the same wheelhouse of wonder. When you feel that inner burning desire to have real meaning in your life; you may wonder and seek more about life’s true meaning, more than maybe you ever have before.
Following Jesus is truly the
greatest journey anyone could be on. Think about what life in this world is all
about, or at least the way it seems advertised. We have a job, we work our way
through the business world to be promoted and get higher pay and more powerful
titles. We have a home, some seek a larger, more magnificent one, so they buy
and live in and sell till they get what they consider success. We buy a car to
get around and then after all our hard work, eventually we have an expensive
piece of machinery that we believe shows who we are, and that we have made it
to success. That’s just the worldly part of our life’s journey for some. What about the relationship side of this journey? Before
you think about that; do you ever wonder what your life might be like, if there
wasn’t all this ego and pride mixed into this journey?
Obviously, we are all different,
I’m not saying everyone has these worldly desires and not everyone is seeking
success or what they perceive as worldly success. God sent Jesus to us with a
purpose and with so much love; that one drop of His blood exceeds the entire
worlds success and wealth. Nothing in
this world can fulfill our hearts desire in every possible way and meet all our
needs like Jesus does. And when we embrace Him and love Him and follow Him;
through the power of the Holy Spirit, our journey’s purpose gains clarity. And
yes, in our hearts Jesus becomes the answer to “What do you seek?”
Just take a second and look at today’s gospel, there are 3 times that the “meaning” is identified. “Rabbi means teacher” “Messiah means Christ” and “Cephas means Peter” yes, there is great meaning in today’s gospel. What does this all mean? I’m not a scholar or teacher to answer that. I am a simple guy who deeply loves our Lord and loves the scriptures. To me, today’s gospel confirms how much our Lord wants clarity in our lives and it is through Him that we will find it. “What do you seek?”
Pondering these thoughts today: I didn’t forget about what I spoke of earlier, What about the relationship side of this journey? I will need volumes of books to answer this, so I will do my best to keep it short (which means not so long). LOL – clarity. Our life’s journey in my opinion is best traveled, when we are blessed to be on that journey with someone who is like-minded and in love with Jesus with the same if not more love than we have. (wow - now breathe) I’m just trying to sum up this, to make sense and even make an impact on your thoughts about your journey. Likeminded people accomplish a lot, they seem to be on the same wave-length of thought and desire. Chrissy and I had that connection, it was magical and honestly, it’s sometimes hard to explain. She made me a better man, a more devout man to God and to her. That connection to her on this journey in my life, enabled me to grow spiritually. Soon I will share more about another very special woman in my life - Becky. Becky is an incredible woman of faith and strength, that I greatly admire and love. I’ll share more about her in upcoming reflections and how Chrissy’s blessings led me to her.
LOVE YOU GUYS !!!!
Your brother in Christ Jesus
And His Most Blessed Mother,
Jim (The Rosary Man) Dacey Jr OFS
Today is Thursday: We pray the Luminous Mysteries:
The Luminous Mysteries
1. The Baptism of Jesus (Matt 3:13-17)
2. Wedding Feast of Cana (John 2:1-12)
3. Proclamation of the Kingdom of God (Mark 1:15)
4. The Transfiguration (Mark 9:2-13)
5. Institution of the Holy Eucharist (Matt 26:17-30)
Glory and Honor and Praise -Lord Jesus Christ!!
Rosary Man Jim's Luminous Reflections: http://beads-of-joy-blog.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-luminous-mysteries.html
