"Beads of Joy" by RosaryManJim: Lent

BEADS OF JOY 03-13-19

“Lent – Day 7”

Lenten Season – Day 7
My Friends,

Even after our baptism and all our sins have been forgiven; and we have been reborn, nothing remains to stop us from going to Heaven, Except! I want you to take a look at this in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. "Yet certain temporal consequences of sin remain in the baptized, such as suffering, illness, death, and such frailties inherent in life as weaknesses of character, and so on, as well as an inclination to sin that Tradition calls concupiscence, or metaphorically, "the tinder for sin"; since concupiscence "is left for us to wrestle with, it cannot harm those who do not consent but manfully resist it by the grace of Jesus Christ." Indeed, "an athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules." CCC 1264 The serious challenge I see here, is that we are left to wrestle with concupiscence, this is the stinger right there. By God's grace we can live to show who we are in this struggle. Concupiscence at its sharpest point gives us the natural tendencies to sin. We can resist with God's grace, but in so many of the teachings I have read, we cannot absolutely, completely, day in and day out, without any doubt; never sin at all.

The reality of our salvation is that in the end, it is at our own hands. It is only through God's grace that we will be able to resist temptation to sin. To those who reject God's call unfortunately will be the cause of their own demise. Let us also not fall into the trap that so many do; by manipulation to ultimate forgiveness that God gives to all of us. In other words, one might say to themselves, "I can sin today and tomorrow, and on Saturday when I go to confession, God will forgive me." Because of the unfortunate tendency there are some who try to manipulate God's kindness. "What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?" Romans 6:1. We must not allow the sins and temptations of this world to mislead us, rather we should help one another in defeating sin, "remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins." James 5:20

We must also remember that before we can embrace the joy that can be ours, we must suffer and die to ourselves and our sins. To reject this will result in a bad outcome, "But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger." Romans 2:8, rather we need to be humble before God, "Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up." James 4:10, and, "Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time." 1 Peter 5:6 Our lives must not be self-fulfilling and all about us; we were not created to be self-serving, rather we were bought with a price and with that price we must love and adore our Lord. "For he who was called in the Lord while a slave is the Lord's freedman; likewise, he who was called while free, is Christ's slave. You were bought with a price; do not become slaves of men. Brethren, each one is to remain with God in that condition in which he was called." 1 Corinthians 7:22-24. We must remember these things as we walk in the light with Jesus.

This is no free ride; we are always accountable for what choices we make. Our lives must be lived with God's love inside us; and with that love inside of us, we need to be open in helping others cope with their challenges as best we can. "And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing." 1 Corinthians 13:3 Let us live a life that gives to others, "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen." Ephesians 4:29. We are all God's children and in being children of the same Lord we are brothers and sisters who should be looking out for one another, doing all we can to help one another receive the reward of eternity, with our Father. Nothing in this world is going to matter in the end, all that will matter will be the last thing we are told by God in His judgment. "All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law." Romans 2:12 Go to confession often.

Today's Challenge: This can be fun just because you'll have your radar up and running all day. Today or pick any day. Keep 100% track of every single sin you commit, write it in your journal (venial and mortal). And I encourage you to really really watch yourself. Be truthful, don't miss any of them. Then take a personal analysis of your weaknesses and begin to work on them. This is all good and very healthy spiritually.

What is Sin About? (Mooo!)
w/ Fr. Larry Richards

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!