The Son of Mary

BEADS OF JOY 01-31-18

“The Son of Mary”

©2018 James Dacey, Jr. OFS

My Friends,

Today’s Gospel: Mark 6:1-6 (Rejection at Nazareth)

“He went away from there and came to his own country; and his disciples followed him. And on the Sabbath, he began to teach in the synagogue; and many who heard him were astonished, saying, "Where did this man get all this? What is the wisdom given to him? What mighty works are wrought by his hands! Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Jose’s and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?" And they took offense at him. And Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor, except in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house." And he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands upon a few sick people and healed them. And he marveled because of their unbelief. And he went about among the villages teaching.”

Reflection:
I wasn’t going to write what I am writing now, I don’t even want to write this. See, I do not like to offend or hurt anyone, even if I am the only one feeling offended by offending someone else. Did that make sense? I have a severe problem with lashing out at anyone, even if they reject or hurt me. Unfortunately, the people who reject you the most are those closest to you. I can’t do this. I’m not speaking of anyone in my household or here with me, it’s way too long a story to even get into it. What I will say is this, the rejected relations from that rejection from long ago, have been healed, it has taken nearly two decades to feel more comfortable around them. We had three years of silence, yes it was that bad. It affected my family greatly, Chrissy was extremely upset and disappointed when it happened, the rejection was totally uncalled for. Ok, I digress.

Rejection from anyone is hard enough too handle. Look how people feel when their Facebook posts don’t get “Likes”. I know someone agreed with that. Why do we do the things we do in general? So, someone notices it, and someone does appreciate what we did. Yes, we do it out of the goodness of our hearts, but let’s be completely honest; doing something for someone is an act of love towards them, their noticing and responding is an act of love towards us. So, to be rejected in anyway, ignored or even forgotten is very hurtful. We are human beings craving interaction with other human beings, who are loving and kind. Yes, some people like confrontations and arguments and debates and comparisons; I would think most people would rather be accepted and loved for who they are, even if they are not like everyone else.

Through all the years I have been sharing the Rosary and our Lord and our Lady I have never let the rejection of any sort affected me, it has never ever stopped me from doing what I am doing. Yes, I have ONLY one time that I experienced one very scary thing, that scared the crap out of me. LOL. Case and point: One time I got a message from someone holding a gun with their face half covered with the isis flag nearby. I got so scared, I didn’t even read anything, instead I deleted, blocked and if I could run LOL LOL LOL I would have ran. I did not say i-ran..(get it) lol, I said I would have ran.. Ok, that scared the pi-duddles out of me. I laugh about it so much now, but holy canoli, that was over the top. That was not rejection, that was down right scary.

Pondering these thoughts today: OK, after y’all calm down, from your laughing, we’ll review. Now I’m laughing. LOL. By the way if you are laughing from that experience, I like that. And yes, that is totally and completely true. Today, let us think about how we treat others who are different then us or who seem disagreeable with us? How do we treat them? Me, I accept everyone on the surface till I get the chance to know them, then I try to find the best qualities I can for each of the people I know. Yes, we all have our closet full of uglies, but we also have a wall of wonderful smiles to share to. Let us try to be more loving and friendly towards everyone, even if they don’t exactly believe and think exactly like we do. You know that’s ok, being different, it’s a good thing.

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. The Assumption of Our Lady (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

I Say To You, Arise

BEADS OF JOY 01-30-18

“I Say To You, Arise”

©2018 James Dacey, Jr. OFS

My Friends,

Today’s Gospel: Mark 5:21-43 

(Jairus’ Daughter & The Woman with a Hemorrhage) 

“And when Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered about him; and he was beside the sea. Then came one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and seeing him, he fell at his feet, and begged him, saying, "My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well, and live." And he went with him. And a great crowd followed him and thronged about him. And there was a woman who had had a flow of blood for twelve years, and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse. She had heard the reports about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment. For she said, "If I touch even his garments, I shall be made well." And immediately the hemorrhage ceased; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. And Jesus, perceiving in himself that power had gone forth from him, immediately turned about in the crowd, and said, "Who touched my garments?" And his disciples said to him, "You see the crowd pressing around you, and yet you say, `Who touched me?'" And he looked around to see who had done it. But the woman, knowing what had been done to her, came in fear and trembling and fell down before him, and told him the whole truth. And he said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace and be healed of your disease."

While he was still speaking, there came from the ruler's house some who said, "Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?" But ignoring what they said, Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, "Do not fear, only believe." And he allowed no one to follow him except Peter and James and John the brother of James. When they came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, he saw a tumult, and people weeping and wailing loudly. And when he had entered, he said to them, "Why do you make a tumult and weep? The child is not dead but sleeping." And they laughed at him. But he put them all outside and took the child's father and mother and those who were with him and went in where the child was. Taking her by the hand he said to her, "Talitha cumi"; which means, "Little girl, I say to you, arise." And immediately the girl got up and walked (she was twelve years of age), and they were immediately overcome with amazement. And he strictly charged them that no one should know this and told them to give her something to eat.”

Reflection:
I have a question: The little girl who was healed in today’s gospel, she did eventually die, right? So, with that in mind, we can be healed and still die, eventually. So, that family and that little girl and all those people rejoiced in her healing, still knowing that inevitably one day, she would still die. So then, healing here in this life, is a healing that is for, but a moment of time; this healing here and now, does not grant us eternal life amongst the living, it only helps us to live longer while we are here. Hmmm, sorry I am thinking out loud. So, if we are to understand that, maybe just maybe, we would give witness to more healing in our lives and in the lives of others.

I won’t get into all the details of the past too much, because there has been so much healing, but here and now it needs to be said. Chrissy was Diagnosed May 2010 and our world was turned upside down. Sarah (17 y/o at the time) was the oldest and I was working 60-70-hours a week (night shift) and taking care of Chrissy and the kids; so, with Sarah being the oldest I relied heavily upon her. Once Chrissy started getting chemo which was almost immediately, she was wiped out. Chemo affects all the long bones in your body, so Chrissy had challenges walking and using her arms the weeks she had chemo, it took her a week to recover. She had chemo every other week. All of this is the back story. This last sentence is the killer. On January 2, 2011, Sarah (now 18 y/o) packed up and left home, we didn’t see her for nearly 3 years.

Yes, a truly most difficult crushing blow to our already suffering family; I can’t even begin to explain the pain, the anger and the hatred toward the family that helped her to do this. Well, let’s put all that aside. This is all about healing. Let’s fast forward the clock to July 2013. I got a text from the people who helped Sarah, saying she left them. (during these 3 years, Sarah barely communicated with us and we got together with her maybe twice) I was just starting my shift at work when I got that text. My boss knew all about the stress I was under. I immediately said, “I can’t work tonight I have to go find my daughter.” He said GO!! I immediately went to the Police Station in that area where she lived, and I asked for help; incredibly, remarkably after sharing the text with the officer, he helped me. And YES, I found her. I confirmed her whereabouts and I raced home, got Chrissy and we went to see our Sarah together. Talk about a miracle reunion, with all the tears and all the hugs. It was incredible. But Sarah wasn’t ready to come home yet.

Pondering these thoughts today: Yeah, this was a lot of drama, but through all of this we never gave up hope and we never excluded Sarah in anything, even without her home. During this very sad time of not having our only daughter home, Chrissy made Sarah things, bought Sarah things and she continued to include her in our plans as if she was here. Within a few months of that very emotional reunion, Sarah dropped by our home; I was home, this was after I had my 2 strokes, she asked if she can come back home. We all cried again, and we said YES of cause. She apologized and said she was very sorry for hurting us and she was wrong for doing what she did. We forgave her and moved on. From that point on Sarah and Chrissy became inseparable, except of cause when it was the 3 of us and when Sarah went back to work. But the greatest part of the healing was, that Sarah and Chrissy bonded again and spent so much time together, making up for lost time, doing girlie things. And Sarah was here for Chrissy’s last few minutes of life. I am thankful that God brought this healing into our lives, we all needed it badly, especially Chrissy and Sarah. So, even though a wonderful joyful healing came into our lives, we all knew sorrow would follow. But the healing, softened the pain greatly. Thank you, Lord.

LOVE YOU GUYS !!!!

Your brother in Christ Jesus 
And His Most Blessed Mother,
Jim (The Rosary Man) Dacey Jr OFS

Today is Tuesday: We pray the Sorrowful Mysteries:

The Sorrowful Mysteries

1^. Agony on the Garden (Sorrow for sin) –Matt 26:36-46
2^. Scourging at the Pillar (Purity) –Mark 15:1-16
3^. Crowning with Thorns (Moral Courage) –Matt 27:27-31
4^. Carrying of the Cross (Patience) –Mark 15:20-22
5^. The Crucifixion (Perseverance) –Luke 23:33-46

Thank you Lord for loving us so much…

Rosary Man Jim’s Sorrowful Reflection: http://beads-of-joy-blog.blogspot.com/2014/02/the-sorrowful-mysteries_11.html

How Much Jesus Had Done

BEADS OF JOY 01-29-18

“How Much Jesus Had Done”

©2018 James Dacey, Jr. OFS

My Friends,

Today’s Gospel: 

Mark 5:1-20 (Healing of The Gerasene Demoniac)
“They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of Gerasenes. And when he had come out of the boat, there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, who lived among the tombs; and no one could bind him anymore, even with a chain; for he had often been bound with fetters and chains, but the chains he wrenched apart, and the fetters he broke in pieces; and no one had the strength to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains, he was always crying out, and bruising himself with stones. And when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshiped him; and crying out with a loud voice, he said, "What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me." For he had said to him, "Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!" And Jesus asked him, "What is your name?" He replied, "My name is Legion; for we are many." And he begged him eagerly not to send them out of the country. Now a great herd of swine was feeding there on the hillside; and they begged him, "Send us to the swine, let us enter them." So, he gave them leave. And the unclean spirits came out, and entered the swine; and the herd, numbering about two thousand, rushed down the steep bank into the sea, and were drowned in the sea. 

The herdsmen fled and told it in the city and in the country. And people came to see what it was that had happened. And they came to Jesus, and saw the demoniac sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, the man who had the legion; and they were afraid. And those who had seen it told what had happened to the demoniac and to the swine. And they began to beg Jesus to depart from their neighborhood. And as he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed with demons begged him that he might be with him. But he refused, and said to him, "Go home to your friends, and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you." And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him; and all men marveled.”

Reflection:

We must remember that Jesus is always ready and willing and fully able, to fully free us from anything that binds us. But the challenge is in what we really want. Are we willing to give up that sin, or that bad habit or those friends of bad influence, or going to that place we shouldn’t? LOL. No this isn’t my confession; you guys are too funny. I have two screens open now (I actually have 4 screens open from my prayers and my research) and I am getting fantastic ideas on how to begin today’s blog. You guys make me laugh. Anyhow, we are ultimately in control of what we want to release. We must be willing to part with it, so that His love and His grace will take its place.

Just take a moment and think about this: What is more incredible? The fact that the man in today’s gospel had a legion (that’s more than 5,000 strong) of destructive evil spirits within him or fact that he ran over to Jesus and knelt down and worshipped Him? That bending of his knee before Jesus implored mercy and release. We must always go to Jesus for everything that is a challenge to us in our lives. He alone will help see us through it. But, we must have patience and respect and reverence; for in His time, if it is something that is good that we are asking for He will make it happen, but only in His time. It is not always important for us to know the answers to everything. I know. I know. Many disagree, but I find that God’s wisdom and reasoning far exceeds anything I could ever possibly comprehend. How can we fully understand the death of a loved one; if we need every single tiny itty bitty meaningless answer, to things we don’t even understand, anyway.

Death is a part of life and death is the beginning of our eternal life with Jesus. That is the basic knowledge that we need to know. That’s the fact Jack. Opps, and everyone else whose name isn’t Jack, lol. I enjoy the fact that I am a simple man trying my best to live a simple life. I really don’t want to know all the details of things that only consume my time, my mind and only raise more questions. Why do some of those we love, die so young? Why is it that they must suffer so much? Why couldn’t they have been healed? Where is the miracle we were praying for? I don’t know. I don’t know. I don’t know. Stop! See... This is why I can’t even think to go down that road. Trust in the Lord and you will find peace

Pondering these thoughts today: If there’s something I have learned these past 35 years of daily prayer and trusting Jesus it’s this: Don’t ever react with spontaneous outbursts and yelling and anger. No, react with a bended knee before the cross. Jesus WILL help you, it may not be within those 5 seconds, but I will say that your heart will feel His love immediately, as you kneel before Him. Pray on your knees; ask for forgiveness on your knees; spend times speaking to Him on your knees. Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior, He took the heat and the blood bath beating and paid fully for all my selfishness and so I shall always kneel before Him out of love and reverence to a God of love and mercy who loved me, before I even knew Him. Jesus Christ is my Lord and I will always respect and treat Him that way.

LOVE YOU GUYS !!!!

Your brother in Christ Jesus 
And His Most Blessed Mother,
Jim (The Rosary Man) Dacey Jr OFS

Today is Monday: We pray the Joyful Mysteries:

The Joyful Mysteries

1. The Annunciation (Humility) – Luke 1:26-28
2. The Visitation (Love of Neighbor) – Luke 1:39-45
3. The Birth of Jesus (Poverty of Spirit) – Luke 2:1-20
4. Presentation (Purity of Mind & Spirit) – Luke 2:22-38
5. Finding in The Temple (Obedience) –Luke 2:41-50

I simply love Monday mornings, because every morning begins with the Rosary.

Rosary Man Jim’s Joyful Reflection: http://beads-of-joy-blog.blogspot.com/2014/02/the-joyful-mysteries_10.html

Holy One of God

BEADS OF JOY 01-28-18

“Holy One of God”

©2018 James Dacey, Jr. OFS

My Friends,

Today’s Gospel: Mark 1:21-28 (Cure of a Demoniac)

“And they went into Capernaum; and immediately on the Sabbath he entered the synagogue and taught. And they were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes. And immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, "What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God." But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be silent, and come out of him!" And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him. And they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, "What is this? A new teaching! With authority he commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him." And at once his fame spread everywhere throughout all the surrounding region of Galilee.”

Reflection:

Jesus is always healing us, even when we don’t see it or feel it. This road of sorrow has been long and very hard and very difficult for me. I can’t even begin to explain it in a blog; but what I can share in today’s blog is how the healing process has begun. This past Friday was 14 months since Chrissy’s passing. Now if you back the clock up to that time in 2016, I didn’t even want to live anymore, how could I without her. Christine passed away on November 26, 2016 and she was buried on December 2, 2016. I spent thee entire month of December in my bedroom in tears. I refer to that month as my “Dark Month”. I needed that time, I only came out to go to Mass. I hardly ate, I didn’t want to be here at all. I prayed and cried and couldn’t accept it, even with full knowledge of what happened, even with knowing the spiritual knowledge, I just couldn’t accept it. Thank God for my dear Franciscan Brother Al Picogna who called me every day and talked to me. It helped so much. He didn’t tell me how to feel or what to feel, he just listened and consoled and remembered Chrissy with me.

Well, in that month I did pray that 2017 would be better and things would get better. Well, of cause prayer don’t work that way. But when I do look at the most positive part of 2017, I see Becky with her kids and her family. They were and are my Saving Grace throughout 2017 and now in my life and I am ever grateful for having Becky and her family in my life. But, within our home, within our walls, we had the most difficult 2017 there could have been for us. I lost my medical coverage for 3 months, because I was on Chrissy’s policy, I was told to reapply. I lost our $300 monthly food benefit that Chrissy got, I was told reapply. I now get $15 monthly. So, throughout most of 2017 food was rare in our home. My social security disability income isn’t that strong to keep all our needs going. So, I was could no longer be able to afford both of our car repairs, so I had to get rid of both of my cars. Charlie (my youngest- child #5) bought a car and then slammed it into a tree on a rainy day, he is fine, but he totaled the car, and he lost the car. Travis was trying to buy a car, the dealer was taking advantage of him, he had to hire a lawyer, and he too lost his car. So, 2017 was a vicious year of struggle for us. I didn’t share most of those details with anyone. Now in 2018 I am looking for a side job.

But, let us look at the JOY'S and the HEALING'S of 2017 straight till now. Becky and I have so many wonderful connections of faith that I just know our Lord has a hand in this match somehow. I wish we were able to spend more time together, we both have separate family commitments and we live 12 miles apart and I have no car; but, with all that said, we still somehow find a way and we find time to get together (not as often as I’d like, but that will change), to enjoy each other’s company, to laugh, to pray, to go to Mass, to make Rosaries. I just know 2018 will be our year and it will only get better for us. In-fact we will be teaching CCD kids in Scranton how to make and Pray The Rosary this Lent with the coordinating of our good friend Sharon Beggs. That is so exciting, I can’t wait till we get started. Becky is such an amazing strong woman who always finds a way to get things done; and she has so much energy and Becky is such an inspiration to me. I feel so blessed that she is in my life. We are a cutest couple. 

Pondering these thoughts today: You know when I prayed that 2017 would be a better year and it wasn’t; I think God was teaching me a lesson with Becky in my life. I never thought I’d fall-in-love again till I met Becky. Because even with all the negativity and challenges and even hunger throughout 2017, her smiles and the laughter and her parents inviting me and my kids over their home many times, we all found a way to be happy throughout 2017. The JOY did rise above the sorrow and the healing began back then and so it continues now. In-fact over the past 4-6 weeks Travis (child #4) has been the driving force of helping me down-size the house. There is way too much stuff in my life. I am a simple man, and he is making this transition so much easier for me and now I am getting addicted to having so much less stuff. This in and of itself is a healing.

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

Wind and Sea Obey

BEADS OF JOY 01-27-18

“Wind and Sea Obey”

©2018 James Dacey, Jr. OFS

My Friends,

Today’s Gospel: 

Mark 4:35-41 (Calming of The Storm at Sea)
“On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, "Let us go across to the other side." And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. And a great storm of wind arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him and said to him, "Teacher, do you not care if we perish?" And he awoke and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace! Be still!" And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, "Why are you afraid? Have you no faith?" And they were filled with awe, and said to one another, "Who then is this, that even wind and sea obey him?"

Reflection:
Did you ever feel like your life was out in the stormy sea? Did you ever feel like screaming to the top of your lungs, “Do you not care if she/he perishes Lord?” Did you ever feel like this very moment, will be your life’s very last moment and all your pleading and begging is going unheard? ...and later you only find out it’s not. I unfortunately understand the battle of the waves only too well now. Yes, the seas have calmed down a lot in my life? …or have they? Well, there’s a more complicated answered after the storm has passed and the damage and loss is done. But let us rather look at the storm and its fury.

When you research storms you find out, “Storms have the potential to harm lives...” you also learn, “It may be marked by significant disruptions to normal conditions such as strong wind, tornados, hail, thunder and lightning…” Now here’s the one I thought very interesting, “Storms are created when a center of low pressure develops with a system of high pressure surrounding it. This combination of opposing forces can create winds and result in the formation of storm.” The only force that can battle any storm in our lives, is our faith through Grace and by the power and help of the Holy Spirit. I’m only human, when Chrissy struggled and suffered, I screamed and yelled and cried to the top of my lungs; never in her sight, I had to be strong for Chrissy.

God knows our strength and God knows what we can handle. Sometimes I really hate knowing that statement. Because it’s like we are brought to the maximum limits of what we can handle all the time. But, praise Jesus for our faith and trust in Him during the most hostile of storms. I don’t know where I would be, or Chrissy would be if we didn’t have faith through the 6 years of furious storms we battled, that knocked us off our feet so many times. And I confess, and Christine knew, she was stronger than me, non-stop throughout. I gained strength and always had faith and I always remained by her side, but she remained calm and strong constantly.

Pondering these thoughts today: How did we manage it? We have no secret formula. We had love and faith and hope, and we hinged everything we had on that, and so together we battled every single storm. We knew what the inevitable cost would be (death), but we weren’t going to lay down our swords and surrender, we were fighting this fight to the end, no storm was going to win, if we can stop it. I only wish God would allow loved ones to take the place of suffering loved ones; that’s the one thing I prayed for throughout the storms. “Take me Lord in her place. Take me!” I yelled and screamed and cried at God so much all those years; I know He knows why and He knows I love Him and it was all out of love. But I can remember the depths of that emotion even as I type this, years later. Thank you, Lord for all I don’t understand; what I do understand is all that matters.

LOVE YOU GUYS !!!!

Your brother in Christ Jesus 
And His Most Blessed Mother,
Jim (The Rosary Man) Dacey Jr OFS

Today is Saturday: We pray the Joyful Mysteries:

The Joyful Mysteries

1. The Annunciation (Humility) – Luke 1:26-28
2. The Visitation (Love of Neighbor) – Luke 1:39-45
3. The Birth of Jesus (Poverty of Spirit) – Luke 2:1-20
4. Presentation (Purity of Mind & Spirit) – Luke 2:22-38
5. Finding in The Temple (Obedience) –Luke 2:41-50

I simply love Saturday mornings, because Saturday like every other day of the week -begins with the Rosary.

Rosary Man Jim’s Joyful Reflection: http://beads-of-joy-blog.blogspot.com/2014/02/the-joyful-mysteries_10.html

The Harvest Has Come

BEADS OF JOY 01-26-18

“The Harvest Has Come”

©2018 James Dacey, Jr. OFS

My Friends,

Today’s Gospel: Mark 4:26-34 (The Mustard Seed)
“And he said, "The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed upon the ground, and should sleep and rise night and day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he knows not how. The earth produces of itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come." And he said, "With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use for it? It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade." With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it; he did not speak to them without a parable, but privately to his own disciples he explained everything.”

Reflection:
For starters I would like to say that today is 14 months since my darling Christine went to be with Jesus. She is no longer suffering, and she is in a much better, happier, more joyful place. And I will say, so am I. Yesterday, Travis and I went to St. Gabriel’s Monastery, Scranton, they offered to buy all of Chrissy’s medical equipment. I’ve been giving everything away like crazy these past few weeks, but I felt maybe I should get $100 or so for all of this well taken care of medical equipment, I can really use the money. So, my dear long-time friend and friend of Chrissy’s, Sharon Beggs, found out that the monastery wanted all this stuff. This is our dioceses monastery, where we have our Cursillo weekends and many other events.

I don’t mean to consume today’s blog with this whole story, but yesterday was an amazing adventure for me and my son. Well, when Sharon told me the monastery wanted everything, I told her, just tell Sr. Terasita, that gas money and maybe money for lunch for me and my son would me more than sufficient for everything. Sharon said Sr. Terasita offered $60, I immediately said, “Yes I accept.” But, on the ride down, I got to thinking, I can’t accept any money, I don’t want to accept any money, whether I need it or not. Just knowing that Chrissy’s stuff will be at the monastery, is so amazing and wonderful that that alone is the gift we as a family will be receiving.

Here’s the blessing, after we got there, introduced ourselves, I know some people there, but not Sr. Terasita. Travis and I got to share some of Chrissy’s story, our family, the kids, the struggles. Sister was so consumed and attentive to all we had to share, then she shared with us how perfectly timed all of this was. One of the Sister’s there recently had trouble with her wheelchair and it isn’t working right. Chrissy’s wheelchair is like brand new. Plus, Sister says they don’t have any extra walkers or crutches or anything like all of what we brought. It felt so good hearing all that. Then she was ready to hand me the money. I said, “Please, no, I can’t accept it, all of this, is our gift from our family to your family here. I can’t take the money. We are so happy all of this is here, and I know my wife would love it to, knowing all this is here.” Sister said, “Don’t consider it a payment for all this, consider it a thank you.” So, she handed the money to me, I laid it on the bed, she grabbed it and gave it to Travis, he handed it to me, I laid it on the bed, she grabbed it and gave it to Travis… and round and round we went 3 times, laughing and giggling it was so much fun. I also gave Sister a Mass card of Chrissy, she held it and laid her fingers across it and said something, I couldn’t hear her. She said, “Your wife will be remembered for all this.” That was so wonderful her saying that, that was a gift.

This was all of Chrissy's medical equipment.

Pondering these thoughts today: In the end we had the most wonderful afternoon with Sr Terasita. Yes, we got to see Sharon to, she is an amazing, wonderful, charismatic sister, that I am so blessed to know for so many years. She prayed over my left side which is numb from my strokes. She asked that I pray the Litany of The Saints, she says there is healing in that prayer. I love this. I did find an amazing one on YouTube for anyone interested. I hope and pray that the seeds of God’s work, works through the blogs I write, even if sometimes I get off track. I felt I had to share the wonderful, incredible spiritual adventure we were on yesterday.

Litany of The Saints

LOVE YOU GUYS !!!!

Your brother in Christ Jesus 
And His Most Blessed Mother,
Jim (The Rosary Man) Dacey Jr OFS

Today is Friday: We pray the Sorrowful Mysteries:

The Sorrowful Mysteries

1^. Agony on the Garden (Sorrow for sin) –Matt 26:36-46
2^. Scourging at the Pillar (Purity) –Mark 15:1-16
3^. Crowning with Thorns (Moral Courage) –Matt 27:27-31
4^. Carrying of the Cross (Patience) –Mark 15:20-22
5^. The Crucifixion (Perseverance) –Luke 23:33-46

Thank you Lord for loving us so much…

Rosary Man Jim’s Sorrowful Reflection: http://beads-of-joy-blog.blogspot.com/2014/02/the-sorrowful-mysteries_11.html

FRIDAY’S
I share this meditation I wrote back in 2010. Here I share my own personal insight and experience, as I journey with our Lady from station to station.

Many Franciscan groups around the world use this for their own group gathering while they meditate the Stations with our Lady. http://beads-of-joy-blog.blogspot.com/2010/03/marys-way-of-cross.html It is unique and emotionally very moving as you move from station to station… From my heart to yours.

Go Into All The World

BEADS OF JOY 01-25-18

“Go Into All The World”

©2018 James Dacey, Jr. OFS

My Friends,

Today’s Gospel:
Mark 16:15-18 (Commissioning of The Eleven)

“And he said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover."

Reflection:
Have you been blinded, and was it Jesus who opened your eyes? I feel in my life that is exactly what happened to me. I grew up a cradle Catholic, receiving all my sacraments, in a real solid, fresh off the boat, God-fearing Italian family. My Italian family was a very faithful family back when I was kid. I can remember prayers and talking about their faith, statues everywhere, pictures of our Lady, the Rosary; there are truly so many images in my memories when I was a kid. But in the early 1980’s when I was in high school, I was starting to see the world in a different way. I thought, how can there possibly be a God, there is way too much poverty and violence in this world. And mind you, I didn’t have instantaneous information back then, I had basic TV with an antenna. Wow! LOL… Ok…

My parents were distraught and upset, but I give them credit, they did not hound me or give me lectures. I later found out that they were praying for me. I am so filled with so much joy that I had my opening of the eyes experience that I shared in “My Story”. I feel like Paul in some ways. Saul became Paul. I was Jim who became Rosary Man Jim within a few years of ministry, that was in the early 1990’s. It is so wonderfully refreshing, to be able to look back on all these years. It’s really incredible how 35 years have gone by so fast; yet with that said, it feels like we are just at the beginning.

God has plans that continuously move forward for all of us. Do you feel like there is something special waiting for you? Is there something deep inside of you aching to serve Jesus in a special way? Stay focused on prayer and never take your eyes or your heart off of our Lord. He will guide you and lead you. You my friend, have a special task that only you can do for our Lord. Have patience and faith that He will lead you in the direction that you should be going. And might I suggest that you spike up your private prayer life. Staying focused on our Lord, makes it so much easier to know what our Lord wants of us. If we barely give Him any of our time, then how in the world will we ever surrender our lives over to Him. Believe me, if your life is impossibly busy, He will help you find a way. All things are possible through Jesus.

CONVERSION OF ST PAUL THE APOSTLE (Jan 25)
Here is one of my FAVORITE movies, it's basically THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES. Excellent film, spiritually educational and inspiring. You will fall in love with St. Paul by the end of the film.

Pondering these thoughts today: Wow, today is such a special day. Did you know that Paul the Apostle wrote 28% of the New Testament? Can you believe how many of his letters have inspired so many millions upon millions of people throughout the past 2000 years? Including us… Take a look at this list: St. Paul's Letter to the…

Romans

1 Corinthians

2 Corinthians

Galatians

Ephesians

Philippians

Colossians

1 Thessalonians

2 Thessalonians

1 Timothy

2 Timothy

Titus

Philemon

Hebrews

WOW!! Paul was an amazing, inspiring man of God. If you feel inspired by God, write letters to your loved ones, write letters to your family, write inspiring letters to your loved ones who aren’t even born yet. I have within my journal pages, paragraphs of notes I wrote to my Great Great Great Grand-kids. I doubt I will ever know them, but if I preserve my writings and pass them down through my family, they will get my letters. Think about it. Pray about it.

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

Hear The Word

BEADS OF JOY 01-24-18

“Hear The Word”

©2018 James Dacey, Jr. OFS

My Friends,

Today’s Gospel: Mark 4:1-20 (Parable and Its Purpose)

The Parable of The Sower
“Again, he began to teach beside the sea. And a very large crowd gathered about him so that he got into a boat and sat in it on the sea; and the whole crowd was beside the sea on the land. And he taught them many things in parables, and in his teaching, he said to them: "Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it had not much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil; and when the sun rose it was scorched, and since it had no root it withered away. Other seed fell among thorns and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. And other seeds fell into good soil and brought forth grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirty-fold and sixty-fold and a hundredfold." And he said, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."

The Purpose of the Parables
“And when he was alone, those who were about him with the twelve asked him concerning the parables. And he said to them, "To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables; so that they may indeed see but not perceive and may indeed hear but not understand; lest they should turn again and be forgiven." And he said to them, "Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables?  The sower sows the word. And these are the ones along the path, where the word is sown; when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word which is sown in them. And these in like manner are the ones sown upon rocky ground, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy; and they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away. And others are the ones sown among thorns; they are those who hear the word, but the cares of the world, and the delight in riches, and the desire for other things, enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. But those that were sown upon the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirty-fold and sixty-fold and a hundredfold."

Reflection:
I am a simple man, who loves parables. Cyril of Alexandria said this about parables, "Parables are word pictures not of visible things, but rather of things of the mind and the spirit. That which cannot be seen with the eyes of the body, a parable will reveal to the eyes of the mind, informing the subtlety of the intellect by means of things perceivable by the senses, and as it were tangible." Ok, hope I didn’t confuse anyone after that. The first time I read this, I loved it, then I just re-read it this morning after I included it in today’s blog and said, “What?” LOL Maybe I’m just not awake yet. Simply put, parables are Jesus’ way of telling a story that has a message of compassion, love, obedience that within our hearts its meaning is revealed. There are truly so many parables.

Many many years ago, when people would go to the library (aka: a building filled with books to borrow, you needed to a member, it’s free) LOL, sorry, I don’t know who all my readers are. Well, back then I use to borrow a book called, “All The Parables of The Bible”. This book along with, “All The Miracles of The Bible” were among my favorite for research and reference. I was so into enjoying these books that I would re-borrow them the three times in a row I was allowed and on the day, I had to return them, I handed them in and waited till they were re-shelfed, and I took them out again. On a funny note these books were copyrighted in 1963, wow, I finally found something that is actually before my time. You know as I get younger, ok older, it gets harder and harder to find things I am younger than. So, this is nice. Oh, by the way, I bought these books a couple of years ago on Amazon. It made so much sense to have these books in my own personal library. Uh oh, I used the word library again.

You know, in many ways, many of us tell parables of our faith. “What are ya talkin about Mr. Jim?” LOL, who said that, I heard that with a Scottish accent, lol. Ok, what I mean is that, all of us, are at some point within our journey of faith. And on this journey, some of us may have experienced something that opened our eyes or opened our hearts to Jesus or to prayer or to go to Mass. That is our parable, our story that we share when we are blasted excited sharing it with others. It is a story that usually catches the ears and hearts and minds of those listening. If you had an experience you can relate to and know personally and someone else has one similar, that story would or at least could have the potential to bring your life closer to Jesus. True! Ok, or you may have a better understanding of empathy of that person or now many other questions you never thought of just got answered. Parables of our faith can serve many purposes, sometimes you never know how your story may affect someone else’s life.

Pondering these thoughts today: What I suggest here in today’s reflection is this: Write your story or stories! Share them with family and friends! This is the start of your magnificent legacy of faith. A legacy needs a story, it needs the details, it needs the emotion, it really needs to be shared. Sit down or walk with a recorder and speak it. No matter how you do it. Do it!! My dear long-time friend and sister in the faith Jan Martinez encouraged me to write my story. For almost a year we chatted on the phone sharing our faith. This was going on, while I was driving an 18-wheeler across the United States. Somewhere on my way to Oklahoma City, OK in 2006, Jan said, “Write your story so others can read it.” I am so glad I did. I have shared my story worldwide all these years and according to blogspot it has been read thousands of times worldwide. I hope and pray that someone out there got blasted excited about their faith after reading about my early days and how I began my journey.

My Story (the beginning of where my faith began)

http://beads-of-joy-blog.blogspot.com/2010/01/my-story-1st-time-posted-here.html

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. The Assumption of Our Lady (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

The Will of God

BEADS OF JOY 01-23-18

“The Will of God”

©2018 James Dacey, Jr. OFS

My Friends,

Today’s Gospel: Mark 3:31-35 (Jesus and His Family)

“And his mother and his brothers came; and standing outside they sent to him and called him. And a crowd was sitting about him; and they said to him, "Your mother and your brothers are outside, asking for you." And he replied, "Who are my mother and my brothers?" And looking around on those who sat about him, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does the will of God is my brother, and sister, and mother."

Reflection:
What is the Will of God? For each of us? I can’t say that I know these things definitively, but I know I can say what God’s Will is: “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’” Matthew 22:37. Today’s gospel isn’t about Jesus rejecting His family, rather it is about Jesus teaching us to place God first, even before His very own family. I know that, that maybe a hard teaching, it was for me back in 1983. But soon after I completely entrenched my life into God’s Word and prayer and adoration and the Rosary; I truly realized that I can never love anyone else the way I do, until I truly, sincerely loved God first.

In Fireproof (clip below) we see how in Caleb’s apology; he shares with Catherine that it was through God that he now has a love for her that he never had before. Chrissy and I loved the movies made by this church (Sherwood Baptist Church). They were produced by Sherwood Pictures it’s an American independent Christian film production company in Albany, Georgia. These are the films they have made: Flywheel (2003), Facing the Giants (2006), Fireproof (2008), Courageous (2011) and War Room (2015). Our biggest draw to these films is how God is the ultimate center of the story, and how family friendly they all are. I gain nothing by sharing them with you, I just see them as a wonderful addition to your spiritual growth.

FIREPROOF – The Apology 2:55

Pondering these thoughts today: Today’s sharing is a little shorter than usual, I have a lot on my full plate today. So much of the cleaning out and downsizing is in place now. I will say it has been a very challenging road. And Travis has been an inspiration and man of common sense helping me. He took Christine’s death the hardest and yet he seems to be the strongest, he is so much like his mother. Today is garbage day (only the 2 pails) but with that said, we will be tidy up and straighten out all the work already done downstairs, and that my friends will make all we have done look even better.

Friday will be 14 months and if I were living completely alone and there was no one in my life, I honestly will say that I maybe wouldn’t have done anything at all. Chrissy’s sweatshirts are still on my door and her night stand has the bowl she made with all her stuff still in it. I guess, only some people can truly understand the real meaning of that, …when you lose someone you have loved for decades. I know I have come a long way and I am ever grateful. It’s been my kids who have helped me through so much, we talk about “mom” all the time and my dear sweet girlfriend Becky who has given me new hope and new life. She is an amazing strong, God-fearing woman. She and I share an incredible love for our Lord and our Lady and the Rosary and for all of that, I am so blessed.

LOVE YOU GUYS !!!!

Your brother in Christ Jesus 
And His Most Blessed Mother,
Jim (The Rosary Man) Dacey Jr OFS

Today is Tuesday: We pray the Sorrowful Mysteries:

The Sorrowful Mysteries

1^. Agony on the Garden (Sorrow for sin) –Matt 26:36-46
2^. Scourging at the Pillar (Purity) –Mark 15:1-16
3^. Crowning with Thorns (Moral Courage) –Matt 27:27-31
4^. Carrying of the Cross (Patience) –Mark 15:20-22
5^. The Crucifixion (Perseverance) –Luke 23:33-46

Thank you Lord for loving us so much…

Rosary Man Jim’s Sorrowful Reflection: http://beads-of-joy-blog.blogspot.com/2014/02/the-sorrowful-mysteries_11.html