Beads of Joy Blog II (2025)

Moving Forward: When Hearts Are Closed A Reflection on Luke 9:51-56 As Jesus prepared for His journey to Jerusalem, He sent messengers ahead to arrange hospitality in a Samaritan village. But when the villagers learned He was heading to Jerusalem, they refused to welcome Him. The disciples James and John were furious and asked, "Lord, should we call down fire from heaven to destroy them?" Jesus rebuked His disciples for their vengeful response, and they simply moved on to another village. Jesus knew exactly what He was walking into when He sent those messengers ahead. The tension between Jews and Samaritans was real; they were enemies who avoided each other's territory. But Jesus didn't let that stop Him from asking for their hospitality anyway. When they slammed the door in His face, He didn't argue or force His way in. He just moved on to the next village. That's tolerance in action, not demanding acceptance but offering friendship even to those who want...

The Mighty Guardians: Saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael When we think about the incredible mystery of God's love for us, one of the most beautiful truths is that He doesn't leave us to navigate this life alone. Among His greatest gifts are the archangels, those powerful spiritual warriors and messengers who serve as bridges between heaven and earth. Saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael aren't just distant figures from biblical stories; they're active participants in God's ongoing plan of salvation, and their presence in our lives today is as real and meaningful as it was thousands of years ago. Saint Michael the Archangel stands as the ultimate defender of God's people. In the Book of Revelation, we see him leading the heavenly armies against Satan, and in the Book of Daniel, he's described as the great prince who protects God's chosen ones. But Michael isn't just a warrior from biblical times; he's our protector right now. When we pray the Sa...

The Rich Man and Lazarus A Reflection on Luke 16:19-31 The parable of the rich man and Lazarus confronts us with one of life's most uncomfortable truths: wealth without compassion becomes a spiritual prison, while poverty endured with faith can lead to eternal blessing. The rich man's tragic blindness wasn't merely about material excess; it was about the complete absence of awareness. He lived so insulated by luxury that Lazarus, dying at his very gate, remained invisible to him. Even in torment, the rich man's final words reveal his unchanged heart, still expecting to be served, still viewing Lazarus as his inferior. This is the devastating portrait of a soul so consumed by worldly comfort that it lost the capacity to see, to feel, to care. The question this parable demands of each of us is searingly personal: Where do we find ourselves in this story? Are we the rich man, insulated by comfort and blind to the suffering around us? Or are we Lazarus, trusting in God desp...

St. Vincent de Paul's Devotion to the Rosary A Reflection on St. Vincent de Paul's Devotion to the Rosary and Our Blessed Mother Feast Day - September 27 There's something beautiful about watching a weathered farmer's hands hold rosary beads. St. Vincent de Paul, that humble son of the French countryside, carried this image throughout his life; the same calloused hands that once guided cattle to pasture would later cradle the rosary in deep prayer to Our Lady. His devotion to Mary wasn't something he picked up in seminary or developed through theological study; it grew naturally from his understanding that just as his own mother had nurtured him through childhood hardships, the Blessed Mother nurtures all of God's children through life's struggles. Vincent saw in Mary the perfect model of service to the poor, and in the rosary, he found the rhythm of prayer that matched the steady heartbeat of charity work. For Saint Vincent, "the Immaculate Conception ...

Seasonable Silence: Peter's Confession to Our Own Cross A Reflection on Luke 9:18-22 The question that echoes through eternity, "Who do you say that I am?", pierces through the comfortable distance we often maintain with Scripture and demands a personal response. Peter's declaration that Jesus is "the Christ of God" was not merely an intellectual acknowledgment but a Spirit-inspired revelation that transformed his understanding of true discipleship. This moment represents more than theological accuracy; it marks the threshold where academic knowledge of Jesus must give way to the costly recognition of what following the Messiah truly demands. The Holy Spirit's work in revealing Jesus' identity to us is never separate from His work in preparing us for the implications of that revelation. Jesus' immediate turn to speak of suffering, rejection, and death reveals the inseparable connection between His identity and His mission. The Messiah that Pete...

Herod's Perplexity and Our Choice of Role Models A Reflection on Luke 9:7-9 The perplexity that seized King Herod upon hearing of Jesus reveals the profound weight of guilt and sin that can plague the human conscience. Herod's initial fear that Jesus might be John the Baptist raised from the dead speaks to something deeper than mere superstition; it reflects the torment of a soul burdened by its own choices. Despite his respect and even fear of John as a prophet, Herod had ultimately chosen temporal power over righteousness, silencing the voice that called him to repentance. When rumors of Jesus reached his ears, that suppressed guilt erupted into anxiety, compelling him to seek out this new teacher who reminded him so painfully of the man he had killed. This internal turmoil demonstrates how sin creates its own prison, trapping us in cycles of fear and unrest that no earthly authority can break. The irony of Herod's situation, a king who possessed worldly power yet liv...

The Power of Letting Go: Sent with Divine Authority The Authority of Mission: Reflection on Luke 9:1-6 In Luke 9:1-6, we witness a pivotal moment in salvation history as Jesus calls His twelve apostles and sends them forth with divine authority over demons and diseases, commissioning them to proclaim the Kingdom of God. This passage reveals the sacramental nature of apostolic mission, Jesus doesn't merely suggest or encourage; He actively empowers and sends. The Greek word for "send" (apostellō) carries the weight of official delegation, indicating that the Twelve are not acting on their own initiative but as authentic representatives of Jesus Christ Himself. This divine commissioning prefigures the Great Commission and establishes the apostolic foundation upon which the Church would be built. The authority given here is not human in origin but flows directly from Jesus’ own divine power, demonstrating that the Church's mission is fundamentally Christological. The...

Saint Padre Pio: A Living Testament of Faith In the rolling hills of southern Italy, God raised up a humble Capuchin friar who would become one of the most beloved saints of modern times. Saint Padre Pio of Pietrelcina stands as a luminous beacon of Catholic devotion, bearing in his very flesh the sacred wounds of Christ and radiating an extraordinary love for Our Blessed Mother through his unwavering dedication to the Holy Rosary. His life was a living prayer, a continuous act of worship that drew countless souls closer to the Heart of Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The stigmata that marked Padre Pio's hands, feet, and side for fifty years were not merely miraculous signs, but profound invitations to enter more deeply into the Passion of Our Lord. Each drop of blood that flowed from his wounds was a crimson prayer, uniting his suffering with Christ's redemptive sacrifice. Yet it was through his fingers, pierced and bleeding, that he most fervently grasped the bead...

Lights That Shine Brighter Together: The Gift of Catholic Friendship When Jesus speaks about not hiding a lamp under a jar, He's revealing something profound about our very purpose as baptized Catholics. Think about it, when you light a candle in your home, you don't immediately cover it up, do you? That would be absurd. The whole point of lighting it is to push back the darkness, to illuminate what was once hidden. Christ is telling us that the same principle applies to our faith. We've been given the light of Christ through our baptism, confirmed in the Holy Spirit, and nourished by the Eucharist, not so we can keep this gift locked away in the privacy of our hearts, but so we can be beacons of hope in a world desperately searching for meaning. The Catholic understanding of today's gospel goes deeper than mere evangelization, though that's certainly part of it. The Church teaches us that we are called to be contemplatives in action, people who have encountered Jes...

A Reflection on St. Matthew the Apostle Feast Day: September 21 There's something profoundly moving about the story of Matthew that speaks to the human heart across centuries. Here was a man who sat at his tax collector's booth in Capernaum, counting coins and calculating profits, when Jesus simply walked by and said, "Follow me." "And he rose and followed him", such simple words in Matthew's own Gospel that capture one of history's most dramatic conversions. What makes Matthew's story even more fascinating is that his original name was Levi, son of Alphaeus, and he was likely the brother of James the Less. The name "Matthew" means "gift of Yahweh," suggesting this became his Christian name after his conversion, a beautiful symbol of his transformation from tax collector to apostle. What strikes me most is that Matthew was likely the wealthiest and most educated of the apostles, yet also the most despised by his fellow Jews a...

What Jesus Teaches About True Wisdom A reflection on Luke 16:1-13 You know, when I first read this parable about the dishonest steward, I'll be honest - it left me scratching my head a bit! Here's Jesus seemingly praising a guy who's cooking the books and making shady deals. But that's the beauty of Jesus' teaching style, isn't it? He takes these everyday situations that would have resonated with his listeners and flips them to reveal profound spiritual truths. The steward may have been dishonest, but Jesus isn't endorsing his dishonesty - He's highlighting his shrewdness, his forward-thinking, his urgency in preparing for his future. As Catholics, we're called to have that same sense of urgency about our spiritual lives, that same wisdom in preparing not just for tomorrow, but for eternity. What strikes me most about this passage is how it exposes the real danger of getting too cozy with our money and possessions. Jesus calls it "dishonest weal...

Hearts on Fire: Walking with Jesus Gospel Reflection on Luke 8:1-3 What a beautiful glimpse Luke gives us into the heart of Jesus's ministry! Here we see our Lord not just as the great Teacher, but as someone who welcomed genuine partnership in His mission. These weren't just any women following along; they had experienced Jesus' power firsthand. Mary Magdalene, freed from seven demons; Joanna, the wife of Herod's steward; Susanna, and many others whose lives had been completely changed by an encounter with Jesus Christ. Can you imagine the conversations they must have had as they walked those dusty roads together? The laughter, the sharing of stories, the deep bonds formed through their shared love for Jesus? What strikes me most profoundly is how these women didn't just receive Jesus' healing and go back to their old lives. No, they were so moved by His love and mercy that they wanted to be part of something bigger than themselves. They "provided for them...

Love Poured Out: Divine Mercy A Reflection on Luke 7:36-40 What a scene Luke paints for us! Jesus is reclining at dinner in the home of Simon the Pharisee, probably enjoying good food and conversation, when suddenly everything changes. A woman, one the Gospel simply calls "a sinner", enters uninvited with an alabaster jar of precious ointment. She doesn't just approach Jesus; she falls at His feet, weeping so deeply that her tears wash His dusty feet, and then she does something absolutely scandalous by the standards of that day: she lets down her hair to dry them. In their culture, a woman's hair was deeply private, meant only for her husband. Yet here she is, pouring out both her tears and her dignity, kissing Jesus' feet and anointing them with expensive perfume. Can you imagine the shocked silence in that room? Simon the Pharisee watches all this and thinks he's got Jesus figured out. "If this man were really a prophet," Simon muses to himself, ...

Learning to Trust God's Ways: Beyond Criticism In this Gospel passage, Jesus speaks directly about the spiritual immaturity He witnessed in His time. The religious leaders complained that John the Baptist was too serious and strict in his preaching, while they criticized Jesus for being too joyful and welcoming to sinners. Nothing seemed to please them. They wanted God to work according to their expectations, and when He didn't, they found fault with His messengers. This reveals something important about human nature: we often resist God's grace when it comes in ways we don't expect or prefer. Here's the thing about God: He doesn't fit into our neat little boxes. Sometimes He sends us a John the Baptist, calling us to get serious about our relationship with Him through prayer and sacrifice. Other times, He shows up like Jesus at a wedding feast, reminding us that faith should bring joy and celebration into our lives. Both approaches are part of God's love fo...

When Hope Shows Up: A Story of Compassion Jesus is walking toward the town of Nain when he encounters a funeral procession coming the other way. Two crowds are about to meet, one following Jesus, the other following a coffin. But what gets me most about this story isn't just the miracle that happens next; it's that moment when Luke tells us Jesus "was moved with pity for her." That phrase in the original language means his heart was completely torn up with compassion. This isn't God looking down from heaven feeling sorry for someone; this is God right there in the mess of human pain, feeling it as deeply as we do. The widow walking behind her son's coffin represents all of us when we're at our most broken. She hasn't just lost her boy; she's lost everything. In those days, a widow without sons had no security, no future, no one to take care of her. Her grief isn't just about missing someone she loved, it's about facing a terrifying unknown....

Prayer to: Our Lady  of Seven Sorrows Opening Prayer Most Holy Mother of God, your heart was pierced with seven swords of sorrow as you walked beside your Son. In each trial, you showed us perfect faith and love. Through your tears, you became our Mother of Mercy. The Seven Sorrows First Sorrow - The Prophecy of Simeon Blessed Mother, when holy Simeon told you a sword would pierce your soul, you accepted God's will with courage. Your heart already knew the price of our salvation. Help us trust in God's plan even when we cannot understand His ways. Second Sorrow - The Flight into Egypt Our Lady, you fled with Joseph and the infant Jesus to protect Him from Herod's rage. In exile and uncertainty, you never lost hope. When we face danger or must leave what we know, be our guide and our strength. Third Sorrow - The Loss of Jesus in the Temple Mother Most Sorrowful, for three days you searched for your beloved Son with an anguished heart. Your joy at finding Him was...

The Exaltation of The Holy Cross Today, as we celebrate the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, we encounter one of Scripture's most profound revelations in John 3:13-17. Here, in Jesus's nighttime conversation with Nicodemus, we find the very heart of why Christians "exalt" the cross, not as an instrument of death, but as the ultimate expression of God's love for the world. When Jesus tells Nicodemus that "just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up," he's revealing that his crucifixion will be simultaneously his greatest humiliation and his most glorious moment. The cross becomes the bridge between heaven and earth, the moment when God's infinite love stoops down to embrace our deepest brokenness. The beauty of this passage lies in how it transforms our understanding of what it means for something to be "lifted up." In the ancient world, crucifixion was designed to be the ultimate ...

Foundations of Grace: Growing in God's Love When Jesus speaks about good trees bearing good fruit, He's revealing something beautiful about our spiritual lives. As Catholics, we understand that through baptism and grace, we become capable of producing genuine goodness, not through our own strength, but through God's life flowing within us. The fig tree and grapevine that Jesus mentions weren't random choices. These trees provided sustenance and joy to entire communities, just as our lives are meant to nourish and bring hope to those around us. When we allow God's grace to work through us, our words become sources of encouragement, our actions become expressions of love, and our very presence becomes a witness to His goodness. The foundation parable flows naturally from this truth about fruitfulness. Jesus knows that lasting goodness requires deep roots and solid ground. When we build our lives on Scripture, Tradition, and the guidance of the Church, we create the st...

Feast of the Most Holy Name of Mary Today we celebrate the beautiful feast of the Most Holy Name of Mary, a day that invites us to pause and reflect on the profound meaning behind the name that has echoed through centuries of Christian devotion. When we hear the name "Mary," we're not just speaking a collection of syllables - we're invoking a name that carries the weight of divine favor and maternal love. This name, with its ancient roots meaning "beloved" or "exalted one," perfectly captured what the angel Gabriel recognized when he greeted her as "full of grace." It's remarkable how a name can hold such power, such beauty, and such hope all at once. She who bore the title "Mother of God" also bears the simpler, more intimate title of "Mother" to each of us. Her name represents both the highest honor imaginable and the most accessible comfort we could hope for. When we call upon Mary's name, we're reaching...

Love Your Enemies: Seeing With Jesus' Eyes In Luke 6:27-38, Our Lord Jesus Christ presents us with perhaps one of the most challenging yet life-changing teachings in all of Scripture: "Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you." These words pierce through our human inclinations toward self-protection and retaliation, calling us to a radical imitation of God's love. Christ doesn't merely suggest this as an ideal; He commands it as the very essence of Christian discipleship. In a world where hatred seems to multiply effortlessly and revenge is often celebrated as justice, Jesus calls us to break the cycle through supernatural love. This love He speaks of is not mere sentiment or feeling, but agape,  the deliberate choice to will the good of another, even when they have wounded us deeply. When we love our enemies, we participate in the very love of the Trinity, reflecting the Father's mercy that ...

Embracing the Cross: A Blueprint for Catholic Life Christ's Radical Vision of Blessedness In Luke's version of the Beatitudes, Jesus presents us with a profound reversal of worldly values that cuts to the heart of authentic Christian discipleship. When Jesus proclaims "Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God," He is not romanticizing poverty or suggesting that material lack is inherently virtuous. Rather, He is revealing God's preferential love for those whom society has marginalized and forgotten. The poor, the hungry, and the suffering occupy a very special place in Jesus Christ's heart because their vulnerability mirrors His own self-emptying love on the cross. In their suffering, Jesus sees His own passion reflected, and in their need. Today's gospel calls us to recognize that God's kingdom operates by entirely different principles than our earthly kingdoms, where the last truly become first, and where worldly success means a...