Holy Week, 2026-----The Tridium of Holy Thursday, The paschal mystery revealed anew, and celebrated on,Good Friday-Holy Saturday-Easter Sunday, as, ONE, celebration.

The prayer of Palm Sunday is a wonder-full gift. Like all sacramental, eternal gifts they are forever empowering awakening, reawakening, and always further, re-awakenings, until, "eternity dawns." In that moment we will cross over the last finite threshold, and come to the fullness of knowledge, we have always been promised. What a seismic explosion that will be ? All that has been hidden will then be revealed in a moment of transfigurement. That is why we are gifted with the innate desire to search,  research, eternally, never being satisfied. I wonder is that what that prayer means when we pray, "let us go forward with a lively faith?" That sacramental, mysterious faith journey can be  taken, Only One Step at a time. Our compulsivity is given a good kick the pants. The only journey to take, is, to hitch our wagons, to, the evolutionary process that is working on the miracle of an ever new creation and  and then we have a new revelation of The Ancient Truth.

        Our endless questions, and searches are answered,  that is the, GOOD news. The BAD news, is all those answers are loaded with faith challenging, new questions. We do not face this challenge alone.We are slowly brought to the understanding, all Tridium moments  are in the here and now. We take our steps under the inspiration of, The Holy Spirit.  We are being secretly guided by that same Holy Spirit that was the strengthening Power-full Presence operating from the depths of, The Beloved Son on His Tridium slog.

      As it was with that Beloved Chosen son, so it is with all of us who have been chosen to be The Suffering Servants  within the contemporary  Tridium of, 2026.  This challengening  slog on The Via Dolorosa, is not taken alone. We take our slog, our Via Dolorosa both as individuals  and members of a community. When you add  the  cosmic dimension ??? What happens. That journey is for you to discover and reverenced, liturgical participation is essential, right now? !!!!  Last week there was a hint of what was to be encountered and embraced. All of our experiences of encounter, are simultaneously present in, in the sacrament of the now. All realities of Holy Week are simultaneously  present, they are the intended ending of Christmas, and The Incarnation !!!! Every moment is our faith encounter with who we all are, and are becoming ????

  All the realities of Holy Week Tridium are to be seen as. both sequential, and simultaneous ? A personal active conscious participation in The Sacred Liturgy, the prayer life of The Risen Body, coupled with our individual prayers are essential, for a balanced spiritual understanding of what is both sequential and simultaneous. In The Sacred Liturgy,  what is darkness to us, is guided to the light of consciousness. The in-depth meaning  of The Tridium is revealed through participation, silence, emptiness, and nothingness. That is why The Sacred Liturgy, architecture, liturgical art, together are an essential for the celebration of The Mystery of our Faith. " Christ has died, Christ is Risen, and Christ will come again ", in each and every moment of the unique life, that is gifted to us. Now, on reflection, what is emerging from the new revelation, that appears as both a threat and a blessing ? After how many readings has, The Supernatural Mystery of our faith, found a  tentative footing on the outskirts of our ?   Let us bring it home.

         Holy Thursday, ends the 40 days of our desert. preparatory, and revelatory experience. Today we enter the three days of celebration. We are being invited, in many different ways, not to be an observer, but to immersion. The Holy Spirit will gently lead you to new in-depth understandings, not to upset or shatter anything, but through struggle be awaken to a life only dreamed about, until now. This sacramental now moment ,reveals an eternal mystery, "ever ancient, ever new".

       The gospel readings reveal The Historical Jesus, as a concerned mother and a caring Shepherd. He will leave His contemporary form. Through His betrayal, suffering, death, burial, and Resurrection a new Presence is presented to His scared apostles and disciples. All that is contained in those previous words, is both hidden and revealed in your every human thought and action. At The Last Supper, Jesus, took bread, He blessed and broke it, and gave it to His disciples, " take this and eat it, for this is my Body". So the first mass was celebrated. The disciples were given the power to make this Mystery a reality from that moment on. So much has been written to sensitize us to what was really present, and continues to be present, in each ever new Eucharistic celebration. All are active participants, not disengaged observers, in each Liturgical celebration. We are challenged to be bread, that is being blessed,  broken, and given to a neglected and starving cosmic family.

    Where do you see hunger, neglect, dehumanizing actions, betrayal, exploitation, etc. Being a contemporary Eucharistic presence your body, is now The Body of Christ. Yes! the body that will be blessed, broken and given so what was celebrated 2000 years ago is a living, nourishing, transformative power. There is always an awakening. Then a reawakening to the depth of your eternal choosiness. Your choosiness is a gift, the good news. The bad news is you will suffer ALL that Christ suffered. These days are given annually to be provided with a time for reflection, and recommitment. 

  Where do you see, and react to, the Gospel that was written 2,000 years ago is being written in the blood, sweat and tears of today's Gospel writers. Now take the time to recognize and identify with the contemporary authors. How and where is your gospel being authored and revealed ? Is this, my innate dignity, unsettling to my complacency ? What more has come to consciousness, from a place you cannot physically locate ? What reverence is being offered ? 

    A blessed Paschal Tridium to you all. I reverence The Presence that is present in your sacramental presence. Most importantly I pray you will be lead to an ever deepening response to be your Eucharistic call. What is that ? Only you can have a personal response to that question. This will be the concrete foundation on which a new and transformed life will be built. The Gracious Creative, and Creating One is waiting on your timid, yes. Building on this timid yes, a new and mysterious reality you will enter continuously, until......                                           Paschal Love, is all there is to offer. Gramps.

      

 Lent 2026. I really wanted write 25 !!!!! This 2026, is triggering some really indescribable spiritual movements. I have learned the hard lesson, that is the process of acceptance. I am struggling with this,  post-graduate  immersion. 

       Our Lenten-desert experience is winding down. We must always remember Lent was seen, by the early church, as a time of retreat. Retreat for the Catechumens and for the faith communities   they had chosen to enter. These faith communities are challenged to be again, converted. Old answers will not satisfy the questioning minds of the,  2026 converts. These are new and challenging times. Trite answers will only lead to, disillusionment. SAD ?? These two essential essential elements of Lent, have not changed, over the centuries. Neglected ? sadly, YES.

        We are all,  again, invited by The Holy Spirit to enter a time of spiritual honesty and conversion..  Those in recovery are very well acquainted with the essential, for their trudge, "honesty, open-mindedness  and willingness". Daily practice and participation in those, will lead to sanity, sobriety, and serenity". The desert of encounter, transformation, and transfiguration, is a challenging place of silence, emptiness, and nothingness. Doe that mean there is nothing happening ? That there is a Loving, Gentle Power, noiselessly working to slowly trigger the  awakening  of an aspect of the true self that was hidden, neglected, and or, deliberately ignored. Ignored, because of the pressures, both internal and external imposed on our, isolated, fear-filled false self. The Holy Spirit sees that an awakening is called for, so The Spirit's plan for the cosmos, can be realized. See how much power we have been, freely gifted with ? We can, and do frustrate the original plan. Plan "B" has to be relied upon.

    The false self sees very few options that will lead to freedom. Freedom to say no to The Father of Lies, and prosecutions. Freedom to shout out a resounding, NO, to the  hellish life of deception, and pain filled nonentity. Free to enter the river of the beloved, to be carried effortlessly by a Love that was always present, empowering us to  exit the crucible of  abandonment,  suffering and terror. Lent reveals The Only One, Who has the power to confront, The Liar, with The Living Truth,  because He is The Infinite, Eternal Truth, Who has made a home in our depths. The Power, celebrating, in the tabernacle within, gently works to awakened, us all, again and again. These awakenings slowly lays the foundation of a living, loving relationship that cannot be compromised or negated. All healthy relationships can only progress an ever deeper, and ever deepening  intimacy. This is  the real truth, the stepping stone to real freedom. This is essential it is only when fear is challenged, fearlessly encountered, CAN there be intimacy. On author was given to write, " raw, naked fear, is the last hurdle to be cleared, on the way to true intimacy."

         Reading and rereading the gospels for Lent have you connected with The Woman at The Well, The Blind Man, and the account of Lazarus, being resuscitated.Have you found they each trigger a connection with something inside, that we cannot express in thought or word ?   This silent dynamic is what is powering our  new awarenesses. We come to accept those are not events of 2,00 years ago. They are yours and mine, in the sacrament of this present moment. In this now moment they are speaking to us.  Silently, and gently bringing the reluctant, private, person within, to an encounter with the present understandings of Jesus, Who became The Christ of God. One who is thirsting, suffering blindness, and is experiencing at a level of death which is very unsettling, and disturbing, yet !!, and has the power to  rewaken and renew. Reflect again on how the three are encountered and treated by The Christ, with whom there gradually brought to faith. Does this process provide some unseen balm, leading to serenity,  peace, and wellbeing ? A deepening appreciated of the workings of Mysterious Grace ????

 How  or where do you see yourself in the progressions, the evolutions  that were the experience of The Woman, and The Blind Man, Martha, Mary, Lazarus, and the witnessing community ?? There is no time and space when it come to the spiritual journey, and spiritual realities. That means all the above are within you, in your here and now, to be discovered, and become your teachers. We have, The Christ, making a home in the tabernacle of the true self. We are always being led to ever new awakenings. Where do you see yourself encountering  Christ's presence in every reality, in the unique life you are being gifted with ? 

         To summarize,  this has been a very finite effort designed to trigger, IF CHOSEN, a reawakening. A reawakening to the essential surrender to the mysterious movements,  silent workings of The Holy Spirit.  Leading from thirsting, blindness, and Paschal deaths, to....... ??? I do not have a clue ???? Blessings on the mysterious  journey your are being led on, one step, one moment. Gramps.

 

 

           Gregory of Nyssa, the spiritual journey, "an ever deepening purification of perception."

         " There are none so blind, as those, who will not, see." Old, old saying I heard in my youth. 

       " Come Holy Spirit and transform my disbelief, into a deepening journey into, uncertainty.(jhi)

 

 I have viewed many videos of children receiving  miracle  glasses, then, "lo and behold", they can see. Their joy and excitement  is shared by their parents. Being able to see is a time of joy-full celebration. The time will come when that child will see a messy room, and act blind, to the reality.  The miracle of Jesus, gifting the blind man with sight, was a joy for the blind man.  For his parents it was a different story, right ? This is a great example of, "Every curse, is a blessing, every blessing, is a curse". 

 

        I cannot go any further without help. Darn it !!!!! I was so comfortable with my previous understanding, but this week is challenging that, comfort. I cannot spew that old lifeless, crud.  The scriptures are a verdant source of new light, leading to new understanding.  Inherent in this new knowledge,  understanding, is, a contemporary, challenge. A challenge we have ALREADY been strengthened to meet. Thank you St.Paul for the reminder," we will never be tested beyond our strength." Joe, just like most,  does have some, usually a lot, of questions about that. Do I hear an,  AMEN ? Faith is a journey into uncertainty, nor certainty? "Ever so comforting", says cynical Joe

           At one time, in those years. of blindness, I would have agreed with the apostles. I was brought up, that if there was a screw up, punishment was to follow.  How much time have I wasted trying to come to grips with was I had done wrong, to deserve a current punishment ?  So it would stand as reasonable, to that archaic way of thinking, looking at the blind man, someone had to be blamed. The Prophet Jesus, turns that  one on its head.  (The Incarnated prodigal love, of our Prodigal Father, stands always revealed, but not immediately seen.)  He will continue this challenge of the accepted beliefs, and practices. We will see that in His radical approach to the lepers that approached  Him ?? For The Prophet, sin and punishment do not belong together. " In God, there is no condemnation". With our, Prodigal Father, it is mercy, upon, mercy upon mercy.  Reflect again on The Parable of The Prodigal Father. Our Father NEVER grows weary of His mercy-full love for you and I. The problem lies in the reality we get weary of the, repetition. The dynamic of, toxic shame and guilt blinds us to the true meaning of mercy-full love. It is always good to be reminded that the action of mercy leads us to be, healed, soothed, comforted, protected, strengthened, transfigured, and transformed. When we look at mercy that way, we are ever and always in desperate need. Well at least that is my experience.

         When the news of His healing reached the religious leaders, they were shocked into necessary action. The fact that The Prophet Jesus, worked this miracle on the sabbath, may have something to do with it ??? Jesus choose the sabbath to work a number of his miracles, this triggered a conspiracy to kill Him. It worked. The religious leaders ignored the facts. They had to protect their certainties, so they expelled him from the temple. Where have you experienced  similar reprisals for expressing your evolving beliefs and understandings ? How many 'walk no more with you"? How many have you chosen to disconnect from, because of their toxic beliefs and actions ? This is what it means to have healthy boundaries." We do not think our way into a new way of acting, we act our way into a new way of thinking"

 Faith leads to understanding. Understanding leads to action, always guided by The Creative Spirit. Actions that confront the accepted, will never be received kindly. As it was in the time of The Prophet Jesus, so it is today, and unfortunately will be into the foreseeable future. A radical change in consciousness will be needed. The seeds of that change, Is, within your power, right now. This is one of the great conversions needed, to meet the challenge of  that radical change in the collective  consciousness. There will be forces in action to prevent change at any cost. 

 

       Do we not see an inordinate amount of power and money at work, to prevent meaning-full and healthy change. Reflect back on the reaction of the religious leaders to the challenging response of the man, once blinded, but now can see, clearly. They cannot respond to his questions and responses. So to deal with him, they just kicked him out of the temple, as if that solved the challenge facing them. When power is challenged, how often is power used to negate the challenge ? We see how female reporters, doing their job, are belittled, when their challenges, hit a nerve. That was the experience of the once, blind man. The religious leaders were stumped, so toxic power was used to get rid of the perceived challenge to their authority. They kicked the challenger out of the Temple. Our Pope Leo is an active challenger to all that is destructive to the safety, and well being, of all. Have you kept up to date with his many exhortations? See his challenge to all the Catholics present in the, current, administration. There are many !!!!! 

         This getting out of hand ??? So sorry. Do you see yourself in the conversion process, of the blind man ? I see blindness challenged, over these many years. The Second Vatican Council was, and still is an agent of change and challenge ? Have you had, or are currently having to deal with the challenge of The Social Gospel as, pronounced by The Prophet Jesus. This Prophet that was, is now the Risen Christ Who has chosen you personally, not only to be His dwelling place, tabernacle, but to be active Force, Power inspiring and guiding your conversion, and subsequent actions. Much more to write, but I choose to be prudent and stop. I may have a matinee ??? Mercy-full Love and prayers.GP.

      

      

      

 

                        

      

         

    

         

          Third Sunday in Lent......... The woman at the Well.

      "Drink from your own well."  L. Boff.

   " Grace, Love, the mercy-full action of, The Creative Spirit, works, through the difficulties of life."

    " Conversion, is not, seeing new landscapes but having new eyes, with which to see." 

        The Divine Mystery, hugs us in all-encompassing arms.... The Mystery of The Divine...

                                                          hugs you, in Its all encompassing arms" Hildegard of Bingen."

 "Confession is good for the soul." I have, been graced to journeyed through the deserts, of many Lents. This year is so different. I am working through the frightening, challenging  experience of being again converted. That illusion has been smashed. As ALL of illusions must be, annihilated. Annihilated , by our ever deepening immersion, in, "The Paschal Rythm". This conversion is essential for my  sobriety, sanity, and serenity. WOW!! have I really written those words ?At eighty six and a half, I, FOOLISHLY, expected a very ordinary desert experience. I was so smug, thinking I could rely on some old familiar "chestnuts", to get me through this year. What a mistake that was. Never get smug, complacent about the spiritual journey.  Paul challenges us, I Romans 12:2 to"be transformed by the renewal of your mind," In First Corinthians, the exhortation, "Put on the mind of Christ." Conversion involves being blasted out of our many states of illusion. 

It is, always, being led into the place of, absolute powerlessness, where in order to survive one has to let go, absolutely. This process my ego does not like, it will not even tolerate these  moments of movement. There is absolute war. I order to survive, this blog writing will help me process all that is happening at my unconscious, aching to be brought to consciousness. This battle must be shared, so you are my reality, check. Don't you really love reading this effort and you are being drawn into this challenging experience ? Please, answer,  HONESTLY !!!!!

  As I repeated a number of times, we are, every person, that we encounter in the scriptures. Binary thinking,  does work here. Our guided journey into nonbinary thinking, I am, painfully finding out, is, like everything else, an evolving process.  There are no categories in nonbinary thinking, and in this  emerging understanding of reality, all are one in The All. So then if female you can relate, as a woman, as male, this forces radical change. The workings of, the anima, in the male is essential for a healthy, psychology, and as a consequence, spirituality.

     The Parable of The Woman at the well  is all about, awakening. Facilitated through kind, mercy and deep compassion. There are no judgements. For those who can rightly say, "I am awakened",  then be prepared, by The Paschal Rhythm, to be reawakened.  This, dance, always demands radical change. The result is, real transformation, leading to a new experience of, transfiguration. Like the woman at the well we will first be, shocked.  "You are a man and a jew.?" Our old life of living in illusion no longer validates, an emerging newness. Then there are questions, and the questioning. How can this new reality, be the,  truth ?  The woman at the well encountered, The Incarnation of Mercy, and Truth, but had to be brought to an emerging  existential, awareness.Where is your experience, of, "well moments" ? The stark reality of our present challenging, experiences, have blasted complacency into the oblivion of comfort and security. Where do you see your places of security and comfort ? 

   \ We are being challenged to move into the perception and acceptance of a new, frightening reality. The blessing of being "shocked", the old comfortable and comforting ways of seeing, are forever changed, never to return.  A " BLESSING" ? Papa you, have lost touch with reality.  Old realities, Yes, but there is a new order in potency, waiting to be actualized. We are all, because this is a cosmic immersion, participating in the real, lived experience, of Paschal Death. Our faith in The Paschal Rhythm lends security in the reality, of Order- Disorder -Reorder. 

    The goal of this year's Lenten journey  is to be slowly awakened to pain-filled transformative, and transfiguring  power, of, EACH UNIQUE, authentic, human,  experience. The Creative Gracious Spirit uses all authentic human reality to awaken us, slowly, into a new consciousness. In reality this is not new, it has always been hidden in the depths, awaiting the journey into, sacramental reality. For this to happen we need new brave, contemporary, prophets. That is where each person inhabiting this earth must answer their call to be contemporary prophets. We have been given the example of great prophets, De Chardin,  Pope Francis, and our contemporary one, Pope Leo. Did you see how he challenged to  religious facade that has taken place at The White House ? This is just another instance of challenging uninformed power, with the stark reality of unvarnished truth. Our Shepherd is modeling,  the challenging road we are to follow. This is why The Fruits of the sacrament of Confirmation, are lying dormant in our  depths, awaiting their journey to where ? You are, challenged to be both the question and the answer!!! This new awareness means, what ?

          Then the woman is comforted with the fact that, there is not only a Prophet in dialogue with her. He, Whom she was led to accept as a prophet, is in reality, The Christ ? Then she went into, action? These are the steps we are challenged to make our lived experience, formation, information, transformation, transfiguration, action.  Through all  these movements  it is essential that we surrender to  the guidance of, The Creative Holy Spirit,  through prayer, mediation and contemplation. This is why we have this season. We will always have the challenges of being contemporary prophets, and Christ Incarnated. This is our  EVERYDAY vocation. No excuses, there are, no exceptions  We are afforded this time to really face what it means to be a,  Confirmed Christian, and all the fear laden steps we are challenged to take."Be not afraid, I am, with you." "I go, before you." Come rest in, Me" and, yours ? 

     

  

          

                                                      Second Sunday of Lent, 2026.  

         I have one blog written. On reading it I was so surprised, the stark reality of what has been triggered, struck me hard. This is not to take away from the horrific events taking place in our nation. It is over whelming at first, second, third etc. glances. Another war has been started, joining the wars already raging. Raging within the communities where war is being raged against humanities most victimized, the powerless, disenfranchised, exploited and dehumanized. There is no end in sight for that war. The atrocities will continue, unabated, until, " justice for all", is not just a catch phrase but a transforming power, which will release a transformation  that cannot be imagined in the current atmosphere of dehumanization. Humanities newest war, has the "proposed" life of, "four to five weeks", that is quoting our president. This begs the question what is seen as, THE END ? How are we to understand, and become reconciled with all the uncertainty that entails? These questions join the numerous questions, we are  already begging to be answered. 

  These are the current questions that are facing us. Is that all of them? Of course not. This is the Season of Lent. The time set aside for us to bring to consciousness the underlying, personal inner and outer wars. Wars that have been there, and will continue to be active, some raging, until we begin constructive work on the solution. "We are, either in the problem, or in the solution", right ?  It has been proven to be, not that easy. There is NO, "easier and softer way" out. We like, Our Good Shepherd, are in the desert, where Satan will hound us with thoughts and questions whose sole intention is to disrupt, and hopefully destroy, our peace of mind, our sanity, and our serenity. 

    Satan is the legal name for, prosecuting attorney. How well he is named. Satan has found a home in our false self. Our true self is never, in any danger. Why? it is the chosen dwelling place of The Infinite Power of Creative Love. Its Presence is described by, Thomas Merton  as " a Sparkling Diamond which can never be touched by sin." The light can never be dimmed. We are powerless, with all other powers  to remove, destroy it. Sadly we do however,  have the power to deny, reject it's Presence. Our outward, and inner actions can and do reject this eternal gift. It was given to us in eternity and will accompany us as we consciously return to, The Eternal.  The Infinite Womb of love, has been our staring point, and to the same  womb we shall return to. This our eternal destiny.  As a result,We are  also a people destined for constant attacks. The attacks, which can at times both endless and discouraging. We providentially  have our Defense Attorney, our Advocate,  The Holy Spirit Who will be with us and within us, until the end of time. That is why we are encouraged, "Be not afraid, for I am with you, always, until the end of time." Yes !!! you can take that to the bank.

       What took place on The Mount of Transfigurement, was NOT to glorify The Historical Jesus, it was intended to strengthen the faith of four disciples and, all ofUS.  In The Transfiguration,  the human body , becomes The Transfigured Body, In doing so ,The Human Historical Jesus  revealed His true identity, and True Reality, the enfleshment of His Prodigal mercy-full  Father.  This Transfigured Body was destined for abuse, dehumanization, betrayal, crucifixion, and paschal death. There was no terminal death, it was paschal death. As those four were schooled, visually, as to depth reality, we too, are learning, through the eyes of  a lively faith, the deep reality of The Historical Body of the now, Christ. The Cosmic Christ as He truly lives and breathes  in a all that is, real. Apart from reality,He does not, nor cannot, exist. This is true of both the physical, and spiritual worlds. Sorry, sorry, that is not the truth. I have slipped back into, binary thinking. Right thinking leads to this truth,  there is only ONE reality. There is No division in The Eternal, in The Ineffable. We share the oneness. Question !!! how does  this truth challenge you way of seeing and believing ? Binary, or non binary ?

       As we read, reflect on The Transfiguration, and the following historical events  we are led to this reality, indisputable truth, " Death, is never the end". A great  deal of our security is attached to permanence. Nothing is permanent. Everything is evolving. Life needs death to evolve. We cannot find security in what was, only in That Which Is, in this present moment. (For me, I have it down to nanoseconds!!!!) For now, we bolstered by,"now is the acceptable time, now is the time of salvation." We are ever and always safe, in each and moment of the sacramental Embrace, in  The Hugs of our Prodigal Father. My, go to bromide, " I believe ,Lord help my disbelief, help my unbelief". " I believe, please  help  my disbelief", is my current bromide. The one I share the most, " Father help me to love me, the way you love me". My false self wants instant, relief.  Graced reality will lead us to awe-full embrace, of  acceptance, and powerlessness. ( This is the long process that in inherent in living)

   Fr. Rohr introduced me to the concept of " Order, disorder, and reorder". We are definitely in disorder. There is no security to be found in, disorder. Then we have to accept the challenge that  beneath all the disorder, THERE IS a new order awaiting to be revealed. I will be long dead before  this new inclusive just ordered life will become a reality. The answers lie deep within our collective unconscious. We must not only pray for the revelation of order,  endless work is essential. Unless we WORK for real justice there will be no peace , and just order will not be, restored.  This cosmic realignment will have its own prophetic voice.  To each person reading this effort, in your now  response to  the challenge of prophetic action, you are now laying the foundation, of what is to come. In this New Kingdom all peoples will be from  the possibility of crucifixion, and death. Free to enjoy a new world, " Coming in peace, coming in justice for all, coming in Love." Prophetic words from Mama Cass Elliott.  As a reminder, we are either working for the solution, or we are part of the existing  problem. I am shocked, scattered, so if this is beyond the regular challenge ?????  I have to embrace this old monastic saying,  " Pray, like everything is up to God. Work like everything is up to you." Well, until, the next time, I pray there will be, a next time this is a wobbly Great, great gramps.