Beads of Joy Blog II (2025)

The Riches of True Humility When Jesus told the rich young man to sell everything and follow Him, He wasn't just asking for his possessions; He was asking for humility. The young man walked away sorrowful because he couldn't admit the truth that his wealth wasn't really his at all. Everything we have comes from God's hand, but pride convinces us we're self-made. True humility means recognizing that our security doesn't come from our possessions, our worth doesn't come from our achievements, and our next breath is a gift we didn't earn. The rich young man couldn't embrace this radical dependence on God because it felt too vulnerable. But this is exactly where Jesus meets us, when we finally stop pretending we have it all figured out. The disciples were shocked when Jesus said it's easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye than for a rich person to enter heaven. They understood that wealth meant God's blessing in their culture, so if ...

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...

Nothing Is Impossible: A Gospel of Hope Have you ever felt like your prayers were bouncing off the ceiling? Like God wasn't listening, or maybe you just weren't faithful enough? The desperate father in today's Gospel knows that feeling all too well. He brings his suffering son to Jesus' disciples first, hoping for healing, only to watch them fail completely. But here's what strikes me most about this story: the father doesn't give up. Even after disappointment, even after watching others fall short, he brings his child directly to Jesus. That's the kind of persistent love that moves mountains, and it's exactly the kind of faith Jesus wants to cultivate in each of us. When the disciples ask Jesus why they couldn't cast out the demon, His answer cuts right to the heart of authentic faith. It wasn't about having perfect belief or never experiencing doubt; it was about the quality and direction of their trust. Jesus tells them that faith as small as ...

When Love Looks Like Sacrifice Take Up Your Cross Reflection on Matthew 16:24-28 When Jesus tells His disciples, "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me," He's not asking us to live a joyless, burdensome life. He's inviting us into the most profound mystery of our faith, that true life comes through love, and love always involves sacrifice. Think about the people you love most deeply. Don't you find yourself naturally putting their needs before your own? When a parent stays up all night with a sick child or when someone forgoes their own dreams to care for an aging parent, they're not being miserable; they're discovering what it means to be truly alive. This is exactly what Jesus talks about when He speaks of denying ourselves. Let's be honest, there's nothing easy about what Jesus is asking. Taking up our cross means embracing the hardest parts of our faith, the moments when everything in us wants to ...

Who Do You Say I Am? "You Are The Christ, the Son of the living God!" A Reflection on Matthew 16:13-23 When Jesus asked his disciples, "Who do you say that I am?" he wasn't looking for a theology lesson or a recitation of popular opinions. He was asking the most personal question anyone could ever face. Peter's bold declaration, " You are the Christ, the Son of the living God ", wasn't just an answer; it was a leap of faith that changed everything. Think about that moment: a simple fisherman, surrounded by doubt and uncertainty, suddenly speaking with the voice of absolute conviction. This wasn't human wisdom or clever reasoning. This was the Father revealing truth to a heart that was open to receive it. And Jesus' response? Pure joy. "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven." Here's what's beautiful about Peter's moment of recognition: it ...

Divine Glory Revealed: The Transfiguration On Mount Tabor, something extraordinary happened that would forever change how we understand this divine mystery before us. Peter, James, and John witnessed Jesus transformed before their very eyes; His face shining like the sun, His clothes becoming dazzling white. In that blessed moment, heaven touched earth, and the veil between the human and divine was pulled back to reveal the magnificent truth: this carpenter from Nazareth was indeed the Son of the living God. The Transfiguration wasn't just a display of God's power; it was God's tender gift to His beloved disciples, strengthening them for the difficult road ahead and confirming what their hearts had begun to believe. Think about it: Moses and Elijah appearing alongside the transfigured Jesus speak to the breathtaking continuity of God's plan throughout history. The Law and the Prophets found their fulfillment on that mountaintop, as all of salvation history converged in ...

The Hidden Sanctuary: Where God Dwells Within In this profound scripture from Saint Matthew's Gospel, our Lord Jesus Christ addresses one of the most fundamental questions of religious life: what truly constitutes holiness before God? When the Pharisees approached Him with concerns about ritual observance, Jesus seized this moment to illuminate a deeper truth about the nature of divine worship and human sanctity. His response reveals the magnificent ordering of God's priorities; not dismissing the sacred traditions that form us, but establishing the proper hierarchy between external observance and interior conversion. Like a master teacher unveiling the heart of a complex theological principle, Jesus draws our attention to the wellspring from which all authentic religious practice must flow: the human heart surrendered to God's mercy and overflowing  grace. The wisdom our Savior imparts here speaks to the essence of Catholic spirituality and our understanding of what it mea...

What Demons Steal: The Five Pillars of Spiritual Life Lost to Habitual Sin The spiritual battlefield is real, and one of the enemy's most effective strategies is the gradual erosion of our spiritual foundation through habitual sin. C.S. Lewis masterfully illustrated this reality in The Screwtape Letters, revealing how demonic influence operates not through dramatic supernatural manifestations, but through subtle, persistent erosion of our spiritual life. Like a master thief operating in darkness, demonic influence doesn't merely tempt us toward occasional failure; it systematically dismantles the very pillars that support our relationship with God and our identity as His children. When we become trapped in patterns of sin, we find ourselves losing far more than we initially bargained for, often becoming so spiritually numb that we no longer even flinch at behaviors that once troubled our conscience. Lewis's fictional Screwtape understood that the most effective strategy was...

Three Questions That Help: Prepare Us For Eternity  In the quiet moments of our lives, when the noise of daily concerns fades away, three profound questions echo through our souls, demanding honest examination of our hearts and actions. These are not merely philosophical inquiries, but urgent spiritual imperatives that should guide our everyday lives: Do I truly know God? Do I genuinely love others? What am I doing with the gifts He has entrusted to me? These questions pierce through our comfortable assumptions and challenge us to live with eternal perspective, recognizing that our time on earth is both precious and temporary, a sacred opportunity to align our lives with divine purpose. The first question: "Do you know Me?" calls us beyond the knowledge to an intimate relationship with our Creator. To know God means to recognize Jesus Christ not as a distant biblical figure, but as the living Savior who willingly bore our sins and paid the ultimate price for our redemption. T...

The Deceit of Worldly Success: Prepare For Eternity Now Death comes as the great equalizer, showing no favoritism to the wealthy executive in his penthouse or the humble laborer in his modest home. When the final breath escapes our lips, that is it; our last chance to do anything meaningful is gone forever. The degrees on your wall become worthless paper, your bank account becomes meaningless numbers, and your carefully crafted reputation dissolves into nothing. Imagine the horror of realizing in those final moments that you wasted decades chasing promotions, accumulating possessions, and seeking pleasures while completely neglecting your immortal soul. As Scripture warns in Hebrews 9:27, "It is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment." There are no second chances, no do-overs, no appeals, only the eternal consequence of how we choose to live. This sobering finality should terrify us into immediate action, for God alone determines where we spend eternity....

The Sacred Silence of His Divine Presence A Reflection on Matthew 13:54-58 In the profound mystery of God's love, we witness the Word made flesh returning to the place of His hidden years, where the Almighty chose to dwell in perfect simplicity. Christ Jesus, who spoke creation into being, now speaks to His neighbors with the same voice that once asked Mary for water and learned carpentry from Joseph's patient hands. What sacred mystery unfolds here, the Son of the Most High choosing not the splendor of earthly courts but the humble familiarity of home to reveal His divine nature. In this most tender of homecomings, we behold the infinite condescension of God, who desires not to overpower but to invite, not to compel but to draw hearts through gentle revelation. The very stones of Nazareth bore witness to His divinity walking among them in perfect humility, the Creator dwelling peacefully among them. Yet in this sacred encounter, we witness the most profound sorrow of the huma...