BEADS OF JOY 11-23-12 “Christmas 2012 Challenge”
©2012 James Dacey, Jr. OFS
My Friends,
©2012 James Dacey, Jr. OFS
My Friends,
I CHALLENGE YOU: Here’s a switch up, consider giving to Jesus yourself more fully while giving Jesus to others for Christmas… Today’s world is changing, and not necessarily in a good way, but it is in some ways good that many more are turning to God for answers. Let us in our own lives, start to more seriously give Jesus more and more of ourselves to Him, here are just a few ideas to start with:
1. Humility: This is the truest most difficult gift to give, not impossible, but difficult indeed… Anything I share I have lived and I have done. I won’t ever challenge anything to anyone if I myself haven’t already been down that road. This gift needs to be practiced in all aspects of our life. Humility is a hard teaching. We must learn to swallow our own pride and our own desires, placing others wishes and desires first, always. By doing this we offer the pain of it to our Lord. It is humility that changes us, we are nothing without Jesus, and humility brings that reality into the light for us to see.
2. Confession: Another very difficult gift to give to our Lord, more difficult when the reality is just you sitting face to face with a priest; though you can sit behind a screen if you feel more comfortable. I guess the first step here in that this gift is the one gift that helps you take away all that comes between you and Jesus. The straight and narrow path that leads us directly to Jesus has no room for our own selfish desires and the sins we embrace. And we do have sins that we embrace, we all know that. The sins we say to ourselves, “Oh that’s harmless, no one is being hurt by that.” We think that, forgetting that even if no one else knows or sees or is affected by what we are doing; Jesus has taken to heart our disrespect and lack of true love for Him.
3. Serving Others: This gift is a gift by example that Jesus himself gives to us every single day. Honestly you should consider this to be one of the greatest gifts you can ever give to Jesus. Placing others first is an honor, giving to others your time, your stuff and your treasures; don’t hold back my sisters and brothers. It is so wonderful when we can indeed help others with our words of love, our words of encouragement, our support and love always unconditionally.
This is just a mere start to so many more gifts I want to share with all of you. Just think of the possibilities if so many more of us, together start putting Jesus and others first in our lives. This world would change in so many positive ways.
Please know that I am praying for all of you, and I mean that. You guys have been the greatest GIFT that our Lord has given me the opportunity to love and embrace and pray with each day. Not a day goes by that I don’t think of you, pray for you and ask for God’s blessings for your families, your challenges, your diseases and all that hinder your time away from Jesus…
“Jesus, I Trust in You.”
Your Brother in Christ Jesus
and His Most Precious Mother Mary,
Jimmy (The Rosary Man) Dacey Jr OFS
