BEADS OF JOY 10-16-16
“The Persistent Widow”
©2016 James Dacey, Jr. OFS
My Friends,
Today’s Gospel: Luke 18:1-8 (The Persistent Widow)
“And he told them a parable, to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. He said, "In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor regarded man; and there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, `Vindicate me against my adversary.' For a while he refused; but afterward he said to himself, `Though I neither fear God nor regard man, yet because this widow bothers me, I will vindicate her, or she will wear me out by her continual coming.'" And the Lord said, "Hear what the unrighteous judge says. And will not God vindicate his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will vindicate them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of man comes, will he find faith on earth?"
Reflection:
Do you keep praying even when you are being beaten by trials and sufferings that are horrifying in your life? Do you keep praying even when the doctors say, “There is no hope, the illness is terminal, she will die!”? Do you keep praying when homelessness is looking you dead in the face and you secretly cry tears no one wants to hear about and many don’t even care about? When do you STOP praying? I hope your answer is NEVER! If there is one thing the persistent widow has taught us in Jesus' parable today it’s this; never give up, never lose heart, never lose hope, keep forging forward. Trust fully in Jesus!
Anyone who has been beaten and is suffering of cause, can give up and yes they can give a list of reasons why they rightly did so. But why? I would rather die before I ever gave up my faith and hope in making it through any tough and/or horrible situation. And if death is my option over throwing away my faith; how bad can it get? So instead I say keep the faith in any and all situations and forge forward bold and strong in your faith. We don’t always know what God’s Will is in our lives or why things happen; but 10 times out of 10, things happen for a reason. All we must do is have the faith that somehow, someway, Almighty God will see us through. And through it and in it and tumbling all around it; we must find a way to give Him thanks and praise to Him. I know that last sentence is impossible for many, but please understand I have been there, in the fire, in the hell of the storm. I don’t understand it either, but in that thanksgiving you find peace.
Trusting Jesus takes faith my sisters and brothers. But I know you can have the faith it takes to be strong in the toughest of times. And when you pray be persistent, not annoying, just keep praying and praying and praying. Here is my own life’s example: I pray every single day for Chrissy’s healing, every single day since May of 2010. Most Stage 4 lung cancer patients die within the first 2 years. She almost died twice the first 2 months, but she is still here. The average person with Stage 4 lung cancer that lives past 2 years only lives an estimated 5-6 years. Well here we are at 6 years, 5 months and she is still here. She still has many challenges! My prayers are unceasing and persistent. I don’t scream and yell and cry like I did the first year of prayer, I am calmer now. Jesus knew how I felt back then, but my prayers never ever stopped and I thank Him every single day for the challenges, the pain, the suffering and whatever healing He has given her to live this long. Wow that was a lot to share with all of you. Talk with 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 Sunday: We pray the Glorious Mysteries:
The Glorious Mysteries
1. The Resurrection (Faith) –Mark 16:1-8
2. The Ascension (Hope) –Luke 24:50-53
3. The Descent of the Holy Spirit (Love) –Acts 2:1-4
4. The Assumption of Our Lady
(Grace of a Happy Death) –Rev 12:1-6
5. The Coronation of Mary (Mary’s intercession) –Judith 15:9-10
Glory and Honor and Praise to You Lord Jesus Christ!
Rosary Man Jim's Glorious Reflections: http://beads-of-joy-blog.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-glorious-mysteries.html
