Beads of Joy Blog II (2025)

Pride will destroy you. Humility will save you. Choose wisely. Pride is the worst sin we can commit, and most of us don't even realize we're drowning in it. Every spiritual teacher throughout history agrees on this: pride is the root of all our other sins. It's not lust, greed, or anger that destroys us first, it's pride. Thomas Aquinas called it "excessive self-love," but it's really more than that. Pride is when we curve inward on ourselves, when we become so wrapped up in our own little world that we lose touch with reality. We start believing we're the best at everything, that nobody is quite as good as us, that we need to stay ahead of everyone else. And here's the trap: once you start thinking this way, you spend your whole life defending that position, making sure everyone knows how outstanding you are. But here's what we miss: nobody actually cares. While you're obsessed with being the best and staying on top, everyone around you ...

Jesus Weeps For Jerusalem A Reflection on Luke 13:31-35 You know how sometimes you really want to protect someone you love, but they won't let you? That's exactly what's happening in today’s Gospel. Jesus is walking toward Jerusalem, knowing what's going to happen there, and some Pharisees come to warn Him that King Herod wants to kill Him. But Jesus doesn't run away. Instead, He keeps moving forward because He has a mission to complete. His heart is breaking because He knows the people of Jerusalem, the holy city where God's temple stands, are going to reject Him. Jesus sees everything that's coming, and still His love for them never wavers. Here's the sad part: even though Jesus came to save His people, they kept rejecting Him. They hurt the prophets God sent to guide them, and now they were going to refuse the greatest gift of all – God's own Son. Jesus knew they would crucify Him in Jerusalem, but He kept going there anyway because His love w...

Finding the Narrow Gate: A Life of Humility and Sacrifice A Reflection on Luke 13:22-30 Jesus doesn't waste words when He talks about the narrow gate. He tells us plainly that few will find it. Not few will look for it, few will actually find it and walk through it. Why? Because the narrow gate requires something most people absolutely refuse: to give complete surrender to God. We're talking about putting Him first in everything, not just on Sundays or when life gets hard, but every single moment of every single day. The narrow gate is a life of humility where God comes first, others come second, and you come last. That spells JOY: Jesus, Others, Yourself. But let's be honest, most people want the exact opposite of that. They want their stuff, their status, their comfort, their plans, their pride. They want to be in control. And that's why they'll never find the narrow gate. Here's what the world has convinced people they need: success that everyone can see, mon...

Walking With the Apostles: Through the Rosary A Reflection on Luke 6:12-16 Have you ever wondered what Jesus was thinking about during that long night of prayer before He chose His apostles? Luke tells us something beautiful: Jesus went up to the mountain and spent the entire night in prayer to God. The whole night! Imagine our Lord under the stars, talking with His Father, preparing for one of the most important decisions in human history. He wasn't just picking a team; He was choosing the men who would carry His message to the ends of the earth, who would be with Him through miracles and suffering, and who would become the foundation of His Church. This wasn't a quick decision made on a whim. Jesus shows us that the most important choices in life require deep prayer and time with God. When morning came, Jesus called His disciples to Him and chose twelve of them, whom He named apostles. Look at that list of names: Peter, Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, T...

Standing Tall A Reflection on Luke 13:10-17 Imagine being bent over for eighteen years, unable to look up at the sky, to see people's faces, or to stand tall. That's how long this woman in the Gospel had been suffering. But when Jesus saw her on the Sabbath, He didn't walk past. He called her over and said, "Woman, you are set free!" With just His word and His touch, she straightened up and began praising God. The religious leaders complained about breaking Sabbath rules, but Jesus reminded them: if you untie your animals to give them water on the Sabbath, how much more should a daughter of Abraham be freed from her chains? Here's something amazing: this healing shows us the whole mystery of the Rosary in one beautiful moment. When we pray the Luminous Mysteries, we walk with Jesus through His public ministry, watching Him teach and heal and reveal God's glory. This woman, bent over, is exactly the kind of person Jesus came to save. She's been carr...

Pride Meets Humility: Two Men, Two Hearts A Reflection on Luke 18:9-14 You know what's wild about this parable? Jesus basically shows us two guys praying, and the one who looks like he's crushing it spiritually is actually missing the whole point! The Pharisee stands up front, probably where everyone can see him, and starts listing his spiritual résumé: "God, thank you that I'm not like those sinners over there. I fast twice a week, I give ten percent of everything I own..." He's not really talking to God; he's talking at God, like he's presenting a business report. Meanwhile, the tax collector (who everyone considered a total sellout and traitor) can barely lift his eyes. He just beats his chest and whispers, "God, have mercy on me, a sinner." Guess which one went home right with God? Plot twist: the tax collector! Jesus is teaching us that prayer isn't about showing off our spiritual trophy case; it's about opening our hearts wit...

Unless You Repent There is something profoundly sobering about Luke 13:1-9 that we must not miss. Our Lord is speaking to us about the most serious matter in existence, the salvation of our immortal souls. The Question That Haunts Us People come to Jesus with news of tragedy. Blood spilled in the temple. Bodies crushed beneath fallen stone. And they want to know what we all want to know when disaster strikes: Why them? What did they do to deserve this? Jesus answers every comfortable assumption: "Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish." This is not a gentle suggestion. This is a divine warning spoken by the Word made Flesh. Our Lord looks at us with eyes of infinite love and infinite truth and says: You are not promised tomorrow. The ground beneath your feet is not as solid as you think. Turn back to God while you still have breath...

The Rosary: St. Anthony Mary Claret's Constant Companion If you could pick one saint who truly lived with the Rosary in his hands, it would be St. Anthony Mary Claret. This incredible Spanish priest, whose feast we celebrate on October 24th, didn't just pray the Rosary, he practically breathed it. Born in 1807, he became a weaver before God called him to the priesthood, and just like he once wove threads into beautiful cloth, he wove the mysteries of the Rosary into every single day of his life. The beads became his weapon, his comfort, and his constant conversation with Our Lady. What's amazing about St. Anthony Mary Claret is that he wasn't sitting quietly in a chapel praying all day, though he did plenty of that too! He was a missionary on fire, traveling all over Spain and Cuba, preaching in towns and villages, hearing confessions for hours, writing books, and even serving as the confessor to Queen Isabella II of Spain. Through it all, the Rosary never left his si...

The Soldier Saint Who Never Stopped Praying: St. John of Capistrano St. John of Capistrano wasn't always a saint. He started out as a successful lawyer and politician in 15th-century Italy, living a comfortable life with big plans for his future. But when he was thrown into prison during a war and his engagement fell apart, everything changed. In that dark cell, he had a dream of St. Francis of Assisi that turned his whole life upside down. When he got out, he joined the Franciscans at age 30, leaving behind wealth and status to follow Jesus Christ completely. It's a powerful reminder that God can redirect our lives at any moment, and that it's never too late to answer His call. What made John truly special was his deep devotion to Mary and the Rosary. He traveled all across Europe preaching, and he never went anywhere without his rosary beads in hand. He understood something vital: that Mary leads us straight to her Son. John would preach for hours to massive crowds, som...

Saint Pope John Paul II Feast Day Reflection on the Luminous Mysteries You know, when you think about Pope John Paul II, it's hard not to be moved by his story. Here was a man who survived Nazi occupation, worked in a quarry while secretly studying for the priesthood, lost his entire family by age twenty, and yet radiated this incredible joy and hope everywhere he went. He was shot in St. Peter's Square and later visited his would-be assassin in prison to offer forgiveness. This wasn't just any religious leader, this was someone who truly lived what he preached, and the world felt it. People of all faiths were drawn to him because his faith wasn't abstract or distant; it was alive, personal, and deeply connected to real human experience. What's really beautiful is how Pope John Paul II had this profound devotion to Mary and the Rosary his entire life. It wasn't just a routine prayer for him; it was his lifeline. He prayed it daily, even during the busiest time...

Practice Treasuring What Cannot Be Lost A Reflection on Luke 12:32-38 "Do not be afraid any longer, little flock, for your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom." Jesus opens with this incredible promise, but then immediately follows with a challenge that cuts right to the heart of our spiritual lives: "Sell your belongings and give alms. Provide money bags for yourselves that do not wear out, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven." Why does He connect these two thoughts? Because He knows something crucial about us, we become what we love. If our treasure is here, tangled up in the things of this world, then our hearts will be here too. And here's the uncomfortable truth: if our hearts are captivated by the pride of life, the endless pursuit of status, comfort, and worldly approval, we're not preparing ourselves for heaven. We're preparing ourselves for disappointment, because heaven is being with God, and if we don't actually desire Him now, ete...

You Fool! This Very Night... What Really Matters Reflection on Luke 12:13-21 - The Rich Fool There's something unsettling about this parable that hits close to home. Here's a guy who, by all our modern standards, did everything right. He worked hard, his business flourished, and he was smart enough to plan ahead. He wasn't gambling away his earnings or living recklessly; he was literally just upgrading his storage to accommodate his success. So why does God call him a fool? It's jarring because if we're honest, most of us are trying to do exactly what this man did: build security, a retirement plan, and make sure we're covered. The uncomfortable truth is that Jesus isn't condemning financial planning itself; He's exposing something far more dangerous lurking beneath it: the quiet delusion that we're actually in control of our lives. No matter how much we accumulate, no matter how many countries we visit or how lavishly we spend, no matter how succe...

   Lesson in Persistent Prayer Luke 18:1-8 - The Parable of the Persistent Widow Imagine a widow in ancient times, utterly powerless in society's eyes, with no husband to advocate for her, no wealth to leverage, and no connections to pull strings. Yet she has something far more potent: an unshakeable determination. Day after day, she returns to the corrupt judge who fears neither God nor man, demanding justice. She doesn't bring bribes or threats. She simply shows up, again and again, until this hardened official finally gives into out of compassion, but sheer exhaustion. Jesus tells us this shocking story not to compare God to an unjust judge, but to show us the opposite: if even a corrupt man eventually responds to persistence, how much more will our loving Father hear us when we pray? This parable cuts to the heart of what it means to have faith in a world where prayers don't always seem answered on our schedule. We've all been there, praying for a sick loved one, ...

St. Luke the Evangelist: An Eye for Divine Compassion There's something profoundly moving about Luke among the gospel writers, he wasn't there. He never walked the dusty roads of Galilee with Jesus, never witnessed the transfiguration, never saw the empty tomb on that first Easter morning. Yet this Greek physician, this meticulous documentarian, gave us perhaps the most tender and human portrait of Jesus we possess. Luke interviewed the witnesses, gathered the stories, and then did something remarkable: he showed us a Savior who noticed everyone . The widow dropped her last coins into the temple treasury. The criminal dying on the adjacent cross. The woman who wept at Jesus's feet. Luke's Gospel reads like it was written by someone who spent his life looking closely at suffering people, because that's exactly what he was. What strikes me most about Luke is his radical inclusivity at a time when society was obsessed with boundaries. His Gospel gives unprecedented v...

St. Ignatius of Antioch: A Life Ablaze with Love Let me tell you about one of the most fired-up saints in Church history - St. Ignatius of Antioch! This incredible bishop lived in the late first and early second century, and he quite possibly knew the Apostle John personally. Imagine learning about Jesus from someone who actually walked with Him! Ignatius became the third bishop of Antioch, one of the most important early Christian communities, and he led his flock with courage during a time when being Christian could cost you everything. What makes Ignatius absolutely legendary is what happened when he was arrested and sentenced to death in Rome. While being transported under armed guard, he wrote seven letters that have survived to this day - and they're not filled with fear or complaints. They're overflowing with joy, theological depth, and an almost unbelievable eagerness to die for Christ! He actually wrote to the Romans begging them not to interfere with his martyrdom. ...

Jesus’ Denouncement of the Pharisees (Part 3 of 3) Part III: Prophetic Witness and the Glory of Truth (Luke 11:47-54) The final section reaches its climax as Jesus pronounces the gravest charge: the Pharisees honor dead prophets while persecuting living ones. "You build the tombs of the prophets whom your fathers killed" (Luke 11:47). This is spiritual hypocrisy at its zenith, memorializing truth-tellers of the past while rejecting truth itself when it stands before them. The passage ends ominously: the Pharisees begin to "lie in wait for him, to catch him in something he might say" (Luke 11:54). They are plotting the very thing they claim to condemn: the murder of a prophet. The evolution of reflection reaches its fulfillment here. From interior conversion to bearing burdens with others, we now arrive at the ultimate question: Will we recognize Truth when it stands before us, or will we, like the Pharisees, destroy it to preserve our comfortable systems? The ...

Jesus’ Denouncement of the Pharisees (Part 2 of 3) Part II: The Weight of Legalism and the Mystery of the Cross (Luke 11:42-46) Jesus intensifies His critique, moving from individual hypocrisy to systemic oppression. He condemns the Pharisees not only for their love of honor and recognition but for the burdens they place on others: "You load people with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers" (Luke 11:46). The Pharisees have transformed God's law into an instrument of control, creating a religion of endless obligations that crush rather than liberate. Here the reflection deepens, evolving from personal interior purity to the communal and salvific dimension. The Rosary's connection becomes more profound through the Sorrowful Mysteries. Christ Himself will bear the unbearable burden that no Pharisee would touch. In the Agony in the Garden, He shoulders the weight of human sin. In the Scourging and Crowning with Tho...