"Beads of Joy" by RosaryManJim: The Transfiguration

BEADS OF JOY 02-23-19

“The Transfiguration”

My Friends,

Today’s Gospel: Mark 9:2-13 (The Transfiguration)

“Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them. And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus. Then Peter said to Jesus, "Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." He did not know what to say, for they were terrified. Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, "This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!" Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them anymore, but only Jesus. As they were coming down the mountain, he ordered them to tell no one about what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead. So, they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what this rising from the dead could mean. And they asked him, "Why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?" And he said to them, "Elijah does come first to restore all things; and how is it written of the Son of man, that he should suffer many things and be treated with contempt? But I tell you that Elijah has come, and they did to him whatever they pleased, as it is written of him."

Reflection:
Today God in all His Glory is shown before Peter, James and John. What an absolutely magnificent exciting sight that must have been. Today's gospel is The Transfiguration of Jesus. Time for the three disciples to learn the most important part of this experience, "This is my Son, the beloved; listen to him!" Jesus must come first and foremost in our lives every single day. "The more we have denied ourselves during the day, the nearer we are each evening to the heart of our Lord." St. Madeleine Sophie Barat. That is so insightful and so in tune with today's gospel. We must stay alert and ready at all times to serve Him, honor Him and Worship Him. We like the disciples must not lose sight of Jesus, He must be our only God. No one and nothing else must be worshiped alongside Jesus. How do we give Jesus all of our love to Him?

Let's not be blinded by anything in this world. Our sins and our slight unbelief's can derail us and keep us further from God than we may even realize. You know I listen to Adventures in Odyssey, since the early 1980’s, it’s a long-time favorite kids’ program of mine, that I listen to faithfully. I'm going to share a little about my experience personally because I do see a parallel here. The show’s title is: The Imagination Station, Revisited, II. If you follow the show this will all make sense. Well today Kelly was in the Imagination Station and she got to witness Jesus being betrayed, condemned and then crucified. I won't give it all away, but her faith was always kind of, on the fence. Yeah, she knows the stories and she knows who Jesus is, but her love for Him was never alive, it was never real to her. In this story today, she had the chance to really understand that Jesus' love for us was real; and that His death was real and that the love for Him that she has inside of her is now real.

My heart is very entangled in always thinking about Jesus. This story if you allow yourself to listen to Kelly's words, her cries, her realization to what she was beginning to understand, you would tear up like I did. This experience changed her life forever, Jesus became a real man, a true God in her eyes and in her heart. It was very powerful, I highly recommend Adventures in Odyssey to everybody, especially the early years. Connie Kendall aka (Katie Leigh) and I talk online all the time. We’re not buddies, but we do chat often. My kids used to enjoy it with me when it was on and we were all together. I am very open to many different outlets of learning and sharing of our Lord. When I first experienced Jesus in my life back in 1983, I was so hungry for His word, His teachings, anything I can get my hands on. Well through all that I was able to come across some really incredible teachers. My hunger never calmed down, I think I am more hungry now than I was 36 years ago. I listen to and read as much as I could find and that keeps me on track with my Lord. The internet has evolved greatly since my early days of ministry.

I do my best to listen to as many Roman Catholic teachers that I can find like (Scott Hahn, Tim Gray, Fr. Benedict Groeschel, Fr. Andrew Apostoli, Fr. John Trigilio, Fr. Larry Richards and so many other EWTN teachers). But even with so many Roman Catholic teachers I still have found so many evangelical teachers that I am able to gain so much from. I stay on track with my Roman Catholic faith, I have learned through the years that once you are on track with Catholicism, all teaching fall in line with your own understanding, and you learn how to cherry pick, and get the best fruit off it at every teaching. Did that make sense? I will never be led astray. Like with Adventures in Odyssey, and Chuck Swindoll and Woodrow Kroll, Dr. David Jeremiah, just to name a few. I highly recommend adding Catholic teachers to your daily walk with our Lord. You will be enriched with these teachings in your life. Only venture out if you truly know your faith.

Today's Challenge: Take the time today to pick one or more Catholic teachers or a specific EWTN show that you'd like to begin learning from. Your life will be so filled with joy, you'll wish you had done this sooner, I promise you that.

JESUS (The movie - English)
Jesus' Transfiguration

How to Know if
You've Found "The One"
w/ Jackie Angel
(yes indeed, Jersey Girl)

Getting Involved in Parish Life
w/ Fr. Mike Schmitz

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 & 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.