"The soul that journeys to God, but does not pass through ,the nothing, will never reach The All."  

" We will never be led into a darkness, that will overwhelm us"

"Come, Holy Spirit transfigure and transform, this, wounded and hardened heart, of Your, beloved" (hij)

" Your longing, desires to take you towards the absolute realization of all the possibilities that sleep in the clay of your heart, it knows your eternal potential, and it will not rest until it is, awakened"J.O'Donoghue  

   " Hold on to your hats.  Tighten, the seat belts." We are going on a trip into, what was unknown to me, until this afternoon. I am to say the least,  I am very apprehensive, if not scared.

     This happened this afternoon as I was surfacing from my afternoon siesta. This habit, has been partly responsible for, the reality of my 86 years of ? I was going to say living, but that would not be the truth. For many, many decades I was  just eking out,  existence. The I began to take the challenge that goes with, " Some people die, without ever, living". Was that going to be me, or is that me today? I have deep gratitude those who have lead me, challenged me, to not only seek the truth, but live this truth: "We are not human beings having a spiritual experience, we are spiritual beings immersed in the human condition." My life, like all of our lives, began in eternity. In the womb of Infinite Love.We are first and foremost eternal, spiritual beings. Who will never really experience death as an end in itself. Death is the beginning of a transformed life, a new life that requires new vision. What is you deepest understanding of what happens when you see yourself, penetrating the veil of death ? Is there unbridled, joy, yes, JOY.

      Well, here goes !!!  The thought came to me that those two feasts we celebrated, All Souls and all Saints are really on feast, celebrated over two days. Is there another example for us to reflect on ? Does it not take us three continuous days of celebration to celebrate,  Paschal Mystery. Celebrating the death of The Historical Jesus, which lead Him to being The Christ Of Faith. In The Risen one, we live and move and have our being"." Awareness leads to realization", is a saying that has been kicking at my door to gain attention. There is,  awareness. That very slow process  which occurs as we come to be awakened, woke, to the" fullness, vitality and Power" inherent in us.  When ALLOWED this empowers to the living life, and, living it to the fullness." These must not be words on a page, but words so blazoned, that our sight must ever embrace their challenge. Conversion is a process. What is the rugged trail, you are trudging?

      "We have eternal potential", John O'Donoghue, has written, and we are to have no rest until it is awakened." To accept the gift of living in ,the non-binary world,  is not forced we are free to accept or reject. Have a nonbinary vision is essential as, we move forward. In the spiritual life there is no either/or. all there is, is, the both/and. Those of us brought up immersed in binary thought, we were seeing the right, and wrong, the good and bad, acceptable, and the unacceptable etc. etc. What hard work goes into embracing the both/and. I was lucky enough to have been taught by my mother, " There is as much bad in the best of us, and as much good in the worst of us, I am as good as you are, as bad as I am." Mothers are always right. Right ? 

      Yes there is a life, our participation in The Ineffable's Unconditioned Love, that is being shared with us, in every now moment.It is a gift that has never been taken back from us. In fact, it can never be lost by us. What happens unfortunately is, we loose our perception of who we really are, the living sacrament of Beauty, Love and truth. The false self will attempt, and persist in the effort, to use every means to have us loose, deny, or live lives that are a lie. Coming to live in the truth is how some see us living our Purgatory in this life. We all are confronted with the lie lies we have bought into. You have to be beautiful, athletic, smart, gifted, etc. according to some accepted standard, that some perfectionist, very religious person thought up so that they or some family member will look perfect ,on the outside. This person, and persons are actually experiencing Hell on this Earth. There are no consuming fires, as there are no consuming fires in the next life. The perfectionist lives in the hell, created by the false self. Living Hell is seeing ourselves  being locked  in the prisons of guilt, fear, and shame, sorrow anger and remorse. 

           One well know it the Purgatory being  experienced by those who work the Twelve Steps, (the essence of spirituality. Rohr)  leading to recovery, and a  life, lived in  the radical freedom, of truth. The egotistical ego has to be faced, and steps taken to say a consistent NO, to its demands. Purgatory is the lived existential acceptance, that, " That, The truth will set you free". Now-a -days  some add, "but first it will tee you off". Vigilance is essential. The false self is, the speaker of the lie is, "cunning, baffling power-full, very patient and insidious". We have within us The Holy Spirit, The Advocate. Why do we need an Advocate, Defense Attorney, because opposing is The Prosecuting Attorney, also known as Satan.

              All deaths, are both, pain-full and transformative. We will do a lot to avoid, duck, deny the existence of death. Where do you see yourself being forced to face, death in its many forms ? What are the fruits that have appeared, or are you in the process of being awakened, to the inherent gifts?

I failed, to reach my goal.  I got side tracked, as usual, some will add. This is not a newly acquired, trait. This character defect is a friend. With friends like this, why would I ever entertain any new manifestations of the insidious false. Now I ask you where did I get lost ? How will The Feasts of All Saints, and all souls be viewed, accepted as one continuous feast ?  Hint, we are loved  and will eternally be loved with a restorative love, NOT to be condemned because of, punitive justice. " I will NOT the death of the sinner rather that he/she be, CONVERTED, and live." "There is always next week." Is not this a kinda flippant remark for  a person, of my age ??? Well  may love, peace, and joy be your, chosen, companions. Gramps.

 " The voyage of discovery, consists not in seeing new landscapes, but having new eyes." M. Proust

" Awakening is not to new facts, but to a new way of seeing, 

                                                 and becoming responsible for what we see." Thomas Merton.

               "Awareness, demands, response" (Anon)

       "Though I walk in the valley of darkness, I fear no evil, for You are with me." Psalm 23.

The above quotes can be used to describe my life's journey, up to this point in time. I hope and pray that complacency does not set in, for one reason or another. Can I  say, "Joe, You have been working for decades now, why don't just put your feet up, and relax. Take it easy, you have earned it." ? Words that sound vey tempting, but are the words of the false self, wanting to lull me into, inaction, and that death dealing, state of, complacency.

       Remember how often our beloved Pope Francis, acting as prophet, challenged us to face our individual, and collective, sin of indifference. Can we honestly say, as we view today's individual, and collective  inhospitable and death dealing actions, that there has been any real compassionate actions directed towards relieving, what ? The gruesome burdens of our victimized, exploited, marginalized, dehumanized sisters, and brothers. "  These, "The least of the brethren" are seen as always been the dwelling place of, Divinity.As it was, so it is, and ever shall be, long after those who read this are, dead.

               PLEASE, do NOT even think or imagine that I have come, to the new insights, shared have somehow come by the much desired, "easier and softer way". The, may I say Golden years, have not in any way been golden, in the accepted sense. I am being awakened to this reality, the true, invaluable  lasting treasures of old age, have come ever so slowly, and not according to my, expectations.  My expectations emerge from my false self, and it's insatiable appetite for "power, property, and prestige" (Rohr)  I have placed this little reminder, in my direct  line of sight, as dishes are wash dishes, " Expectations, are PLANNED, resentments."

      Does it work, to be brutally honest, I may catch myself once, in every 40-50 times. That is on a good day, when I am most, vigilant. WOW, the places, events, and circumstances my expectations have taken me would fill volumes. All of which would challenge today's, sensors. Attempting to life in real reality, not fantasy land, demands such effort and discipline. Being disciplined is an essential part of my story. Misdirected discipline can and does irretractable damage.The death dealing, and the abortion of healthy embryonic life, is the  residue  that lasts a lifetime, especially when it comes to sexual abuse. When you say, " I love you" do not expect a heartfelt response to you expressions,The inability to respond, finds it's origin, in the wound that can never be, healed. We must. always be guided by, reverential light when expressing the desire, to really know,  a person, and their in-depth story. The requirement for this real, healthy encounter requires, NO, demands compassion, not empathy. 

            I am sharing with you what has been gifted from my Paschal Journey, into being, AWOKE, and the process of awakening. I was prepared for this  recent, intensely  challenging journey, when I discovered in my library Keating's book " Reawakening". I remember reading his other book. "Awakening." Being in the process of becoming "Woke" we asked, really challenged, to meet the moment to moment change of vision. This is an evolving process. This challenges us to become more and more conversant with, what, at one point in our lives was viewed as unthinkable, a demand to have a personal response to the systems of inequality, loss, sexuality, environment, and global injustice. 

 We all have to accept, and embrace  the local and cosmic challenges, no other generation  has been forced to personally and globally, such challenges. Be gentle going forward. The solution(s) will not come to consciousness upon demand. The answers lie in our depths.  They lie within the collective unconscious, which we all contribute to.  We must have patience with the birthing process. Birthing can be a very slow and extremely pain-full experience. Can we expect any less, as we participate in the cosmic birthing that is happening through our cooperation and instrumentality ?

      Take heart. Make Psalm 23 your own. Yes !! we will with certainty enter dark valleys, We will see that those dark valleys  were in reality, wombs. Fertile wombs from which a vivifying something, un-definable , responding to the darkness of our existential, as our true, reality, emerges.  Again, slow and pain-full, are the operative words. This is how we  to recognize our true destiny. Sadly it comes with a very slow  birthing. That adage: " No pain, no gain" is truer than fantasy, or fiction. You have a Gospel to write.Wrong, Joe. The new gospel, emerging from the collective unconscious, is being written.  The challenge is to bring it to, consciousness.  Maybe this will be the only spiritual reading, gospel-book, some  people will ever be blessed to read. This is your destiny. It is your, eternal, destiny. Great gramps.

     " The Lord is close to the brokenhearted,

                                                                       and from all their distress, He,  rescues them"  Ps 34                                                                    

                " God leads every soul, by, a separate path." St. John of The Cross.

       " Faith, is a dark night for humankind, but in this very way it gives them, light" St. John of the Cross.                      

          '"Come, O Holy Spirit and strengthen the wounded heart of this, Your, faithless one." (jih)

      We are living in an environment, under circumstances which really tests our, essential mettle. Our spiritual values and priorities are, moment to moment, being challenged. " Every blessing, is a curse, and every curse, is, a blessing", is an essential truth that is being truly tested. The blessing is, these ever evolving challenges to the spiritual, physical, sexual, and psychological well being of our sisters and brothers, is now being seen as not just a personal local challenge, but an universal one. We all share, whether we know it or not, in the corporal oneness, of "The Mystical Body".  So then, we are faced with this undeniable, very uncomfortable fact "As we go, so goes The Body of Christ."

   We all belong to the same cosmic community.We all share a co-responsibility that cannot be ignored, or denied without mind blowing consequences. Who can make any sense of our present day,cosmic happenings  The tick up in the instances of natures extremes, is to be our oncoming, everyday experience, so the scientists are warning us. So many of the voices of those  occupying positions of power, have been muted by the destructive power of money, lest the come to own, actively meet their sworn responsibilities. When they assume their responsibilities, it is only then can we with gut honesty say, " YES!!!!  we have a future to look forward to. Scientists are not prophets of doom, they are working, yes working realists.

         We are all Contemporary Christs required to face the existential, moment to moment, dehumanization, exploitation  of  The Christ, found in all those who suffer. We are somehow being blinded to these, the very challenging words of The Historical Jesus, now being encountered as The Cosmic Christ, of a lively faith, Whatever you do to the least of my brethren, you do it unto, (wait for it)  Me." 

         Is there a reason these words do not really reach the hearts, the depths of today's spiritual consciousness ?. Have they ever been allowed, invited to plunge the depths of the collective unconscious, so that their challenging  truth may slowly come to consciousness when invited, or demanded by circumstances. The ministering to today's living, suffering, again Crucified Christ is being cried out for. The cry is being directed to you and I. In The Hebrew Scriptures they went under the code words of "widows and orphans". To day there are living breathing sacraments of The Suffering Christ, and can be seen human beings having actual names. Is it not sad, even reprehensible that their anonymity is destroyed. Their anonymity is broken, only, when their names are announced, publicly, as those counted among the dead. Only in death does name recognition come to them. 

        Theresa of Avila has said it best, centuries ago, when she wrote the following. Easy to read....but  ?

     " Christ, has no body now, but, mine. He prays in me, works in me, looks through my eyes, speaks through my words, works through my hands, walks with my feet, and loves with my heart." Do not these speak to our depths. Speak to our souls. We all have souls that have to be nourished and reverence. As we reverence our souls, so the souls of the immigrant, the disenfranchised, the LGBTQ+, Muslims, all those whose presence is ignored, or  derided into an apparent nonexistence,  have souls that must be nourished and receive reverence. 

   Each person,  mentioned above, does have the same sacred tabernacles in their depths. Read past history. See what happened  when when denial  of the  existence African American"s soul was used to excuse slavery and all of its horrors. YES, YES, each fellow human being on that above list, have in their depths, that sacred  space, where The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit  have freely and eternally  chosen to dwell. Not just dwell in time, NO !!! this is their place of, eternal dwelling.

 This  personally, and cosmic challenging darkness ,so abhorrent to our sensibilities has to be seen through our, WOKE, eyes.  This is an process. Eyes that are forever in the process of being awakened, to realities hidden from us. The  Creative Spirit of Love, never sleeps, always on guard.  We are always, whether we like or not, in the infallible gaze of The Creative Loving Power. That is a Power that is forever bent down to hear our cries of  anger, frustration and powerlessness. This is the apophatic way as opposed to the apophatic way.. We have been placed on that trail, to the discovery....of what. Awakening does not just happen. Your personal experience is....... The spiritual journey is HARD WORK. Love. Great gramps.

- " I'll bring my storm-tossed, torn sail story to tell...

                               " make room for the little light" Jelly Roll, at  St.Peter's Square, Vatican City, 2025.

    " The invitation, not, to the illusion of comfort, but to the vitality of faith." ( Anon)

       " The Word of God is living and effective.....Proclaim the Word, be persistent, whether convenient or      inconvenient. " 2 Timothy 3.

       Recently the words sung by Jelly Roll really struck a cord with me. I was able to connect with the words of a song. It was if "heart was speaking to heart", the essence of communication. His message has become so real, so authentic, he was able to pack St.Peter's Square, with 80,000 beings, for a concert. His greatest joy was to be able to shake the hand of Pope Leo. On reflection there is a common thread which runs through both their heartfelt, consoling, and illusion busting messages we so desperately need.

   Deep down we know of this, the voice that challenges, the injustices, the dehumanizing, the deliberate  destruction of family. Somehow there is a power that is afraid of the power of faith. Faith that is challenged with opposition in only STRENGTHENED. Never send the church underground. There it is strengthened beyond human understanding. History has proven this repeatedly. So then, we must not allow  the death dealing voice of complacency, power of fear deaden, if not annihilate the message that aches for revelation and attention. Then like Jelly Roll, we will all have a storm tossed, torn sail story to tell. 

  Jelly Roll and Pope Leo are both fulfilling the exhortation contained in the The Second Scripture of todays' Liturgy of the Word: " Be persistent whether convenient or inconvenient". The message that challenges our, collective and individual comfort zones is not, just  a soul challenging, Gospel message. It is a message that eventually demands a radical annihilation of all the false self,  demands of us. Conversion, will push us onto the rugged uncomfortable trail, rugged path of,  living the radical truths of the essential gospel. We are to be immersed, into, the reality of the gut challenging message, of The Social Gospel. Each one is responsible for the active response to the promptings of The Creative Spirit.  These are frightening,  repulsive words to the ears of some. Your heart felt response, rekindles the fire of The Holy always Creative and creating, Spirit. When that happens we are in very dangerous territory. " Be not afraid, I go before you". I am your guardian, shepherd, who never goes to sleep. I am Emmanuel !!!!

   Power-full, vivifying, and energizing  Words of The Historical Jesus, now dwelling as, The Risen Christ, The Cosmic Christ Presence  is now illuminating deepest darkest depths  of our being.  We must vigilant less we enter,  be led into, the "blind alley", that is the result  of our reliance on self-will." Self will avails us nothing", the truth contained, really hidden, in those five words takes a lifetime of existential mining. This is why the illusion I had, in my self created, illusion of sufficiency  has to be surrendered to and smashed slowly by the acceptance of, radical truth. " Of myself, I can do nothing, but I can do all things in Him that strengthens me". " Even though I walk in the dark valley, I will not fear". As we journey deeper into the unknown, we are slowly and gently becoming aware of our connectedness, and immersion into  The Mystery, The Divine Secret.

        "Of myself I can do nothing" that will contribute to my eternal vocation," as a co-creator, and a co-perfector" of the universe" (Vatican Two)   "We will do our, and God will do the rest", is the acceptance of a sacred responsibility. All work is sacred. All work is sacramental. There is nothing more real that the efforts of a sweat-drenched person. That "sweat', can be the result of many, many various and varied acts  of creative ,sacrificial, endeavors. Our contribution to the cosmic consciousness, will demand we live out The Paschal Mystery in some way. We can look, reflect on the present reality, and challenge ourselves where we encounter , The Cosmic Christ, in the here and now. So ???

        Our self created  illusion,  are illusions  that will be revealed, will be slowly shattered. Our ego busting journey into the comfort and security of a lively faith will replicated the journey of The Historical Jesus. This "lively faith' will keep us grounded in this consoling reality, all that we are doing that is healthy, is our continuing mysterious  dark journey, into Mystery. There, there is, our home. Our place of security, and safety. A refuge where we are empowered to welcome, and be the contemporary, The Good Samaritan. Illusions smashed is not only a death, but the participation in The Resurrection, as understood in contemporary spirituality.

           Each one of us is called to make both an individual, and collective, social to the challenge of The Radical Gospel. This will trigger radical change. May The Gracious, Creative Spirit gladden your hearts, so you may encounter a joy, not happiness, in every sacramental, now moment of your journey into The Cosmic Christ, and cosmic consciousness.     Slainte. We all need this, for this journey. Great great gramps. 

   " Together we suffer, together we exist, forever we will recreate one another ." de Chardin 

     " The Word, of the Lord, is, not chained"  2Tim.

       " Come, Holy Spirit, come and strengthen the fear-full heart of this faithless one." (jih)

        " Sing to the Lord, a new song for he has, (and is. jh) doing wondrous deeds ."  PS 98.

   I love to hear again, and again the songs of the 50s, 60s, and some of the 70s. I guess that is called, being nostalgic. That is well, and good, but that keeps us in the past. The words of the song that we are called to sing are not for the past, and never will be for the past. The past does not exist, only as the reality  we bestow on it. The song we are to sing is  to be, an honest, truth-full outward expression of our inward reality. Complacency, can and does rear it's ugly head, voice, as it encourages us to settle for what was, the non-threatening, non challenging,  comfortable familiar prayers of  yesterday. Having no connection with the existential, the here and now. 

 I have had to learn, unfortunately the hard way, My Gracious Prodigal Father, is only present in this now moment. In this now moment all that I need, not want, is being gifted to me. Prayer life from me, has to be grounded in, honesty. I am  becoming acquainted, gradually getting to know the gifts that come from, "reckless honesty". The leper in me, intuitively knows the only true, real song I am given to sing, originates, bubbles up, from the depths of a beaten and battered  heart.  The WORDS USED, will not words we use in polite conversation. In his book, "Mystical Theology" William Johnson teaches that the Dark Night will result, in, rebellion. Yes, raw naked rebellion. That rebellion will have to be given reality, otherwise we will be plunged into the state of helplessness, and powerlessness.

    As we listen to, the gospel story, of the  recovering raging alcoholic, drug addict, we hear it was from the depths of their diseased being, helplessness, and powerlessness  a prayer was given. This prayer was  to involves a large number of curse words. Yes! cursing God. The result of their brutal honesty, the  priceless gifts of recovery, "sobriety, sanity and serenity", were freely bestowed on these present day, mystics. Who are these present day mystics, they are our sisters, and brothers, who speak a different language. It is the language of awakening ,and entrance into real, freedom.  It is directed as a gift that is being offered ,our  present day  addicted society.  Like all addicts, our first reaction, is denial

Honesty, demands we challenge society of its, denial of its , addictions. Dare we challenge the addictions, yes , we must.  There is no other option, if we desire to have a real, life giving and life sustaining presence. In this uncluttered reality, presence, Presence, and Real Reality becomes awakened. " The Glory of God, is, the human person, fully alive."( St.Irenaeus. ) The Word of The Lord cannot be chained. Even if it, lies in chains, those chains will be broken. This "breaking" will happen, through the emerging, real truth, honesty,  and open-mindedness. These will then have become the norm for an awakened, recovered, sober-minded  society. In this society we will all be judged, if judged, by the " content of our character", alone.

     Look up the definition, description of, mystic. This little action will have a lasting effect on how you see, view those who accompany us on the slog, we call life. What will each one of have to do so we will be able to call our reality, real living. Freedom comes to us and our cosmos, at a great price. Rereading the above quote , from de Chardin ,we are comforted with this reality. We are never alone. We are intimately connected. Otherwise, how do we dare to say, "We are, The Body of Christ". It is through our honest being, and becoming, The Cosmic Christ, becomes a living, owned reality.