Beads of Joy Blog II (2025)

True Purpose of Wealth: To Bless Others You know that moment when someone asks you for something and your heart just sinks? That's exactly what happened to the rich young man in Matthew's Gospel. He came to Jesus with such genuine desire, "What must I do to inherit eternal life?". This wasn't just any casual question; this man must have been wrestling with spiritual emptiness despite having everything the world could offer. But when Jesus looked at him with love and said, "Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor," the young man's face fell. He walked away grieving, because his possessions had become his prison. Here's what strikes me most about this encounter: Jesus wasn't being cruel or unreasonable. He was offering this man the greatest freedom imaginable. Jesus saw that this man's riches had become his god, and like any loving teacher, He was showing him the path to freedom. When God blesses us with success or abundance, it...

When Jesus Brings Fire: Our Lives Are Purified Jesus doesn't mince words in Luke 12:49-53. He tells us straight up that He came to bring fire to the earth, and frankly, He wishes it were already blazing. This isn't the gentle Jesus meek and mild we sometimes imagine; this is Jesus the revolutionary, the one who turns everything upside down. When He says He came to bring division, not peace, He's not being cruel. He's being honest about what happens when His truth collides with our comfortable, distracted, misguided, worldly lives. Following Jesus means choosing Him over everything else.. Everything else!!, even when that choice tears at our hearts and disrupts our carefully arranged world. The world we live in is far from Jesus. We live in a culture consumed by selfishness, greed, and lust, where genuine concern for others often takes a back seat to personal gain. Not everyone falls into this trap, but let's be honest, this is the dominant spirit of our age. The fir...

Why Less Really Is More: Following Jesus! When Jesus called his first followers, they didn't think twice! Peter and Andrew dropped their fishing nets right there in the water. James and John walked away from their family business without looking back. Something amazing is happening here that we miss sometimes: following Jesus starts with letting go, not getting more stuff. These guys knew that if they wanted to walk with Jesus, their hands had to be empty and their hearts had to be ready for something completely new. Being a disciple isn't just about believing the right things or going to Mass on Sundays; it's about letting Jesus turn your whole life upside down in the best possible way! When Jesus tells that rich young guy to sell everything and follow him, he's not being mean. He's offering real freedom! All our stuff, our need to look successful, our worry about what people think, these things actually hold us back from the incredible spiritual adventure Jesus wa...

Mary's Humble Journey To: The Assumption  There's something absolutely breathtaking about Mary's response when the angel Gabriel appeared to her. Here was a young woman who could have had every earthly plan and dream, yet when God called her, she didn't hesitate to say, "Let it be done unto me according to your word." Today, as we celebrate The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary , we see the beautiful culmination of that same spirit of surrender. Mary, who gave everything to God in life, was taken up body and soul into heaven; a glimpse of the glory that awaits all who choose to follow Jesus with such radical unresisting trust. When Mary hurried to visit her cousin Elizabeth, carrying Jesus within her womb, she prayed the magnificent prayer we call the Magnificat: "My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord." But notice what she doesn't say. She doesn't talk about her own comfort, her own security, or her retirement plan of luxury. Instea...

Debt We Can Never Repay: Radical Forgiveness A Catholic Reflection on Matthew 18:21-19:1 You know, Peter probably walked up to Jesus feeling pretty good about himself. "Lord, how many times should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?" I can almost see him with that expectant look, thinking he was being remarkably generous. After all, most rabbis taught three times was enough! But Jesus completely flips Peter's world upside down with His answer: not seven times, but seventy-seven times. Basically, Jesus is saying, "Peter, throw away the calculator. Stop keeping score entirely." Then He launches into this incredible parable about a servant whose debt was so massive, ten thousand talents, which would be like billions in today's money, that it could never be repaid. Yet his master forgives the entire thing with a word. But here's the kicker: that same forgiven servant immediately goes out and grabs a fellow servant by the throat over what amo...

God's Divine Mercy Finding Freedom Through Forgiveness When Jesus spoke those profound words in Matthew 18:15-20 about addressing sin within the Church, He wasn't giving us a harsh legal procedure. He was offering us one of the most beautiful gifts imaginable: a roadmap back to wholeness through Confession. Think about it: our Lord cared so deeply about our relationships with each other and with Him that He provided a gentle, step-by-step process for healing the wounds that sin creates. This isn't about punishment or shame; it's about restoration, love, and the incredible mercy that flows from the heart of God. Every time we face sin in our lives or witness it in our community, we're being invited into something miraculous, the chance to experience forgiveness that transforms everything. The Sacrament of Reconciliation is the Church's most tender expression of God's divine mercy and love for us. When we kneel in that confessional, we're not just admittin...

The Heart of a Child: Finding True Greatness Through Humility A Reflection of Matthew 18:1-5, 10, 12-14 When the disciples came to Jesus asking who would be greatest in the kingdom of heaven, they were thinking like we often do, about status, recognition, and climbing the ladder of success. But Jesus did something unexpected. He called over a little child and placed them right in the center of their circle. In that simple gesture, He turned everything upside down. The greatest in God's kingdom aren't those who accumulate the most or achieve the highest positions. They're the ones who approach life with the trust, wonder, and beautiful simplicity of a child. There's something profound about how Jesus chose a child as His example of greatness. Children don't worry about their reputation or their net worth. They don't spend sleepless nights calculating their social media metrics or comparing their lives to others. They simply trust, love freely, and find joy in the...

Finding Freedom in Surrender: Trusting God's Provision There's something profoundly beautiful about watching Jesus navigate the complexities of earthly life while never losing sight of His divine mission. In Matthew 17:22-27, we witness a moment that might seem mundane at first glance, a discussion about temple taxes. But rather, it reveals layers of wisdom about humility, provision, and the radical freedom that comes from trusting completely in God. When the tax collectors approach Peter, asking whether Jesus pays the temple tax, we see our Savior respond not with indignation at being questioned, but with a gentle lesson that transforms our understanding of what it means to live as children of God. Jesus could have easily asserted His authority, reminding everyone that as the Son of God, He owes no tax to His Father's house. Instead, He chooses the path of humility, instructing Peter to cast a line and find the exact coin needed in the mouth of the first fish caught. This ...

The Call to Generosity A Reflection on Luke 12:32-48 There's something radical about what Jesus tells us in today's Gospel – something that cuts right to the heart of how we live. "Do not be afraid any longer, little flock, for your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom." What beautiful words to start with. But then comes the challenge: "Sell your belongings and give to the poor." Wait, what? This feels impossible in our world of Amazon Prime deliveries and storage units bursting with stuff we forgot we owned. Yet Jesus isn't asking us to live in misery – He's inviting us into a freedom we've forgotten exists. The truth is, our possessions often possess us more than we possess them. How many of us have felt the weight of our belongings – not just physically, but spiritually? The constant worry about maintaining them, protecting them, and upgrading them. Jesus sees this burden we carry and offers us something infinitely better: treasure in he...