BEADS OF JOY 02-24-18
“Love Your Enemies”
©2018 James Dacey, Jr. OFS
My Friends,
Today’s Gospel: Matthew 5:43-48 (Love of Enemies)
“You have heard that it was said, `You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you salute only your brethren, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
Reflection:
This topic and focus is difficult for me. I don’t really have enemies. When I say “don’t really” I am referring to the general enemies; people who want to harm my family, people who wish to take away my freedoms and those threatening me because of my faith. All those enemies are not on a one-on-one personal level with me in my face. An overall general thought of love and forgiveness towards them showers my heart with love when I think of them. I know I am not living in a bubble, if I am then it’s leaking water; because my world is not full of sunshine and roses.
The real enemy I feel the most
against these past few years is the cancer
Chrissy died from, and the suffering
she endured throughout those six years. They are the enemies. So, to be completely
honest, when I look at them and remember what cancer and suffering did to
my beautiful wife and our family, I hate them. I must embrace both of them. I
have no trouble embracing my own suffering and even my own death; I can deal
with that and embrace it, but watching those I love suffer, is extremely difficult.
But having said all that and here I am hine sight fifteen months later, I will
embrace the horror of cancer and suffering.
I must admit, this is very difficult.
But, as the Lord tells us, let us pray for this enemy. This enemy has brought
many tears to me and my family, we don’t fully understand all these things. On
a positive note, it has brought us closer to one another and to our faith. So maybe,
just maybe there is a glimmer of light here.
Pondering these thoughts today: Sometimes our enemies aren’t always people, but illnesses that put us to the test of our faith. That is exactly sometimes what an enemy would do, test the purity of your faith and love and cut you to the core. I embrace this disease and all that comes with it, with a willing heart to find a way to see the positive in it. God knows my heart and He knows what this has already done to my Chrissy and our family.
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. The Presentation (Purity of Mind and 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
MY FIRST BOOK. More to come…
