Blessed Are You Among Women

BEADS OF JOY 08-15-16

“Blessed Are You Among Women”

©2016 James Dacey, Jr. OFS

My Friends,

  

Today’s Gospel: 

Luke 1:39-56 (Blessed Are You Among Women)
“In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a city of Judah, and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and she exclaimed with a loud cry, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the voice of your greeting came to my ears, the babe in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord."

And Mary said, "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has regarded the low estate of his handmaiden. For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. And his mercy is on those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm, he has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts, he has put down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted those of low degree; he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent empty away. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his posterity forever." And Mary remained with her about three months, and returned to her home.”

Reflection:
Today’s Gospel is one for all of us to celebrate. All of us can say and proclaim those first words of Mary, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,” Mary’s example is the truest and purest example for us to follow; without a doubt she knows and believes fully in the promises of God. How strong do you believe His promises? Mary faced some horrific obstacles in her life and if caught in the eyes of those who would have judged her in her time, she could have been stoned to death. But she trusted in God fully with such incredible Joy. The Holy Spirit was most certainly present in her life no doubt.

Do you turn to the Holy Spirit for guidance and direction and strength? The presence of the Holy Spirit is brought to life in today’s gospel. But let us keep in mind in all our lives the Holy Spirit can keep our faith alive also; no obstacle, no trial, nothing can compromise our faith if we allow the Holy Spirit to be our guide, our GPS to Jesus if you will. Does that make sense? The purpose of the Holy Spirit is just like that of a GPS. If we go off course, what does a GPS always do? …It gets us back on track to get us to our destination. The Holy Spirit does the same. The Holy Spirit constantly leads us to Jesus; doing all it can to show us the way to His Will. We must Trust in Jesus and know that the Holy Spirit is our Helper helping us, to guide us to our Lord.

Here’s a tid-bit some may not know. You know the ministry I started back in 1983? This very ministry, “Beads of Joy Rosary Ministry” Well, I didn’t come up with any master plan and I never ever came up with any business plan and I never ever came up with a way to make money or a living out it ever; this my dear precious sisters and brothers has always been fully and completely guided by the Holy Spirit, an act of love and devotion to my Lord. I pray a lot and I know sometimes, none of these choices makes sense. Especially the recent one, “Quitting FB”. Well that was a prayer choice I prayed about for over a year and attempted twice, then finally after one entire month of daily signs I knew the Holy Spirit was telling me the ministry MUST evolve into a different direction in a different way. So here we are and honestly the traffic worldwide on the blog is still incredible. The ministry will continue to grow, just in a different way now.

LOVE YOU GUYS !!!!

Your brother in Christ Jesus 

And His Most Blessed Mother,
Jim (The Rosary Man) Dacey Jr OFS

Jesus: Cause For Division

BEADS OF JOY 08-14-16

“Jesus: Cause For Division”

©2016 James Dacey, Jr. OFS

My Friends,

Today’s Gospel: Luke 12:49-53 (Jesus: Cause For Division)
“I came to cast fire upon the earth; and would that it were already kindled! I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how I am constrained until it is accomplished! Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division; for henceforth in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three; they will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against her mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law."

Reflection:
Jesus pulls out all the stops, holds back no punches and says it like it is. Some say Jesus was using a typical Hebrew hyperbole of his time; well whether He was or He wasn’t, He was spot on with His disciples. There will be division indeed because our faith is a relationship with Jesus; that must be prioritized above and beyond even that of even our own family members. So simply saying that alone would cause division. Living it certainly will cause even more division. How many of you have lost friends and family because you have become a “Jesus Freak” now? I did and I know I still do, people still delete and block me once they find out. I don’t care.

OK, Yes I do care, that they write me off and don’t want me or Jesus in their lives; but that’s ok, that’s their free-will to do so, but it’s not stopping me. How strong is your love for Jesus Christ? Are you compelled to always put Jesus Christ first in your life? And if you do, how do those around you treat you? What do they say to you? How do your respond? This is not a test; I am not looking for your answers. But here are mine… Some people in general are simply silent and avoid me. My faith is out there on my sleeve for all to see. You like it great! If you don’t like it, oh well what can I say. In my life I live like this and many of you may have heard this saying: Jesus First. Others Second. Me Last.

Our lives will be judged by the actions and words and culmination of everything we do while we are here. It is Almighty God who will make that judgement call. He alone will decide our loyalty to Him. We can’t re-do anything once we are called to Him. We can’t call a life line once we stand before Him. We can’t seek an attorney for advice once questioning begins. We can’t change anything we’ve said or done in our lives once we have done it. BUT, we can ask for forgiveness and change our ways and seek Him out while we are alive. God knows our hearts even better than we do. But keep in mind He knows our ulterior motives, our hearts must be sincere and real and our love must be real. Then His mercy and love will shower us with eternal love and understanding and He will embrace us into eternity with Himself. We only have one chance in this life to get it right; and none of us know when we will be called to Him, so do all you can to be ready always…

LOVE YOU GUYS !!!!

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

Blessing of The Children

BEADS OF JOY 08-13-16

“Blessing of The Children”

©2016 James Dacey, Jr. OFS

My Friends,

 Today’s Gospel: Matt 19:13-15 (Blessing of The Children)

“Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked the people; but Jesus said, "Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them; for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven." And he laid his hands on them and went away.”

Reflection:
Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world. Opps, you know I stole that from a song. But it is 100% true, to God everyone is important. The disciples may have seen the children as noisy and fidgety at times; but Jesus didn’t see them that way, all he wanted to do was be with them. How do you feel about children? Are they are problem to you? A nuisance you can do without? An issue you’d rather not discuss? You don’t have to say anything, so I will tell you how I feel about kids instead…

I love kids! I just wish we had more than 5 children of our own, I wish we had 8 or 10. I didn’t come from a big family, I only had 2 sisters but my overall extended family was huge. And that gave me a GREAT desire to have a big family one day. My dad is one of 8 and my mom is one of 3. Whenever we had family gatherings there were countless family members everywhere, cousins and aunts and uncles and WOW I loved it!! I still remember the sound of the rumbling laughter and chatter of us when we were all together. Great memories of the past. And growing up visiting family was one of our normal weekly family activities. Oh how I miss those days. Now everyone lives all over the country and so many them have gone to be with Jesus. Those were the days my friends, we thought they’d never end. Opps drifted off into song again... LOL Here is a picture of our 5 kids many years ago. I love this picture of them together.

Back then there were no cell phones, no iPads, no one cared about what was on TV, we didn’t even have cable. Clothes and sneakers weren’t an issue. Our greatest joy was being together. I can still remember my cousin Larry getting all the cousins on the steps in front of Grandma’s house and he’d play games with us. Sometimes guessing games and we’d talk and take walks. Play catch. Larry would take us for rides in his 1968 Chevy Chevelle Convertible which later became my dad’s which we restored. So many incredible memories. Memories of us cousins as “kids” who simply loved to be together and have fun together. Back in the 60’s – 80’s it was a much different world than it is today. Today, well I guess it all depends on where you live, but today the kids tend to be more lost in technology. They are not lost in the family relationships and gatherings. They have no idea what they are missing out on. I try to instill that to my children. The value of family relationships is priceless.

LOVE YOU GUYS !!!!

Your brother in Christ Jesus 

And His Most Blessed Mother,
Jim (The Rosary Man) Dacey Jr OFS

God Has Joined Together

BEADS OF JOY 08-12-16

“God Has Joined Together”

©2016 James Dacey, Jr. OFS

My Friends,

 Today’s Gospel: Matt 19:3-12 (God Has Joined Together)

“And Pharisees came up to him and tested him by asking, "Is it lawful to divorce one's wife for any cause?" He answered, "Have you not read that he who made them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, `For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man put asunder." They said to him, "Why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away?" He said to them, "For your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for unchastity, and marries another, commits adultery." The disciples said to him, "If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is not expedient to marry." But he said to them, "Not all men can receive this saying, but only those to whom it is given. For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. He who is able to receive this, let him receive it."

Reflection:
Always a tough topic to discuss in today’s time, without a doubt. So, I am not going to write any sort of reflection of judgement using scripture, I have no right to. Instead I will reflect upon my own challenges and my own life. Some of you know me, some of you don’t. LOL! I laugh because that can be good and that can be bad. But in the same token it really doesn’t matter; because this is my story and with saying all that I can’t be placed in judgement. Everyone’s story is “their own” story. Their Life’s Reflection. Here’s my reflection of 30 years…

Back on October 24, 1986 Chrissy and I eloped… Oh Yes, we did. Then we raced out to Atlantic City, NJ for our weekend get-away. Oh well so much for a fancy honeymoon. But that’s ok, we weren’t into that kind of glamour stuff anyway. We are simple kind of “county folks” even though we were born and raised in NYC. Go figure! Any-hoot! We did eventually have our “Church” wedding on May 2, 1987. Chrissy had to become a Catholic, she was Episcopalian; Mother Eugenia gave Chrissy personal RCIA lessons at Our Mother’s Consolation Convent. So on Easter Sunrise Mass 1987 Chrissy became a Catholic receiving all her sacraments on the convents grounds. The picture below is at the convent in their chapel where we “retook” our vows so all our friends there could see us who couldn’t make it to the church. 

Well I guess the big question is: How have you guys survived after 30 years? After 30 years I have come to this conclusion.

My 30 Years of Wisdom:

1. Always seek to be a Peacemaker.
2. Have a $0.00 hobby that consumes you. (writing, art, etc.)
3. Cook and clean at meal time together don’t use a dishwasher (we have a dishwasher, but we don't use it).
4. Food shop together, learn each others likes and dislikes.
5. Focus on the kids together making them the priority.
6. Never ever scream or fight EVER.
7. Never say something you know you will regret.
8. Take one day at a time in good and bad times.

That's all for now.

LOVE YOU GUYS !!!!

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

The Unforgiving Servant

BEADS OF JOY 08-11-16

“The Unforgiving Servant”

©2016 James Dacey, Jr. OFS

My Friends,

 Today’s Gospel: Matt 18:21-19:1 (The Unforgiving Servant)

“Then Peter came up and said to him, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?" Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven. "Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. When he began the reckoning, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents; and as he could not pay, his lord ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, `Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.' And out of pity for him the lord of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. 

But that same servant, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denari; and seizing him by the throat he said, `Pay what you owe.' So his fellow servant fell down and besought him, `Have patience with me, and I will pay you.' He refused and went and put him in prison till he should pay the debt. When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their lord all that had taken place. Then his lord summoned him and said to him, `You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you besought me; and should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?' And in anger his lord delivered him to the jailers, till he should pay all his debt. So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart." Now when Jesus had finished these sayings, he went away from Galilee and entered the region of Judea beyond the Jordan.”

Reflection:
One of the most important aspects of being a true follower of Jesus; is being able to forgive others for their wrong-doings against you. That I know is not easy, and it does take a lot of humility and even though society sees it as a weakness at times; it is actually a strength when you truly understand the process of true forgiveness. Mercy is actually the opposite of God’s justice. But mercy works like this; we must be merciful to others in order to receive mercy. Give forgiveness in order to be forgiven; that’s how it works hand in hand. In today’s gospel this servant even though he received mercy and forgiveness, he did not grant the same to his fellow servant who requested the same as he did. And for that this man, the one who received forgiveness -no longer deserved it.

Do you hold any grudges against anyone? Are you requesting forgiveness but you are not willing to forgive? I think today’s gospel is very clear on the fact that we must give in order to receive when it comes to forgiveness and mercy. And most importantly let us not forget that Jesus paid a ransom to set us free from our sin. Through His most precious blood on the Cross we were forgiven of our sins and released from the clutches of satan. We must never forget that.

“You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of human beings.” ~1 Corinthians 7:23

Consider this my dear sisters and brothers. It was Almighty God’s tremendous love for us that set all of us free. Let us not forget the verse of all verses, almost all Christians know. That is how much God loves us; through the blood of His only Son He forgave us.

“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

LOVE YOU GUYS !!!!

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

Jesus’ Hour Is Coming

BEADS OF JOY 08-10-16

“Jesus’ Hour Is Coming”

©2016 James Dacey, Jr. OFS

My Friends,

  

Today’s Gospel: John 12:24-26 (Jesus’ Hour Is Coming)
“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If any one serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there shall my servant be also; if any one serves me, the Father will honor him.”

Reflection:
No doubt Jesus is speaking of His own death and rebirth when He is speaking of the grain of wheat that dies. But look at verse 25, that is hardcore faith out of the mouth of Jesus. “Selfishness” will ultimately destroy you, after all that is what loving your life is all about. When we focus so much on what we want; on what we desire, what we need, what we like, what we have accomplished, isn’t that selfishness? We are all guilty of that, myself included. We must do all we can to constantly keep ourselves in check and do all we can to get back on course and stay focused on Jesus. Prayer and confession do that.

If we deny ourselves and live our lives for Jesus we will have eternal life with Him. What can this life offer to us that would even come close? That was rhetorical by the way. The answer is: Nothing! Yes, we can go ahead and say, “Who cares I love this life of mine. I love my big beautiful expensive home, I love having a couple expensive cars in my driveway and my ability to travel worldwide whenever I feel like it; I simply love it. It’s all about me! I deserve it, I earned it!” Yes, anyone can say that. And I will say to some degree you are correct. But, to be fair. Jesus died so that you may have life. So without that life and His blessing you would have nothing. So technically it’s because of Him that you have all these blessings and these things in your life.

Now I am not against success. Absolutely NOT. But there needs to be a balance of reality in that success. Anyone who is that successful should be reaching out to those who suffer. God has blessed you for that reason. Do you not see that? How many friends and family members do you know out there who are struggling or deal with hunger issues? How many friends and family members do you know out there who have life threatening illnesses and stare death in the face daily? And I can go on and on. Or do you even care or do you even know? You / We need to think about this very seriously and say to ourselves, “What can I do to make their lives easier?” “How can I share the blessing I have been blessed with to make their burden lighter?” If we all can live a life that is humble and not selfish but giving and loving towards others; the world we live in would be so much better.

LOVE YOU GUYS !!!!

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

Parable of The Lost Sheep

BEADS OF JOY 08-09-16

“Parable of The Lost Sheep”

©2016 James Dacey, Jr. OFS

My Friends,

Today’s Gospel:
Matthew 18:1-5, 10, 12-14 (Parable of The Lost Sheep)

“At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of Heaven?" And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them, and said, "Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. "Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me;

"See that you do not despise one of these little ones; for I tell you that in heaven their angels always behold the face of my Father who is in heaven.

What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.”

Reflection:
Today’s gospel begins with the question and ambition of “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of Heaven?” Jesus’ response is not only brilliant, but simply only a response that can only come from Heaven. Jesus said, "Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of Heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of Heaven.” Why like a child? In the past I researched this, I mean like thirty years ago. This is really a great passage. See back then, children had no rights, no privileges of their own, they simply did what they were told without question. Children completely and totally depended on their mom and dad to take care of them; hence their obedience to obey them is something they did naturally and without question. Our faith and love for God must be the same “without question”.

Once we have that unquestionable love for God that is obedient and loyal to Him alone, totally and completely dependent upon Him; that is what I believe Jesus is talking about here. We must empty our hearts of all our pride and all of our selfishness in order to be able to really love Jesus the way He wants us to. See a child is content to be taken care of by their parents. We must be totally content with our dependence in Almighty God alone. Then we will be like children.

Now moving onto the parable also in today’s gospel.  This wonderful little parable shows us how Jesus does not rejoice over the loss of anyone. He desires to literally save all of us, no matter how lost we may be. We must always pray for one another no matter how much sometimes we may not like someone; all judgment must be left in God’s hands not ours. We must simply love and pray for one another’s salvation and unity of fellowship back to the fold. Every one of us is a child of God. We must remember Jesus Christ died for every one of us. So let us rejoice over the chance to pray for everyone in the hopes that God’s mercy and love changes their lives and they too love Jesus like we do. That is what we should do, that is the right thing to do. I believe that is what Jesus wants us to do.

LOVE YOU GUYS !!!!

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

Not To Offend Them

BEADS OF JOY 08-08-16

“Not To Offend Them”

©2016 James Dacey, Jr. OFS

My Friends,

Today’s Gospel: Matthew 17:22-27 (Not To Offend Them)
“As they were gathering in Galilee, Jesus said to them, "The Son of man is to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day." And they were greatly distressed.

When they came to Capernaum, the collectors of the half-shekel tax went up to Peter and said, "Does not your teacher pay the tax?" He said, "Yes." And when he came home, Jesus spoke to him first, saying, "What do you think, Simon? From whom do kings of the earth take toll or tribute? From their sons or from others?" And when he said, "From others," Jesus said to him, "Then the sons are free. However, not to give offense to them, go to the sea and cast a hook, and take the first fish that comes up, and when you open its mouth you will find a shekel; take that and give it to them for me and for yourself."

Reflection:
When you (meaning me) have spent 33 years of your life day in and day out invested in the Word and Jesus; you know for a fact that the scriptural interpretation of “not give offense to them,” by no means meant Jesus was concerned about who He might offend. If I have learned anything about Jesus; I have learned that our Lord wants any and all stumbling blocks removed from our path. Tax was an obligation as a citizen and let’s take care of it and let’s move on. I think it’s also a great example for all of us to see that yes, even Jesus pays taxes.

Are you ready to forge forward in your faith? Do you have any stumbling blocks that are affecting who you are as you follow Jesus? Do not allow them to block your progress and growth. If you have responsibilities, they need to be taken care of; if you have addictions, you need to find someone to help you. Our Lord wants all of our attention, all of our time and all of our love. Distractions like that are something that only keep us from Him. I learned a long time ago that I need to fully give my life to my Lord and then intergrade the other things I desired after Jesus came first in my life.

All of this reminds me of a conversation I had with Father Mullally, I really miss that man. Not only was he our Priest, but he was my Spiritual Director and one of our family’s closest friends. He and I talked virtually every day when he was alive. Going back in the mid 1980’s we once spoke about my “hobbies and interests” LOL. I laugh because I was telling Father about making rosaries, being part of three prayer groups, weekly adoration, daily Mass, my writing daily about the gospel, the rosary groups I was communicating with worldwide. It was so funny he looked at me and said, “Ok? Outside of the church, what do you do?” I was like, “What do you mean? Jesus and Our Lady and the Rosary are my whole life, I don’t want to be doing anything else.” LOL, he said, “Jim, you need to do something else.”

So I did... LOL... I started MORE prayer time groups and even the hourly Rosary Groups Worldwide… Well, Father seen all my online activities in the ministry and he was like, “Jim, that’s not what I meant.” Fast-forward, close to three decades later after reaching areas of the world I never knew even existed; sharing Jesus, Mary and the Rosary with so many people and even sharing many of my experiences with Father Mullally with so many, Father seen things differently. Fr. Mullally spoke to me after Mass one day and said, “Jim what you are doing is a good thing, keep doing it.” So to this day, those words still echo in my heart.

LOVE YOU GUYS !!!!

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

Parable of The Servants

BEADS OF JOY 08-07-16

“Parable of The Servants”

©2016 James Dacey, Jr. OFS

My Friends,

Today’s Gospel: Luke 12:32-48 (Parable of The Servants)
“Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give alms; provide yourselves with purses that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

"Let your loins be girded and your lamps burning, and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the marriage feast, so that they may open to him at once when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes; truly, I say to you, he will gird himself and have them sit at table, and he will come and serve them. If he comes in the second watch, or in the third, and finds them so, blessed are those servants! But know this, that if the householder had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have left his house to be broken into. You also must be ready; for the Son of man is coming at an unexpected hour."

Peter said, "Lord, are you telling this parable for us or for all?" And the Lord said, "Who then is the faithful and wise steward, whom his master will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master when he comes will find so doing. Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. But if that servant says to himself, `My master is delayed in coming,' and begins to beat the menservants and the maidservants, and to eat and drink and get drunk, the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will punish him, and put him with the unfaithful. And that servant who knew his master's will, but did not make ready or act according to his will, shall receive a severe beating. But he who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, shall receive a light beating. Every one to whom much is given, of him will much be required; and of him to whom men commit much they will demand the more.”

Reflection:

Today’s parable is all about being prepared for Jesus’ return. Are you busy serving others in preparation for the Divine Kingdom? In other words, are being the faithful servant of the Lord being watchful at all times; helping direct others in prayer and the things of God? Or are you like the unfaithful servant of the Lord leading His children further and further away from Him through the pleasures of this world? In many ways God’s ways are completely opposite of the worlds ways; that is why so many so easily fall into the trap of being so preoccupied in this life.

We MUST spend whatever time God has given us and use that time to prepare for His coming/our leaving this life. Do you hunger for Jesus in your life? Do you spend hours each week in the scriptures and prayer and even time weekly at adoration and still have this hunger for Him that you can’t explain? That is awesome! That is the kind of hunger you want, never being satisfied with only a little of Jesus or only an hour a week at Mass; but rather have a life totally and completely consumed by Him and still want more. I have spent 33 years of my life consumed by Jesus and I feel like I have just got started. If Jesus knocked on your door today and said, “Let’s Go!” Would you be eager and ready? I would be ecstatic beyond my wildest dreams.

Jesus wants us all ready and eager to receive Him. No matter what the hour or day is. Think about it: What is the greatest, most absolute, most incredible, treasure you could ever receive? How about this: To be with Jesus in Heaven for all eternity! No treasure on this earth; no experience in this life; no amount of money no matter how many zero’s will ever compete with eternity in Heaven with our Lord! Jesus’ gift to us is absolutely priceless (we can’t buy it) it is filled with an overabundance of joy and it has eternal security that has no boundaries to always protect us. So open your heart and your life to Jesus and allow His love to consume all of you. And tell others of this Joy you have.

LOVE YOU GUYS !!!!

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

The Transfiguration

BEADS OF JOY 08-06-16

“The Transfiguration”

©2016 James Dacey, Jr. OFS

My Friends,

Today’s Gospel: Luke 9:28b-36 (The Transfiguration)
“Now about eight days after these sayings he took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. And as he was praying, the appearance of his countenance was altered, and his raiment became dazzling white. And behold, two men talked with him, Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was to accomplish at Jerusalem. Now Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep, and when they wakened they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. And as the men were parting from him, Peter said to Jesus, "Master, it is well that we are here; let us make three booths, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah" -- not knowing what he said. As he said this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!" And when the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silence and told no one in those days anything of what they had seen.”

Reflection:
What happen to Peter, James and John’s focus? Why did they take their eyes off Jesus and bundle Him up with Moses and Elijah? Are we prepared to see Almighty God in all His Glory? Will we stay fully focused on Him alone? Jesus allowed the disciples to see Him in His Glory. Why did God have to tell them to focus on Jesus? Weren’t the disciples Spiritually awake?

Are we Spiritually awake? Peter, James and John had the utmost privilege to see Jesus in His Glory and they didn’t see it. Well at least their words didn’t make it obvious to my understanding that they saw HIM alone as the Christ. Instead they focused on all three men. Almighty God had to “step in” and “guide them” I feel they missed the reason why they had the opportunity to witness such a magnificent sight.

We need to live our lives fully awake and aware of our Lord’s presence in it. Jesus alone and no one else takes center stage. Yes, we admire and learn from the saints and prophets and those of the Old Testament, but we do not make them equal to Jesus. Jesus is The Christ. The Son of the Living God. He is the only one we are to lift up in Worship and Praise every single day of our lives.

Here’s my opinion if it’s worth anything: 

If you live a life that always has Jesus in it and you spend time in scripture daily and you spend time before Him in adoration weekly and you go to Mass as often as you possibly can and you go to confession as often as you possibly can; well then staying focused on Jesus will be very easy for you. Why? Because you already do. That’s my opinion.

LOVE YOU GUYS !!!!

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

Lose Your Life For My Sake

BEADS OF JOY 08-05-16

“Lose Your Life For My Sake”

©2016 James Dacey, Jr. OFS

My Friends,

Today’s Gospel: Matt 16:24-28 (Lose Your Life For My Sake)
“Then Jesus told his disciples, "If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man, if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life? Or what shall a man give in return for his life? For the Son of man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay every man for what he has done. Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom."

Reflection:
In my research today I have found this question and I just have to share it and I think this will be the central focus of my reflection today:

What is the most important investment you can make with your life?

I know some may think of an “investment” as money put aside for the future, or real estate purchased for the future, or stocks and bonds wall street deals when the word investment is used?? Well, not today. Well, I should say not in my world. I do believe in planning for the future; please don’t misinterpret my words, but do understand my sole purpose in life for the past 33 years has been to focus on the greatest “investment” there could ever been in this life. Now you are curious.

What would you say if I said “Eternal Life” was the reward? But there is an investment that some may not want to invest. What is that? …you ask? How about giving your life completely and fully to Jesus? Do not let the treasures and lusts and things of this world consume you; rather be consumed by the love of Jesus and do all you can to lead others to Him. For what good is this life if this life destroys and takes away your eternal life? This life at its best is what? You live till you are 100? Maybe if you are in the top 1-5% you will have millions or billions of dollars? Ok, let’s say you did. That means God has blessed you with much, how have you in turn blessed others and helped others with that blessing? With much you have been given, much I expected… But keep in mind, your big house, your fleet of cars, your huge bank books, they all stay here when you die. Then what?

See that’s where “Eternal Life” comes in. Nothing of this world other than our faith has anything to do with eternal life. Of cause what we do with what we have in this life effects our destination. So we must be wise in how we live our lives. So losing your life and surrendering it over to Jesus is truly the greatest investment you could ever make, ever. That lose is a gain, a gain that will last for all eternity…

LOVE YOU GUYS !!!!

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

You Are The Christ

BEADS OF JOY 08-04-16

“You Are The Christ”

©2016 James Dacey, Jr. OFS

My Friends,

Today’s Gospel: Matthew 16:13-23 (You Are The Christ)
“Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do men say that the Son of man is?" And they said, "Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." He said to them, "But who do you say that I am? "Simon Peter replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you lose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."

Reflection:

This is truly a great gospel today. "But who do you say that I am?” I love that Jesus comes straight out and asks the ultimate question to Peter. And Praise Jesus! Peter replies with the ultimate answer, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." The true litmus test of our faith. How firm are we in our faith and knowledge of who Jesus is? How sincere and honest would we be if confronted with the same exact question face to face with Jesus? I intentionally always ask lots of questions that I don’t always answer in my reflections, so that everyone can reflect on their own from their own life. Jesus knows our heart and the answers to these questions regards to what we might say.

How many of you love the New Testament like I do? Currently I am studying the Old Testament, we have a local study group amongst some friends. I will say there is not one boring part to the Old Testament it is very exciting; but what I do miss in the Old Testament is the fact that I am not reading directly about Jesus. I know I am reading about what is leading up to Him and how everything leads up to Him, I understand that and within the next two studies we will be studying John The Baptist, ending the Old Testament and introducing the New Testament. I really really love the New Testament. I am so excited just thinking about those future studies focusing fully on Jesus. The New Testament is so directly and purposely about Jesus. I love that so much.

I think I just went off on a tangent. I would encourage all of you to begin some sort of Bible Study and if you are unable; then might I encourage you to begin your own personal reading study time so that you might absorb the scriptures. In the past in my life, my Spiritual Life of 33 years. I have read the entire Bible 2 times. I admit looking back when it was all new and I was excited it was in many ways just a read for me. But now it is so much more for me. It has become my life. In the background I enjoy studying the Old Testament, but on a daily basis I live the New Testament. Here is a suggestion of what you might like to try. I have been doing this method (that I designed) for over 13 years.

Rosary Man Jim's Weekly Gospel Study: 
http://beads-of-joy-blog.blogspot.com/2013/11/rosary-mans-gospel-study.html


Monday’s/ The Gospel of Matthew
Tuesday’s/ The Gospel of Mark
Wednesday’s/ The Gospel of Luke
Thursday’s/ The Gospel of John
Friday’s/The Acts of The Apostle


This is my fun way to experience the Gospels & Acts. Maybe it can be yours to... I LOVE THIS… I really do…

LOVE YOU GUYS !!!!

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

Canaanite Woman’s Faith

BEADS OF JOY 08-03-16

“Canaanite Woman’s Faith”

©2016 James Dacey, Jr. OFS

My Friends,

Today’s Gospel: Matt 15:21-28 (Canaanite Woman’s Faith)
“And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and cried, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely possessed by a demon." But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, "Send her away, for she is crying after us." He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." But she came and knelt before him, saying, "Lord, help me." And he answered, "It is not fair to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs." She said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table." Then Jesus answered her, "O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire." And her daughter was healed instantly.”

Reflection:

At first this woman was put off or so she must have felt that way by Jesus. Do you ever feel ignored by the Lord? What is your immediate response? Do you get down on your knees and plead your case like this Canaanite woman did? We have a merciful, loving, caring Lord who only wants the best for us. All we need to do is open our arms and our minds and our lives to Him; His are already open and waiting for us. This Canaanite woman has shown us that even someone outside the faith, outside the city, outside the circle of believers; there are those who truly believe and love Jesus, all we have to do is reach out to them and love them and embrace them into the circle with us.

This Canaanite woman expresses true faith in turning to Jesus knowing He is the answer to her prayers. Look at verse 25: “But she came and knelt before him, saying, "Lord, help me." With full reverse and respect, she came before Jesus with an expectant faith not questioning who He was or what He can do, but rather knowing He was the answer to her prayers. Do we do the same when we are in need and we are looking for our prayers to be answered? Jesus is the one to always turn to, plead your case before Him and open your heart and love Him and trust in Him. He knows our deepest thoughts, He knows the depths of our faith and trust in Him.

Fully trusting in Him even in the worst of times when all things look and seem bad is the best thing we can do. God’s Will shall prevail. I know this first hand. We have walked down many dark alleys not knowing the outcome. Some have not been good, but some have taught us and some have shown us how trusting Him was the only way we were going to make it through. Our life can be looked at as a bunch of “OMG’s” or “No WAY!!” and we made it through… Yes, the road ahead still has some unknown turns coming and some road blocks with no known ways around them yet. All we can do is trust in Him and Jesus will see us through. He always does.

"Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe." ~St. Augustine

“It is not the actual physical exertion that counts towards one's progress, nor the nature of the task, but by the spirit of faith with which it is undertaken.” ~St. Francis Xavier

"Faith has to do with things that are not seen, and hope with things that are not in hand." ~St. Thomas Aquinas

"I believe though I do not comprehend, and I hold by faith what I cannot grasp with the mind." ~St. Bernard

“To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible.” ~St. Thomas Aquinas

“If you believe what you like in the gospels, and reject what you don't like, it is not the gospel you believe, but yourself.” ~St. Augustine

LOVE YOU GUYS !!!!

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

Walking On Water

BEADS OF JOY 08-02-16

“Walking On Water”

©2016 James Dacey, Jr. OFS

My Friends,

Today’s Gospel: Matthew 14:22-36 (Walking On Water)
“Then he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but the boat by this time was many furlongs distant from the land, beaten by the waves; for the wind was against them. And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, "It is a ghost!" And they cried out for fear. But immediately he spoke to them, saying, "Take heart, it is I; have no fear." And Peter answered him, "Lord, if it is you, bid me come to you on the water." He said, "Come." So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus; but when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, "Lord, save me." Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, "O man of little faith, why did you doubt?" And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God." And when they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret. And when the men of that place recognized him, they sent around to all that region and brought to him all that were sick, and besought him that they might only touch the fringe of his garment; and as many as touched it were made well.”

Reflection:

This miracle teaches us this and I can personally attest to it: Our faith is tested by the storms of life; and if we can only see past the wind and rain and the flood and see Jesus’ hand reaching out to us to help us, to assist us, to comfort us. The key gem in today’s gospel that I got out of it is, that we must take our eyes off the storm and focus on Him and if we don’t see Him immediately, we must seek Him out. Don’t waste your energy or your time sinking in the waters of self-pity and discontent; instead focus all you have inside of you on Jesus and by doing so He alone will give you the strength and ability to stand and get through the storm.

Something else I noticed in today’s gospel. Jesus had no fear in the troubled waters; in fact, He even accepted Peter’s challenge to invite him out into the water. Jesus knew that if Peter was with Him and if Peter kept his eye on Him, he would be fine. That is absolute incredible faith, in that no matter what the situation is, no matter how bad it gets, no matter how bad it looks; as long you step forward while staying completely focused on Jesus you will be fine. This is most encouraging.

Life throws us some horrific storms, some tear us apart, some put us in the hospital and some even physically damage us for the rest of our lives. How are we to respond to this? Well we could have a pity party. I have had many of them, I find that not too many people like to come to them when I did have them. But I was awoken Spiritually and realized how selfish I was on many occasions. So what did I do? I buried my head in prayer and bible study (reading God’s word more) … Did that solve everything? NO! But what it did do, was begin to calm the storms of crazy stress in my life because my focus was on Jesus and no longer on me. I hope that helps my sisters and brothers. I find this full focus life of faith to be so much more fun, so much more calm, so much more focused.

LOVE YOU GUYS !!!!

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