Beads of Joy Blog II (2025 - 2026)

  Easter Sunday - April 5, 2026 Acts 10:34a, 37-43  |  Colossians 3:1-4 John 20:1-9 Photo created by James Dacey Jr. using M365 Co-Pilot. Today's Readings: Acts 10:34a, 37-43 Peter proclaimed that God anointed Jesus with the Holy Spirit, and that He went about doing good, and that they put Him to death, but God raised Him on the third day and commanded them to preach that He is the one appointed by God as judge of the living and the dead. Colossians 3:1-4 If you were raised with Jesus, seek what is above. Your life is hidden with Jesus Christ in God. When Christ returns, you will appear with Him in glory. John 20:1-9 Mary came to the tomb early and found the stone removed. Peter and the other disciple ran to see the empty tomb. The other disciple saw and believed. Today's Thread - The tomb is empty. Now what? Witnesses!! That's what all three readings are asking you to be today. Peter witnessed it and preached it. Paul told the Colossians to live like it's true. John s...

🔥 Holy Saturday Evening  April 4, 2026 The EASTER Vigil Mass The Night That Changes Everything Photo created by James Dacey, Jr. using Co-Pilot. The Easter Vigil • The Mother of All Vigils • Year A • Beads of Joy Blog II 🕯️ The Vigil Readings Reading 1: Genesis 1:1 - 2:2 In the beginning Reading 2: Genesis 22:1-18 Abraham and Isaac Reading 3: Exodus 14:15 - 15:1 Through the Red Sea Reading 4: Isaiah 54:5-14 The Lord calls you back Reading 5: Isaiah 55:1-11 Come to the water Reading 6: Baruch 3:9-15, 32 - 4:4 Walk in His ways Reading 7: Ezekiel 36:16-28 I will give you a new heart Epistle: Romans 6:3-11 Raised with Him Gospel: Matthew 28:1-10 He is not here. He is risen. 🔥 It Begins In Darkness No lights. No candles. No music. Just darkness and silence and a congregation standing outside in the night around a pile of wood waiting for a spark. And then: FIRE!!! A single flame struck from the darkness. The Paschal Candle lit from that flame. The priest lifts it high and s...

🕯️ Saturday, April 4, 2026 The Longest Day No Mass Till The Vigil Photo created by James Dacey, Jr. using Co-Pilot. Holy Saturday • Year A • Beads of Joy Blog II ✝️ Today The Church observes a sacred fast today. There is no Mass until the Easter Vigil tonight. 📖 The Word Today No Gospel is being read at morning prayer today. Just silence. The tomb is sealed. The disciples are scattered and terrified. Mary Magdalene is weeping somewhere. Peter is hiding. John is with Our Lady. And Jesus, the Word made flesh, is silent in the tomb. 🙏 Reflection This is the longest day of the year. Yesterday He died. Tomorrow, He rises. But today, nothing. Just the sealed stone in front of the tomb and the silence and the longest Saturday in human history. The disciples didn't know about tomorrow. They just knew about yesterday. They had watched Him die. They had seen the stone rolled across the entrance. And now they sat in their locked room with their grief and their confusion and thei...

🕯️ Friday, April 3, 2026 It Is Finished And Yet, It Is Just Beginning Photo created by James Dacey, Jr. using Co-Pilot. Good Friday • The Passion of the Lord • Year A • Beads of Joy Blog II ✝️ Today's Mass Readings First Reading: Isaiah 52:13- 53:12 Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 31:2, 6, 12-13, 15-16, 17, 25 Second Reading: Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9 Gospel: John 18:1- 19:42 📖 The Gospel He was arrested. Tried. Scourged. Crowned with thorns. Condemned. He carried His cross. He was nailed to it. He said, “I thirst.” He said, "It is finished." He bowed His head and handed over His spirit. 🙏 Reflection Jesus died. The Son of God, the I AM, the Living Water, the Resurrection and the Life, the one who called Lazarus out of the tomb, was nailed to a cross outside Jerusalem and died today. Isaiah had seen it coming seven centuries earlier: He was pierced for our sins, crushed for our iniquity. The punishment that made us whole fell on him. We had all gone astray. And the L...

🕯️ Thursday, April 2, 2026 Jesus Got Down on His Knees …and He Washed Their Feet Photo created by James Dacey, Jr using Co-Pilot. Holy Thursday • The Mass of the Lord's Supper • Year A • Beads of Joy Blog II ✝️ Today's Mass Readings First Reading: Exodus 12:1-8, 11-14 Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 116:12-13, 15-16, 17-18 Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 Gospel: John 13:1-15 📖 The Gospel Before the Passover feast, Jesus rises from supper, ties a towel around His waist, and begins to wash His disciples' feet. Peter protests, “You will never wash my feet.” Jesus says, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.” Then Jesus says, "Do you understand what I have done? I have given you an example. As I have done, so you must do. 🙏 Reflection The God of the universe got down on His knees tonight and washed dirty feet. Think about that for a moment. The hands that formed the stars untied sandals and cleaned the dust of the road off twelve sets of feet, incl...

🕯️ Wednesday, April 1, 2026 The Chief Priests Paid Judas 30 Pieces of Silver to Betray Jesus Photo created by James Dacey, Jr. using Co-Pilot. Spy Wednesday • Wednesday of Holy Week • Year A • Beads of Joy Blog II ✝️ Today's Mass Readings First Reading: Isaiah 50:4-9a Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 69:8-10, 21-22, 31, 33-34 Gospel: Matthew 26:14-25 📖 The Gospel Judas goes to the chief priests and asks, what are you willing to give me if I hand Him over to you? They pay him thirty pieces of silver. From that moment, he looks for an opportunity to hand Him over. Meanwhile, Jesus says to His disciples, go into the city, prepare the Passover for us. 🙏 Reflection Spy Wednesday. The day everything goes quietly before the storm. Judas is counting his silver on one side of the city. Jesus is preparing the Passover on the other hand. Two completely different kinds of preparation are happening simultaneously, one for betrayal, one for the greatest gift ever given. Isaiah describes ...