"Beads of Joy" by RosaryManJim: Repent

BEADS OF JOY 12-19-18

“Repent – Confession Part I”

My Friends,

Today’s Gospel: Luke 1:5-25 (Coming of John The Baptist)

“In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah; and he had a wife of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years. Now while he was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty, according to the custom of the priesthood, it fell to him by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense. And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer is heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth; for he will be great before the Lord, and he shall drink no wine nor strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb. And he will turn many of the sons of Israel to the Lord their God, and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared." And Zechariah said to the angel, "How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.” And the angel answered him, "I am Gabriel, who stand in the presence of God; and I was sent to speak to you, and to bring you this good news. And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things come to pass, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time." And the people were waiting for Zechariah, and they wondered at his delay in the temple. And when he came out, he could not speak to them, and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple; and he made signs to them and remained dumb. And when his time of service was ended, he went to his home. After these days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she hid herself, saying, "Thus the Lord has done to me in the days when he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men."

Reflection:
Let us take the time to begin to prepare ourselves for a good confession before Christmas. It is through the Examination of Conscience that we take the time to look through the Ten Commandments. Then review every possible aspect of that sin in our lives. Each day we will look over another couple of commandments. I hope this is helpful. Today we will look at the first three commandments.

FIRST & SECOND-COMMANDMENTS
"I am the Lord your God. You shall not have strange gods before Me." (Ex 20:2,3)

· Did I doubt or deny that God exists? Do I question Him and compare Him to what others consider a God to them?

· Did I refuse to believe what God has revealed to us? Even when scripture plainly reveals these things to us?

· Did I believe in fortune telling, horoscopes, dreams, the occult, good-luck charms, tarot cards, palmistry and reincarnation? Does anything me life supersede God as my guide in my life?

· Did I deny that I was Catholic?

· Did I leave the Catholic Faith?

· Did I give time to God each day in prayer? Do I even pray?

· Did I love God with my whole heart?

· Did I despair of or presume on God's mercy?

· Did I have false gods in my life that I gave greater attention to than to Almighty God, like money, profession, drugs, TV, fame, pleasure, property, etc.? Or anything else?

THIRD-COMMANDMENT
"You shall not take the Name of the Lord your God in vain." (Ex 20:7)

· Did I blaspheme or insult God?

· Did I take God's name carelessly or uselessly?

· Did I curse, or break an oath or vow?

· Did I get angry with God?

FOURTH-COMMANDMENT
"Remember that you keep holy the Sabbath Day." (Ex 20:8)

· Did I miss Mass Sunday or a Holy Day of Obligation through my own fault? What is it that is keeping me away from my Lord?

· Did I come to Mass on time? Leave early? Am I seriously mentally present?

· Did I do work on Sunday that was not necessary trying to purposely avoid Mass?

· Did I set aside Sunday as a day of rest and a family day?

· Did I show reverence in the presence of Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament?

I really hope this was helpful and insightful. The more purely we cleanse ourselves spiritual, the more we will live our lives even more pleasing to God.

The Coming of John The Baptist

From the movie: "Christmas Story"

History of John The Baptist

LOVE YOU GUYS !!!!

Your brother in Christ Jesus
And His Most Blessed Mother,
Jim (The Rosary Man) Dacey Jr OFS

Today is Wednesday: We pray the Glorious Mysteries:

The Glorious Mysteries

1. The Resurrection (Faith) –Mark 16:1-8
2. The Ascension (Hope) –Luke 24:50-53
3. The Descent of the Holy Spirit (Love) –Acts 2:1-4
4. Assumption of Mary.1 (A Happy Death) –Rev 12:1-6
5. Coronation of Mary (Mary’s intercession) –Judith 15:9-10

Glory and Honor and Praise to You Lord Jesus Christ!