BEADS OF JOY 03-15-17
“Seriously, Dude!”
©2017 James Dacey, Jr. OFS
My Friends,
Today’s Gospel:
Matthew 20:17-28
(Request of James and John)
“And as Jesus was going up to
Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside, and on the way, he said to them,
"Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man will be
delivered to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death,
and deliver him to the Gentiles to be mocked and scourged and crucified, and he
will be raised on the third day." Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee
came up to him, with her sons, and kneeling before him she asked him for
something. And he said to her, "What do you want?" She said to him,
"Command that these two sons of mine may sit, one at your right hand and
one at your left, in your kingdom." But Jesus answered, "You do not know
what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?"
They said to him, "We are able." He said to them, "You will
drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant,
but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father." And when
the ten heard it, they were indignant at the two brothers. But Jesus called
them to him and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it
over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. It shall not be so
among you; but whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and
whoever would be first among you must be your slave; even as the Son of man
came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for
many."
Reflection:
Are you kidding me? Seriously, dude! James and John how can you be so full of yourselves, to want to place yourselves above your fellow disciples, and then think you are worthy of being equal with Jesus in the sacrifice He will endure. You guys did not think this through! Wow, how many of us have made choices without first thinking about the cost of what we were actually asking for first? Today’s gospel teaching us that big time.
As a disciple, we must be ready
to lay down our lives for Christ. But did James and John have this in mind;
when they said, they can drink the cup that Jesus would drink? What kind of cup
are you drinking from in your life my friend? Is your cup; a cup of physical
suffering? Are you making sacrifices because of your faith? Many of us do have
to drink from a cup of daily sacrifices, all sorts of struggles and so many us
deal with everyday temptations on all levels.
"I understood
that to become a saint one had to suffer much, seek out always the most perfect
thing to do, and forget self. I understood, too, that there are many degrees of
perfection and each soul was free to respond to the advances of the Our Lord,
to do little or much for Him, in a word, to choose among the sacrifices He was
asking. Then, as in the days of my childhood, I cried out: 'My God I choose all!' I do not want to be a saint by halves. I'm not afraid to
suffer for You. I fear only one thing: to keep my own will; so take it, for I
choose all that You will!" ~ St.
Therese of Lisieux
"Never does our
suffering make Him happy, but it is necessary for us, and so He sends it to us,
while, as it were, turning away His face.... I assure you that it costs Him
dearly to fill us with bitterness. The good God, who so loves us, has pain
enough in being obliged to leave us on earth to fulfill our time of trial,
without our constantly telling Him of our discomfort; we must appear not to
notice it...Far from complaining to Our Lord of the cross which He sends us, I
cannot fathom the infinite love which has led Him to treat us this way...What a
favor from Jesus, and how He must love us to send us so great a sorrow!
Eternity will not be long enough to bless Him for it." ~ St. Therese of Lisieux
Pondering these thoughts today: I’m not saying we shouldn’t and won’t suffer; on the contrary, as a true believer we will indeed have times on our journey where suffering will be a huge part of our experience. My reflection today is about the way James and John seemed to demand equality in the kingdom with Jesus. Yes, we are to follow Jesus, but no, we are not equal to Him; meaning that we do not sit to the right and left of Jesus in His kingdom.
LOVE YOU GUYS !!!!
Your brother in Christ Jesus
And His Most Blessed Mother,
Jim (The Rosary Man) Dacey Jr OFS
Today is Wednesday: 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. Assumption of Our Lady (A Happy Death) –Rev 12:1-6
5. 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
