"I wonder what Grandpa Joe will squawk about this time ? " would be a great caption for this photo, or do you have a more appropriate one ? This was shot outside of West Yellowstone, a number of years ago. For this first, the first post of 2025, I am looking forward to what is going to, bubble up, or to quote the birds, what will be the message be or more bluntly, " What  the squawking will present for consideration."

                    " We live life looking forward, but we understand it looking backwards", right now?. A new quote I also like: " Learn from yesterday, live for today, and hope for tomorrow". Our current "yesterdays" have gifted us with tremendous wisdom for us to reflect on, and allow the wisdom to filter down into our depths. There it will lie, joining of Spirit of Love and Wisdom already residing in the tabernacle of the soul. We really need to claim the exhortation Paul offers in Collosshons as words that will guide the time we are given to be " co-creators and co-perfectors " of our evolving cosmos. Each one of us, by our thoughts and actions are either " life givers or death dealers " to what is evolving. Our gift to the future lies in our present thoughts and actions. What faith The Gracious Creator has in each one of us ???? The  AWE-FULLNESS that lies beneath all, that is, is mind-blowing. 

                " Put on heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility,  gentleness and patience " 2 Corinthians 3: 12. We must also keep before us that this is A Holy Year dedicated to , Hope. Unless we are working on the previous spiritual qualities, we will not be prophets of Hope, but purveyors of increasing death and destruction. The Gracious Creative is in each moment pouring into us what we need to be healthy co-creators. Each moment contains within it all that we need for right now. No more, no less. Each moment is a sacrament, to be reverenced and enjoyed so that we as prophets of hope are empowered to meet the challenges of each approaching moment. " Hold on, pain ends."

          Compassion is not empathy. Empathy depends nothing of  the serious and self emptying action that compassions demands. Compassion means I suffer with you. Join you where you are at, only with fruit-full love and life giving acceptance.. We are the modern Good Samaritans which our existential evolution is in such desperate need of. I cannot remember a time  where humankind's  inhumanity to fellow humans is at such an all time low. How can there be Hope where the dignity of each human is confined to such narrow  and destructive judgments. Humility speaks to me and says, very pointedly " There go you, but for the grace of God." Stunning !!!!!!   

         Until the next time, if there is going to be one, I leave you with this ancient blessing:  May " The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you ; The Lord turn His face toward you, and give you peace." As you are blessed, so, bless all those that WILL be placed on the trail with you. Be angels, be trumpeters of The Good News. Love prayers and blessings. Gramps.

                

       

        

      I pray you all had a very mysterious, revivifying Christmas celebrations. I received a Christmas card from a class mate. Tommy sees a  life  beyond the life we see.He has been blessed with the heart of a poet. Msgr.Tom's card read: "May the God of the crib, become the God of the table". As you sat around  your Christmas table where was The God of the crib  being manifested for you ? In whom did you see the mystery of The Incarnation being revealed, anew, for you? The moments around the Christmas Table become timeless for us, because The Timeless One is enfleshed in all. The Timeless One comes to us disguised in so many ways. We have to take the time to reach beyond the  infinite disguises to The Ageless One  being revealed to discover the hidden dignity of all who inhabit our reality.

             During the season of Advent-Christmas-Epiphany I have always challenged those who could, hear and read to look for The Crib within. We have been exposed to countless reproductions of that iconic scene. All are different, reflecting, the nationality and culture of the artist. We have are exposed to the reality of Christmas has truly evolved as a cosmic event. Rightly The Timeless One has become truly encountered in all of our realities. It takes the artist, as always, to present to us what our uneducated vision has not been able to see. When The Reality, immersed in all reality, is recognized all we can manage is a great WOW !!!. Wonder Of Wonder , what a gift that is now occupying the here and now moment. Infinite are the moments of our encounters with The God of the crib, being, all are there within our unconscious. Moments of encounter with The Ageless Hidden one resurrects something deep within and we are lead into a new way of seeing , believing, and acting.

            Who was present in the original crib scene that is is enlivening and verifying my life this moment ? Who is present in the Gospel accounts of the original Bethlehem event that is now leading you to a deeper and more realistic understanding of your sacramentality ? Are you an angel trumpeting the good news for all who occupy your reality ? Infinite is the number of sisters and brothers who need not only to have  the announcement of The Good News, but our reality sparks a belief in those who have lost faith in their belovedness ? Let's be honest. The Good news has to be immersed in reality to have any real life-giving power. It is a modern day scandal that there are so, so-many of The Beloved"s  daughters and son have been so abused as not to be able to live Their Loving Creative Spirit intended them to life ?  Their infinite dignity has been smashed, by countless acts of prejudice, bigotry, and false religiosity. It is heartbreaking to see the numbers of these our sisters and brothers who chose to die rather than continue to eke out  an existence  in the hell they inhabit.  The shepherds, the original outcasts, were chosen to be the first to hear, see, and announce Love has become a human, is wrapped in common clothing, to announce there is no one that has ever been loved, and then rejected by The God, this Child will call, Father.

A very mysterious, and so questioning, 2025. The quest NEVER ends. Be true to your deepest reality. There Love, The Reality, that  all creation cannot contain  lies in wait in the tabernacle of your soul. Pray for the evolving growth so we can all the more authentic proclaimers of the radical,  authentic, transforming  announcers of this good news, the more screwed up we are, THE CLOSER our good Shepherd is to us. When we become lost sheep, we get the a free ride on the shoulders of  The Good Shepherd. I just drained a large cup of "shut up ".

 Mind, thoughts slow down please. I cannot keep because of all the places I am being taken to. Is not the mind such a blessing, and a curse, of course like EVERYTHING else in life ??? Looking back these are a startling number of thoughts looking for attention. That first memory of being brought into the sitting room, which like all old Irish homes , the best room in the house, but rarely sat in, and shown the plate on which there was a glass of wine and some cookies. I was told that was for Santa. In the morning when I looked in the dining room I saw nothing but an empty glass, and clean plate.  That is my earliest memory of mystery. What has been yours , as it colors the way life is viewed right now. The mystery of what happen was lost in the business of Christmas Day. That year a two mile walk, up hill to mass, was the center piece of that Christmas. All the rest lies in the unconscious, waiting  to be resurrected. 

       My next vivid memory was the crib, at Castletownroche. To visit the church in the evening, there was nothing but darkness, except for the sanctuary lamp's little light. That light, shining in such darkness was a great source of strength and confidence. That light gave me the lasting gift of the part light played and has played  in the darkest moments I was to encounter. Then every year there was this magnificent crib scene constructed in the sanctuary, to the left of the altar.  For me that was a very safe place to go to All around was darkness but to me this was the place of safety, and sanctuary.  It was a very gentle pace to be. It will take many books to share how those moments have impacted my life. Today these moments  carry the dignity of being, sacramental moments. Moments that leads to a connection with a Reality that cannot be full described. Moments to return to, again and again. Each visit opens up a new and deeper understanding of what it means to be on a spiritual journey.

     As we are entering these last few days of Advent, what are the thoughts, the moments that carries you away from the present, with all  of its  existential challenges, to what is NEW. What is new as you answer the question, "What Child is this?" Where  have you allowed yourself  to be led to, where today's questions of faith challenge your core, sometimes taken for granted, in-depth questions? The are there because you are always, every second, being ever so gently led to a new and deeper understanding of The Incarnation. We are being  the power to be "life givers, or, death dealers to ourselves, and consequently to all others. Take the words of the song " Mary did you know' ? It is The Mary of today whois being asked that question. Let The Mary within be a caring, nurturing, caring mother lead you to a new and a more challenging, enlivening understanding  of The Child Whose shared  birthing is, all of our innate dignity. 

 So all of your "Marys" do you know that when you kiss the face of your baby, child and adult, you are kissing the face of God ? The hidden divinity IS incarnate ever anew, as we are renewed, ever anew. 

( I had a sudden burst of energy, and the result, there is a sharing.) Blessings Great grandpa.

     There are just over 11 days until there is the celebration of the birth oh Him, Who is seeking birthing in our lives, as these words are being written. He is here present, in this present moment, which makes each and every moment sacramental. This is the mystery we are in preparation to celebrate. A mystery that we grow in our understanding of, which will inevitably lead to a new way of seeing, challenging us to a new way of, being. This is the purpose of our moment to moment adventure, that we face the question do, I really understand and am coming to believe the depth of the mystery that is, The Mystery of The Incarnation within? 

       How am  I COMING to see and understanding my choosiness, and the Mary-like life I am thereby challenged to meet and live ? All birthing involves pain, am I now seeing in the pains of life ,the birthing, into my present reality, of The Christ Child? In our lives, the journey from His Birthing to death, Resurrection and Ascension is in reality our lifestyles journey, as we live life and live it to the fullest. In this our lives will be those of authentic human beings. There is no other trail to be chosen. This is the trail chosen for us, from all eternity. This trail journey, is destined to be woven into the pattern of the evolving cosmos. This reality is your reality, right now.

        This is why we have  The seasons of Advent-Christmas-Epiphany repeated year after year. This mystery cannot be known with unaided human reasoning. What is necessary is the action of The Holy Spirit, leading us all to a unique evolving understanding which will guide the actions of our daily living. Yes, this is hard work, when the trail chosen in a journey into the contemporary revelation demanded by the reality, the world we live in.

     There can be no peace until there is real justice, for ALL. Not just the few, the rich, those who can afford to play the system. but for all. As you can see, from "the reading of the times" we are far from "justice love and peace". There are some signs of an evolving consciousness that is leading to new awarenesses of what it means that all humankind has the possibility of living a truly free and dignified life. We have been called, broken, blessed and being doled out in the place we have our shoes planted.

 As John o'Shea wrote: "Man/woman are currently recovering their  direction, sensing again within themselves their potential for personal and spiritual growth, realizing there are not antagonistic but complementary aspect of themselves. This reintegration enables humans to put aside their defenses and to find a new and more satisfactory model for their personal growth...In other words, as humankind put itself together, they also understand with fresh insight the spiritual dimensions of their personality...... Humankind has begun to free itself from the forces that have made it difficult...to do anything but settle for immature faith." ( I have taken the liberty to change some pronouns.) 

     We all are challenged to meet the challenge of " putting on Christ". It is inherent n us to be "contemporary Christians", meeting the challenges of an emerging new consciousness. It is happening. Let us be healthy participants not immature spectators. The Spirit IS calling, willing to direct, so ....?????? The blessings of the seasons be upon you all. Love ❤️ prayers and blessings Great gramps.           

 " Whoa Nelly", tell Father time to slow down.  Put the brakes on There is so much presented on the platter of life, I am loosing my grip on reality. And 'Gramps" when this startling truth hit you, and stark naked reality ,become a living mysterious encounter  with The Unknown, hit you ? So with a rattled mind, I dare to meet the challenge of this effort. You can call it, name it ,whatever your reality messages you.

         We had two great events in our Liturgical celebrations. One was the Feast of Christ The King, signaling the end of one Liturgical calendar year, and then, we are invited to start another year of faith formation, and spiritual renewal as we encounter, The First Sunday of Advent. One celebrates Christ as King in all of His  majestic heavenly Glory. We are quickly asked to leave those thoughts behind and focus on the descending of our God as a vulnerable baby. The most defenseless new born of all of creation. A human newborn has no instinct for survival. The question must be asked why The Creator of al Creation become immersed in a perfectly imperfect reality? 

          One Sunday we are caught up in the glory, we are then asked to forget that, and move to a new vivifying presentation of the arrival of The Christ Child, the Baby who will come to known as, Jesus  The Carpenter. This Child is mysteriously  destined to be The Revelation that signals the arrival of "  an Eternal and Universal  Kingdom of holiness and grace, a kingdom of justice, love and peace.".  The Prophet, Rabbi Jesus reveals the work order he has come to make a reality. In HIS own words He tells all that He has been anointed  sent to do revolutionary work. His mission and ministry will entail the revelation of the good news , to the poor. 

The poor are hereby chosen to receive what money cannot buy. It resulted in the poor, the prisoner, the rejected, the marginalized, the outcast are being offered a pearl  of great price. At what price? it is offered absolutely free. This gift cannot be earned, or  deserved. Nobody has to go through hoops to qualify. This gift giving will be called,  grace . The love of The Gracious Creator in action. This Gracious Creator's revelation begins with  most vulnerable  of all creation,  The Christ Child, Jesus of Nazareth.

         The job description does not end there. For now I must be satisfied with the above. Here is a question for further thought and reflection. How many would dare to announce in the birth notice, " Our child has been chosen by her/his Creator, to preach, by the life lived,  The Gospel of life to the most rejected,   and the most marginalized. A prophet has been born. Creation will be changed because of this birth."