Beads of Joy Blog II (2025 - 2026)

Abundance We Overlook Photo created by James Dacey, Jr. using Co-Pilot. A Reflection on Mark 8:14-21 In today's Gospel, the disciples find themselves in a boat with Jesus, worried because they forgot to bring bread. They have only one loaf among them, and their minds are consumed with this shortage. Yet standing right there with them is the very One who just fed four thousand people with seven loaves. Jesus gently rebukes them, asking if their hearts are hardened, if their eyes cannot see, and if their ears cannot hear. He reminds them of the abundance that flowed from His hands, twelve baskets left over when He fed the five thousand, seven baskets remaining after feeding the four thousand. The question hangs in the air: Why do they worry about bread when the Bread of Life Himself is present? We are so much like those anxious disciples. We carry our worries into the presence of Jesus, fretting about what we lack, forgetting what He has already provided. We focus on the material bre...

The Sign Already Given Photo created by James Dacey, Jr. using Co-Pilot. A Reflection on Mark 8:11-13 In today's Gospel, the Pharisees demand a sign from Jesus, even though He's been healing the sick, feeding thousands, and teaching with divine authority right before their eyes. Jesus sighs deeply, a profoundly human moment that reveals His heartache over their spiritual blindness. They want proof on their terms, a spectacular show to satisfy their doubts, but they miss the greatest sign of all: God Himself standing before them in the flesh. Sometimes we do the same thing. We pray for clear answers while overlooking the graces already present in our lives, the Eucharist we receive, the forgiveness offered in Confession, and the quiet presence of the Holy Spirit in our hearts. This is where the Rosary becomes our teacher. When we meditate on the mysteries, we're contemplating the signs God has already given us: the Incarnation, the Redemption, the promise of eternal life...

The Freedom to Choose Holiness Photo created by James Dacey, Jr. using Co-Pilot. A Reflection on the 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time God places before us life and death, fire and water, and invites us to reach out our hand. This is the startling message from Sirach, that our choices truly matter, that we are not puppets dancing on strings, but beloved children entrusted with real freedom. The Lord commands no one to sin, yet He knows we will face the daily decision between following His law written on our hearts or turning away toward easier paths. Today's readings weave together a single truth: God offers us wisdom beyond human understanding, but we must actively choose to receive it. The commandments aren't just some rules designed to restrict us; they guide us on the narrow road that leads to Heaven. Jesus takes this further in the Gospel, showing that true holiness goes deeper than external obedience. He doesn't abolish the law but fulfills it by revealing its heart. Murd...

Stop Chasing Happiness: The Power of Living for Others Photo created by James Dacey, Jr. using Co-Pilot We spend so much of our lives chasing happiness, yet the harder we pursue it, the more it seems to slip away. Here's a truth worth remembering: happiness isn't found by turning inward and obsessing over why we're not content. It arrives quietly as a byproduct of something greater fulfillment. When we stop asking "How can I be happier?" and start asking "How can I become something meaningful?", everything shifts. Self-preoccupation breeds misery, but purpose breeds joy. Think about your own experience. When are you most miserable? Usually, when you're spiraling inward, replaying past mistakes, worrying about what others think of you, and anxiously monitoring your own emotional state. This kind of self-consciousness becomes a prison. The key to freedom isn't found in better self-analysis or more sophisticated introspection. It's found in the ...

Building a Legacy Holding onto The World Photo created by James Dacey, Jr. using Co-Pilot. I want you to picture something for a second. Imagine your entire world, everything you've built, everything you've worked for, everyone you love, all your plans, all your security, sitting right here in the palm of your hand. Your whole life. Right there. Now imagine someone taking that hand and smashing it onto a table. Shattered. Like glass. Broken into a thousand pieces. And you're left standing there, trying to survive in the wreckage. That's where I was. We were raising five kids, beautiful, wonderful kids who were the sprinkle of love that made everything work. We had our faith. We had each other. And then my wife got sick. Six years of suffering with cancer. I was working 70 hours a week, trying to hold everything together, trying to provide, trying to be strong. And then I had my strokes. Two of them, back-to-back. And then another one years later, in 2020, five years aft...

A Mothers Persistent Humble Trust A Reflection on Mark 7:24-30 In today's Gospel, we meet a mother whose love refuses to accept "no" for an answer. Jesus has traveled to Tyre, seeking rest and privacy, but this Gentile woman, the Syrophoenician mother, breaks through every barrier to reach Him. She's an outsider by every measure: wrong nationality, wrong gender to approach a rabbi publicly, and yet she persists. When Jesus tests her with words that sound harsh to modern ears, she doesn't retreat in offense or despair. Instead, she meets Him exactly where He is, turning His own image back to Him with wit and humility: "Even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs." Her faith is so profound that Jesus marvels at it and grants her request immediately. What makes this woman's faith so powerful? She sees what many miss: that Jesus's love is abundant enough for everyone, that His mercy overflows beyond any human boundary. She understan...

Dash Worthy Moments #2: The Grocery Store Saint Photo Created by James Dacey Jr using Co-Pilot There's a woman at my local grocery store who's been bagging groceries for probably thirty years. She knows everyone's name. She asks about your kids, remembers your dog had surgery, and tells you to drive safely when it's raining. Last week, I watched her spend five minutes helping an elderly man count out exact change while a line formed behind him. Nobody sighed. Nobody checked their phone impatiently. We all just... waited. Because we know her. And when she retires someday, that store will feel different. Emptier. Like something irreplaceable walked out the door. Here's what gets me: she's never going to be famous. She'll never have a Wikipedia page or a building named after her. Her job title won't impress anyone at a cocktail party. But I guarantee you, when her time comes, there will be people at that funeral who wouldn't have missed it for the wor...

The Heart God Sees Photo Created by James Dacey Jr using Co-Pilot A Reflection on Mark 7:1-13 In today's Gospel, Jesus confronts a painful reality: it's possible to look perfectly religious on the outside while our hearts remain far from God. The Pharisees were meticulous about washing their hands and purifying their cups, yet they had found clever ways to avoid caring for their own parents. They had turned God's law into a performance, a show of external compliance that actually masked a deep interior emptiness. Jesus cuts through this pretense with stunning clarity. God doesn't want our rituals for their own sake. He wants our hearts. He wants the love, the sacrifice, and the genuine devotion that should flow from those hearts into every relationship and responsibility we have. This is where the Rosary becomes such a powerful companion to our faith. When we pray the Rosary, we're not just reciting words or counting beads; we're entering into the mysteries of...

The Touch That Transforms Photo Created by James Dacey Jr using Co-Pilot A Reflection on Mark 6:53-56 In today's Gospel, we witness something extraordinary: people weren't just seeking Jesus; they were desperately reaching for even the smallest connection to Him. They brought the sick on mats, laid them in marketplaces, and begged simply to touch the fringe of His cloak. Think about that for a moment. These people believed so deeply that even the smallest physical contact with Jesus could heal them completely. And Mark tells us that as many as touched Him were made well. Every single one. This was faith meeting Divine Love, and that encounter changed everything. What's remarkable is that this same Jesus, the one whose garment held such power, is even more available to us today than He was to those crowds in Gennesaret. In the Eucharist, we don't just touch His cloak; we receive His very Body and Blood. When we pray the Rosary, we don't just reach toward Him from a...