"Beads of Joy" by RosaryManJim: St Thomas, Apostle

BEADS OF JOY 07-03-18

“St Thomas, Apostle”

My Friends,

Today’s Gospel: John 20:24-29 (Thomas, The Apostle)

“Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. So, the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see in his hands the print of the nails and place my finger in the mark of the nails, and place my hand in his side, I will not believe." Eight days later, his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. The doors were shut, but Jesus came and stood among them, and said, "Peace be with you." Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand and place it in my side; do not be faithless but believing." Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!" Jesus said to him, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe."

Reflection:
Sadly, many feel the same way Thomas did, "Unless I see in his hands the print of the nails and place my finger in the mark of the nails, and place my hand in his side, I will not believe." I confess prior to “My Story” when my whole life changed, even though I was an altar server as a kid and I made all my sacraments and my family was well grounded in their faith. I did not believe there was a God. I used to say to my parents, “How could there be a God, there is too much suffering in the world and so many people go hungry, and look all the wars around the world, I find it hard to believe there is a God just watching all of this.” Yeah, that was pretty much verbatim. I had said that to them, so many times back then; and I also used to say it my Aunts and Uncles, grandparents. I just had a hard time, believing.

LOL, that is why when I almost instantaneously became a devout believer from that amazing experience I had in 1983; and I wanted to be a Priest, and I was giving all my stuff away, preparing then for the sacrificial life, literally, I gave away my: (guitars, banjo, comic book collection, belt buckle collection, and so many other things). LOL, my parents thought, they need to have me see a therapist, just to make sure I was ok. Too funny looking back on that now, but that is where was then and is now. I sometimes still feel like a “babe” in the faith. Once I get to talking about our Lord or our Lady and the Rosary, I get all wound up and I start talking really fast. LOL, I don’t hyperventilate, but I bet I come close. My buddy Al and my mom and even Chrissy at times would say to me, “Jim, calm down, slow down, you’re gonna pass out!” I still get very excited and all wound up, I’m just an old man now. LOL!! Yea, I laugh at myself, I can’t help it, I’m funny (now that’s funny)… LOL

So, back then, with all this excitement I had to find a way to tell everyone about our Lord and our Lady and the Rosary; because in my naive eyes, no one knew it, like I did. After all I never seen anyone so excited like I was; especially when it comes to sharing about their love for Jesus or our Lady. Back then I use to write letters to different churches around the world asking for anyone interested in Praying The Rosary, to pray with me; and to join me in helping lead others to this incredible devotion. Yep, computers and the internet where not like they are today. The ministry has evolved with technology. I went from letter writing, to looking for spiritual pen pals (yea we wrote letters about our faith), to eventually Myspace then that evolved into my blog and the Facebook and Twitter world. We are far from done, actually, we won’t ever be done. And I hope after I am long gone, these pages still minister to people around the world.

Now, it is such a pleasure to talk to someone in Australia, Africa or Ireland in real time online. There was a time I use to have a world-map on our bedroom wall and our Rosary Ministry was reaching someone in every single country in the world. Chrissy was the one who said, “Let’s see if we have shared on all of the continents.” She was the foundational intercessor, behind the scenes praying as I keep her updated with prayer requests and new people joining. Chrissy was a prayer warrior without a doubt, no matter what was going on in our lives. She would grab my wrist and say, “Jim, let’s thank our Lord for that.” Or “Jim, we need to ask our Lord to answer these prayers.” And we would take a moment and pray, holding hands. It really didn’t matter where we were. My cutie-pie who was a convert, taught me more about faith and prayer, then I ever did being a cradle Catholic. Amazing, hey!

Blessed Are They That Have Not Seen,

and Yet Have Believed

Pondering these thoughts today: Today I am praying for you to find that spark inside your heart and soul for our Lord and our Lady and even the Rosary. Never be a doubter like Thomas. Live your life and your faith fully. De-clutter your life from all the stuff that taints and disrupts your time with Jesus. A cluttered house believe me, is a constant distraction. Owning lots of stuff is also a distraction. Relationships that drag you and stop you from growing is a huge distraction. You need not be mean, just pray for them even more and move on. Remember Jesus comes first!! Anytime you would like to share, please feel free to write me: jimdaceyjunior@yahoo.com

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…