"Beads of Joy" by RosaryManJim: Eternal Life

BEADS OF JOY 05-15-18

“Eternal Life”

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:
This is day 1 of The Prayer of Jesus, the entire prayer is John 17:1-26, that is all of chapter 17. 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 Eternal Life 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 Eternal Life. 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. These are more spiritual thoughts. If only there were more like-minded people like us, 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. Does that make sense?

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 every single day. 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

Jesus Prays to Be Glorified

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 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…