BEADS OF JOY 05-28-17
“Abundant Life Eternal”
©2017 James Dacey, Jr. OFS
My Friends,
Today’s Gospel: John 17:1-11 (The Prayer of Jesus)
“When Jesus had spoken these
words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven and said, "Father, the hour has
come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him
power over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And
this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ
whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work
which you gave me to do; and now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with
the glory which I had with you before the world was made. "I have
manifested your name to the men whom you gave me out of the world; they were
yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know
that everything that you have given me is from you; for I have given them the
words which you gave me, and they have received them and know in truth that I
came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. I am praying for them;
I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they
are yours; all mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them.
And now I am no more in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming
to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they
may be one, even as we are one.”
Reflection:
I am sure some you, as you begin to read and look at the title and the picture; may be wondering how this all connects. I’ve always said I am a simple man, so with that in mind, this too is very simple. Our Abundant Life begins at the Cross of Jesus! Our Eternal Life also begins at the Cross of Jesus! Hence the Abundant Life Eternal begins at the Cross of Christ. We have returned to where it all began, so that we may continue to move forward abundantly. This understanding is vital as we embrace the Abundant Life Eternal. Let’s take a quick look at some scripture (I love scripture.) as we continue with these thoughts:
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that
whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” ~John 3:16
“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who
sent Me, has eternal life,
and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.”
~John 5:24
“But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive
your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life. For the wages of sin
is death, but the free gift of God is eternal
life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” ~Romans 6:22-23
“This is the promise which He Himself made to us: eternal life.”
~1 John 2:25
I could continue, but I’ll pull
back for now. I may share something else shortly, but let’s look at a few other
things right now. I sometimes feel like our time here in this life; is very
short and all that we accomplish here to some small degree is pointless, unless
it is Christ-centered. I won’t mention any accomplishments or successes so no
one feels like I am talking about them, because I’m not. This is more of a
general spiritual thought. If only there were more like-minded people in this
way of thinking. Anyways let’s continue thinking about Jesus and the Eternal
Life.
When I see Jesus on the Cross
– I see victory over sin and victory over satan and victory over death itself. It is through the Cross that
we have surrendered all; and by surrendering everything we have gained eternal life,
because we embraced that Cross. Think about it this way: We follow Jesus by
carrying our own Cross, and by carrying our own Cross we must put down anything
else we are holding onto. Therefore, our arms can only be wrapped around holding
and carrying the Cross; and by doing so we are releasing ourselves from the
chains and attachments of this world to hold the Cross, which is our victory
towards eternity.
The Eternal Life that Jesus
offers to us, is more than our lives without ending when we die. It is our
current life that we are living that becomes more abundant in the grace of God;
and an over-abundance in the Fruit of The
Holy Spirit in our lives and in our hearts. And we will also get an over-abundance
in the Fruit of The Rosary, the more
we Pray The Rosary. Because, you will
Pray The Rosary more now, of cause. LOL.
Everything Christ-centered becomes more abundant and more filled with Joy than
ever before, now that you are living a more Christ-centered life. Am I typing
too fast, are you keeping up with me? I'm just having fun with you. Look at the Fruits that will flourish in
abundance in your life:
The Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-26)
“By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, competing against one another, envying one another.”
Fruits Of The Rosary
Joyful Mysteries
| Rosary
Mystery |
Fruit
of the Mystery |
| Annunciation |
Humility |
| Visitation |
Love
of Neighbor |
| Birth of Jesus |
Poverty |
| Presentation of Jesus in the
Temple |
Obedience
to the law of God |
| Finding Jesus in the Temple |
Joy
in finding Jesus in your life |
Luminous Mysteries
| Rosary
Mystery |
Fruit
of the Mystery |
| Baptism of Jesus |
Openness
to the Holy Spirit |
| Wedding at Cana |
To
Jesus Through Mary |
| Proclaiming the Kingdom |
Repentance and Trust in God |
| Transfiguration of Jesus |
Desire
for Holiness |
| Institution of the Eucharist |
Adoration |
Sorrowful Mysteries
| Rosary
Mystery |
Fruit
of the Mystery |
| Agony in the Garden |
Sorrow
for sin |
| Scourging at the Pillar |
Purity |
| Crowning with Thorns |
Moral
Courage |
| Carrying of the Cross |
Patience |
| Crucifixion of Jesus |
Perseverance |
Glorious Mysteries
| Rosary
Mystery |
Fruit
of the Mystery |
| Resurrection of Jesus |
Faith |
| Ascension of Jesus |
Hope |
| Descent of the Holy
Spirit-Pentecost |
Love |
| Assumption of Mary |
Grace
of a happy death |
| Coronation of Mary |
Trust
in Mary's intercession |
Pondering these thoughts today: Let me leave you with this prayer from St. Frances de Sales: "If only I possessed the grace, good Jesus, to be utterly at one with you! Amidst all the variety of worldly things around me, Lord, the only thing I crave is unity with you. You are all my soul needs. Unite, dear friend of my heart, this unique little soul of mine to your perfect goodness. You are all mine; when shall I be yours? Lord Jesus, my beloved, be the magnet of my heart; clasp, press, unite me forever to your sacred heart. You have made me for yourself; make me one with you. Absorb this tiny drop of life into the ocean of goodness whence it came."
LOVE YOU GUYS !!!!
Your brother in Christ Jesus
And His Most Blessed Mother,
Jim (The Rosary Man) Dacey Jr OFS
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
