A Spiritual Journey

An excerpt from an upcoming new book "Garbage to Treasure through Grace."

The Lenten journey is our yearly journey into our encounter with and gradual acceptance of a challenging reality.  That reality is summed up in the words of DeCharden, "we are spiritual beings immersed in the human condition." This is, at times, an uncomfortable reality, is actually our moment to moment experience. We do not always reflect on the dynamics of each moment. The 40 days of Lent allows us to place these moments under the microscope, to reveal for our inspection and reflection what we do not actually want to face. For a healthy spirituality, and wholeness of life, we have to deny the demands of our egocentric ego, and journey into transformation and transfiguration. On the Mount of Transfiguration the divinity of The Beloved Son shone through his human reality. To quote Fr. Rohr, "Our deepest DNA is divine." In the depths of each human being lies the God Presence, sparkling like a diamond. A sparkle that cannot be influenced in any way, by sin.(Merton) 

As we face our spiritual garbage, and gradually surrender it into the mercy-full hands of our compassionate Father God a miracle takes place. That divine life, hidden in the depths gradually bubbles up to reveal the Divinity within. WE are chosen to be the contemporary revelation of The Living God. A prodigal, loving God revealed through the mission and ministry of Jesus, Who became The Christ.  A mission we are consecrated for in the Sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation. In the reception of these Sacraments, as we say in Ireland, God fits the back for the burden. We will never be tested beyond our strength, to quote St. Paul. At times I question that quote and lately more than ever. The older one gets the harder this journey into surrender, to the reality of our participation in The Paschal Mystery gets. This Mystery into which we have been Baptized is our constant companion on our journey into uncertainty. The one thing that is certain when we face the unacceptable, accept our powerlessness a real transformation is experienced, We experience literally a death. Like all deaths this is not an end only a beginning, The beginning of a new way of living as we celebrate existentially, moment to present moment our participation in the risen life of Christ.  This risen life is revealed to us as we experience the transforming power of God in real life events. This is not easy. It takes real courage to face the un-acceptable, within ourselves, our family, our church, and country. Now more than ever we are in need of a journey into the shadow life. This will lead to a new energy, a new confidence to face honestly what we would much rather, deny. The denial of the shadow is destructive. In order to be  spiritually healthy we have no choice but to work through our garbage. It is hard work. The spiritual journey is hard work. It takes guts, and backbone. It is not for the faint of heart. The result is a gift, beyond price. It is the gift of freedom. We can now live our lives in the freedom that is ours as beloved, daughters and sons of a Prodigal, mercy-full, ever faith-full Mysterious Lover. "We will know a new freedom and a new happiness."

To be continued...