BEADS OF JOY 03-26-18
“Monday of Holy Week”
©2018 James Dacey, Jr. OFS
My Friends,
Today’s Gospel:
John 12:1-11 (Lazarus's
Sister Mary Anoints Jesus)
“Six days
before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had
raised from the dead. There they made him a supper; Martha served, and Lazarus
was one of those at table with him. Mary took a pound of costly ointment of
pure nard and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair; and
the house was filled with the fragrance of the ointment. But Judas
Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was to betray him), said, "Why was
this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?"
This he said, not that he cared for the poor but because he was a thief, and as
he had the money box he used to take what was put into it. Jesus said,
"Let her alone, let her keep it for the day of my burial. The poor you
always have with you, but you do not always have me." When the great crowd
of the Jews learned that he was there, they came, not only on account of
Jesus but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. So, the chief priests planned to put Lazarus
also to death, because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and
believing in Jesus. The next day a great crowd who had come to the feast heard
that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem.”
Reflection:
Holy week has begun. The sorrow
of a most challenging week will end in the joy of a most Blessed Easter
morning. Today we are reflecting on John 12:1-11 (Lazarus's Sister Mary
Anoints Jesus). I don't know how can we possibly comprehend what it means
to have a love for someone that is literally limitless and has no bounds
whatsoever? Mary, precious Mary, sister of Lazarus, was so thankful, and
appreciative of the love God had in raising her brother; that she used the most
expensive, extravagant fragrant she owned and used it to anoint the feet of
Jesus. And then she used her hair to wipe away her tears that she cried on His
feet. Can we use all we have in something that we see as value, and spend it
all on Jesus? I mean completely using all it for His glory. Now you realize it
doesn't have to be a fragrance, it can be money, a car, a house, our time, and
our skills. What do we possess that can be used to glorify God; that shows
Jesus that He comes first in our lives, not this item?
Mary has taught us a most precious lesson. Do we allow our love for Jesus to literally rule our lives? I know in today's time that may sound impossible. But I will tell you, it's not. I'm no angel, far from perfect. But you can eliminate all the distractions in your life so that in the end; pretty much all of your free time is all His; worshiping, praising, sharing and loving Him. Why do you think Judas was so harsh to Mary? His main focus was greed. He knew if he could sell the fragrance, he'd have more funds to tap into at his leisure. We can't allow anything in this world to have such a hold on us, especially something that would cause us to put Jesus second or even last in our lives. I don't care what you possess. You can have fifty trillion dollars, one hundred homes worldwide and dozens of jets. When you stand before God on the last day, you will be equal with the homeless person in God's sight. What did you do with your life to glorify God? …and if you have much stuff, you will be judged more, because you have been entrusted with more. The homeless person may have been put into the situation by sad circumstances, but loved and thanked God for all they had. These things I believe are important to stay in our thoughts throughout our lives; mostly so we don't lose sight of what really matters. And “stuff” only matters when it glorifies God.
Now I hope this doesn’t sound morbid, but it's an important thought. I read it many years ago. "It doesn’t matter if you’re rich or poor, when a dead body decays, they both smell the same." And you know that's the inevitable hard truth. The one equalizer in this life is death. You can't take anything with you, and no title or amount of money means anything. What will matter is how we prioritized our lives. And where did God and Jesus exist in our lives? Let us look at what blessings we have, and let's see how we can use them, share them, or give them in such a way that brings glory to God. Again, I look at my life and see that if you do prioritize Jesus as always first, and your heart really skips a beat thinking about Jesus and His Mother. Believe me you will never allow anything or anyone to take precedence over them. I believe what we all must do is one by one, look at everything that consumes our time, our thoughts and our money; and then one by one eliminate the distractions (of things) and turn it into a blessing.
Do I sound like I am talking crazy? I guess maybe some might agree, but you know I don't agree. I'm not saying stop family trips and family fun. I'm saying do you really need to have four cars because they make you feel and look good? Can you maybe rather try to see how maybe the sale of one or two or even three of those cars, can bless a struggling family or relative. Or maybe adopt a child who really wants to be loved. God has a plan for all of us, we can't allow these huge road blocks of selfish pride stop us; from being God fearing, God loving people, who care more about others than ourselves. Selfishness is all about me, and if self is all that matters, how sad a life you have lived. Yea maybe you had a fantastic brand-new vehicle and a huge beautiful home and lots of money; but in comparison to a devoted life, seeking out God's will, and a selfless heart only desiring to put everyone else's needs before your own wants, I'd rather be the latter. Sad is the life of a person holding on to their treasures as the ship sinks, refusing to let it go.
Mary has taught us a most precious lesson. Do we allow our love for Jesus to literally rule our lives? I know in today's time that may sound impossible. But I will tell you, it's not. I'm no angel, far from perfect. But you can eliminate all the distractions in your life so that in the end; pretty much all of your free time is all His; worshiping, praising, sharing and loving Him. Why do you think Judas was so harsh to Mary? His main focus was greed. He knew if he could sell the fragrance, he'd have more funds to tap into at his leisure. We can't allow anything in this world to have such a hold on us, especially something that would cause us to put Jesus second or even last in our lives. I don't care what you possess. You can have fifty trillion dollars, one hundred homes worldwide and dozens of jets. When you stand before God on the last day, you will be equal with the homeless person in God's sight. What did you do with your life to glorify God? …and if you have much stuff, you will be judged more, because you have been entrusted with more. The homeless person may have been put into the situation by sad circumstances, but loved and thanked God for all they had. These things I believe are important to stay in our thoughts throughout our lives; mostly so we don't lose sight of what really matters. And “stuff” only matters when it glorifies God.
Now I hope this doesn’t sound morbid, but it's an important thought. I read it many years ago. "It doesn’t matter if you’re rich or poor, when a dead body decays, they both smell the same." And you know that's the inevitable hard truth. The one equalizer in this life is death. You can't take anything with you, and no title or amount of money means anything. What will matter is how we prioritized our lives. And where did God and Jesus exist in our lives? Let us look at what blessings we have, and let's see how we can use them, share them, or give them in such a way that brings glory to God. Again, I look at my life and see that if you do prioritize Jesus as always first, and your heart really skips a beat thinking about Jesus and His Mother. Believe me you will never allow anything or anyone to take precedence over them. I believe what we all must do is one by one, look at everything that consumes our time, our thoughts and our money; and then one by one eliminate the distractions (of things) and turn it into a blessing.
Do I sound like I am talking crazy? I guess maybe some might agree, but you know I don't agree. I'm not saying stop family trips and family fun. I'm saying do you really need to have four cars because they make you feel and look good? Can you maybe rather try to see how maybe the sale of one or two or even three of those cars, can bless a struggling family or relative. Or maybe adopt a child who really wants to be loved. God has a plan for all of us, we can't allow these huge road blocks of selfish pride stop us; from being God fearing, God loving people, who care more about others than ourselves. Selfishness is all about me, and if self is all that matters, how sad a life you have lived. Yea maybe you had a fantastic brand-new vehicle and a huge beautiful home and lots of money; but in comparison to a devoted life, seeking out God's will, and a selfless heart only desiring to put everyone else's needs before your own wants, I'd rather be the latter. Sad is the life of a person holding on to their treasures as the ship sinks, refusing to let it go.
JESUS’ FEET ANOINTED
BY MARY
Pondering these thoughts today: Today
let us observe Mary's love and priorities in the life she lived; she has set us
a wonderful example of how saying “yes” to God, leads to a life of complete
obedience that places God first.
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. The 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.
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. The 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
MY
FIRST BOOK.
(Mary’s Way of The Cross - .99¢)
(Mary’s Way of The Cross - .99¢)
MY
SECOND BOOK.
(Praying The Complete Rosary - .99¢)
(Praying The Complete Rosary - .99¢)
