BEADS OF JOY 01-05-18
“You Will See Heaven”
©2018 James Dacey, Jr. OFS
My Friends,
Today’s Gospel: John 1:43-51 (The First Disciples)
“The next day Jesus decided to go
to Galilee. And he found Philip and said to him, "Follow me." Now
Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found
Nathanael, and said to him, "We have found him of whom Moses in the law
and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph."
Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?"
Philip said to him, "Come and see." Jesus saw Nathanael coming to
him, and said of him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!"
Nathanael said to him, "How do you know me?" Jesus answered him,
"Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw
you." Nathanael answered him, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are
the King of Israel!" Jesus answered him, "Because I said to you, I
saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You shall see greater things than
these." And he said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven
opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of
man."
Reflection:
Dear Lord Jesus, today’s gospel is so exciting. I am thrilled at the very thought of Heaven. It is only through our faith in Jesus Christ, that we could possibly even attempt to begin to understand how; our Lord’s death on the cross defeated sin and opened the gates of Heaven for us. But, it through that, that we gain the strength and boldness to live a life that leads us to Heaven. We all know our free will, can mess things up on us. It is through our faith that we must see what Jesus has done for us. Today’s gospel has me thinking about the dream of Jacob. (Genesis 28:10-17) The true stairway to Heaven that was brought to Jacob in a dream.
This is what we are here for! To
prepare our lives, here and now, so that we can go to Heaven for all eternity
in the Kingdom of God. This life has many challenges and trials and
disappointments that try to derail our focus. We must not allow our hearts to
be so distracted and so mislead, that we take our eyes off the gates of Heaven.
There is no way we could possibly, completely understand God’s Plan. But, He
has given us enough of a foundation and His Word (the Bible) and the Holy Spirit
to help guide us to Him. Full Trusting in Him is the key to staying to the course.
If we strive to do
God’s Will, the Kingdom of Heaven is within you. Let us tap into this most
incredibly exciting part of this journey, we call life. By keeping Jesus as
the absolute center of our lives, He will become the beacon by which we follow,
the very core of how we speak, what we think, what we do and what we desire
will all come from our love for Jesus. Heaven is real and we all feel and know
many family members and dear friends are there waiting for us. Staying focused
on Heaven is a great way to live this life.
Pondering these thoughts today: We are very fortunate and blessed in this life, especially with all the information and guidance we have in our faith. One day many questions we have will be answered and many loved ones we have missed dearly, will back in our lives. We must love God; with all of our hearts and all of our soul and all of our mind. And let us not forget to love others and be there for them. We have been given a most special eternal gift, the kingdom of Heaven. In this life there is a way to carve out and create that little bit of Heaven here on earth; and when we do, what I have found out, is that it can weather every single storm of challenges and stress and pain this world will give us. I suggest we all get excited about loving Jesus like never before and believe you me, your life will never ever be the same.
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.
