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."  

                                                   A very Happy and mysterious  NEW Year.

  We are now in the beginnings of a new, Liturgical New Year. It is also the beginning of the Advent season. " Every blessing is a curse, and  every curse is a, blessing". This is so very true for me at this stage in my adulting life, as it was true at every other stage of my journey into Mystery. This began the season of great challenge, especially as the calendar continued its turning over, to bring to awareness what is  always new in the  depths. Now 85 years on my terminal calendar, and 62 on the journey into the ever new revelations of The Mystery Who is continuously  being revealed through ore shared humanity..

    To be of any value to you, the reader and fellow traveller, I must not return to the enviting chestnuts of old. The relevant message is not there. So the challenge of grasping new lenses through which the newest of this season is revealed, is a challenging reality that must be embraced if we are going to vivify these moments and days gifted to us. There is a mysterious newness in every moment. No two moments are the same. We are learning no two of any creation are the same. The Creative and Creating Creator never, duplicates. Everything is an original. When we say this life is boring,  then, take what it takes to freshen up the lenses so the Everlasting Newness can enter our consciousness,  bringing  excitement to our so called, humdrum life.  " There is nothing profane, for those who know how to see" St.Francis.

     The lens through this which the Mystery of The Incarnation, will have a radical effect on the way all life, all creation is viewed. Through the radical, The Creating Mystery that is so slowly revealed. This revelation comes as we see all that exists as is a oneness, is a wholeness and above all a holiness. " There is nothing profane for those who know how to see". It is essential that we  see all, as one. We must, to use a modern word,  be non-binary in our vision. The old either/or is outdated, we now are challenged to life and learn, in the Wonderfull freedom of the both/and. Be prepared to meet the challenge ,that we will of necessity encounter in our moment to moment trudge along the  mysterious  exciting road of, "happy destiny". To repeat myself, are you surprised ?, the spiritual journey is hard and challenging WORK.

         I have been sidetracked from the message I wanted to covey. It is so aggravatingly true, we propose and The  Creating Spirit  disposes. If we want to make,The One That Knows All laugh, share the plans we propose, for action, then sit back  and be prepared for a journey into the unknown, and FOR us ,unplanned. "My Lord God I have no idea where I am going ", but I have to trust  The Wisdom and the dark journey of faith. Maybe in the next effort ?????

     

          Pierre De Chardin,  the great  Jesuit theologian and paleontologist, was one time looked on as a maverick, whose books were not looked on as approved reading has gifted us with these challenging words," We are not human beings having a spiritual experience, we are spiritual beings immersed in the, human condition." These words had a radical effect on my ability to think to see anew. I do not remember when I read those words but after that experience, my  thinking and  the resulting thoughts  were , as you may well expect, radically changed. My lenses through which all reality was viewed, resulted in a deepening, I am still coming to grips with. The resulting trudge has resulted a gradual unfolding. So let  the great exquisite, mysterious, sometimes pain-full, yet at times joy-full, unfolding, unveiling  process continue. 

      "We are spiritual beings immersed in the human condition." Our origin is spiritual, springing from the  infinite loving womb of our Creator God. My human existence  then  is not the only existence, reality, I am challenged to come to terms with ,and gain a gradual  understanding of. Its appearance, is, at times so painfully slow. We are told by those who know this unveiling not happen without real a great  cooperative effort on our part. Has not  everything  of real value, in this life a  hearty price attached to it, except of course, Our Prodigal Father's unconditioned love.  To be honest I did not like to have to change decades of seeing, thinking and understanding. After all had I not finally become somewhat comfortable in my brand new Vatican Two shoes ?  I was growing comfortable with the familiar. Now I understand that was my false self recoiling from inevitable change. There was a great cry, Let me alone !!!  The Alone never responds to unhealthy requests. We are so loved,  that only the very best of gift awaits us. You and I are in the process of believing, we deserve only The Best, and will not, through grace, settle for less. D.V.

      We are preparing for The  Original Spiritual  Being to come to be immersed in our human condition. There was not a different humanity awaiting The Eternal  Voyager, our broken, vulnerable, desperately wounded was awaiting, His Incarnation. That coming has forever changed to course of both human and religious history. That change has been in process, we are called to be the instruments through which further revelations can be revealed to all of creation. How often have we been told, " we are more than we appear externally to be." There is a mysterious reality we are being prepared to be led to. In the gradual embracing of The Mystery within, will the Mystery of The Incarnation be continued to be revealed. This is who you really are, and are called to be. Would you believe, or are you coming to the belief you each one without  exception  are ,MARY, Yes, Mary and we like her, are privileged to be chosen from eternity to surrender our lives lives and let The Gracious Creative One continue the transformation  of our mighty cosmos. " Help me to believe the truth about myself no matter how beautiful it is.

       Something to be added to your Thanksgiving list ?? Have a blessed one. Great Gramps.

  Holy and mercy-full,  Spirit, help me to believe the truth about myself, no matter how beautiful it is. These must be familiar words to you, I use them often enough. I am using them here, and will again, D.V., in the coming weeks so as to encourage all to have the faith-filled  courage to believe the awe-filled mystery laying in your depths. From eternity this moment has been planned. This Mystery can and as a result of our free response be brought to consciousness. Then to  be embraced as the life changing  power of change. 

     As we approach the coming seasons of Advent, Christmas and Epiphany we need to take, as we say in Ireland, a "serious run at it"!!!!!. May I say, a very serious ,reflective run at it, otherwise we will miss the message and suffer through another ho-hum, very ordinary time. To begin with, here quoting John O'Donoghue, " there is a place in you where you have never been wounded, where ther's still a sureness in you, where there is a seamlessness in you, and there is a confidence and tranquility in you. And I think the intention of prayer and spirituality and love is now and again to visit that inner kind of sanctuary.".

  At first read ,do you ever actually believe this mysterious truth about your true identity? There is in our depths a sanctuary where the One Whose coming we are preparing ourselves to welcome, is now and always here present. The more we enter this awe-filled reality, will our preparations have depth of meaning, rather than mere meaningless and boring  routine. Like everything  else in life we are empowered to make a free  faithless or faith filled , response.   Our coming Guest invites us to " come rest in Me, as I do in you" and discover ever anew, the sanctuary of confidence and tranquility. This is a gift truly worth being prepared for.

 I particularly like those words "now and again." What are your honest feelings ? The truth will set you free, but first they will tee you off. " Lord, that I may see", "the new beginnings..... of that which is new' lying beyond the safety of sameness'. This will take us beyond what we have outgrown, and are being prepared for gifts far beyond our wildest imagination. Maybe we will slowly grow into the truth that " our lives are unique stones, in the mosaic of human existence." ( Nouwen)

 85+ 18......One of the thing we can definitely count on, is, change. We are in the midst of one of Mother Nature's most color-full and dramatic changes. What a sacrament  is being  presented for our  encouragement, as we reflect and meditate on what is right there before our eyes. She is laying before us  one of life's greatest lessons. There is such tremendous beauty, hidden and revealed in,  the dying process. What beauty is revealed as trees change magically, with breathless beauty, on their journey into emptiness, and nakedness.  As it is with nature so it is with all the  other occupants of creation. 

    I was first introduced to the gifts that come with advancing years by, Mrs Cotter, I have mentioned her in previous blogs, was a grey haired  gracious senior citizen and a widow. There was a such kindness oozing from her every pore. What a wonder-full example of what can happen, when aging  results  in graciousness , acceptance, and inclusiveness. (Offered to all, but they do not get to break into our spiritual journey. So all creation suffers.) In her aging, maturing process she was able to reveal the great mystery  that with dying we are birthed into a new way of living. She was blessed by grace, and said Yes!!! as a consequence the gift t transformed and transfigured her give life. For your meditation and reflection--- the following quote from The  Mass of The Resurrection, " Death is not an end, death is a  beginning".   

To  help on the journey into "the deep", where abundance is hidden and awaiting our arrival, let us reflect on the following gift the great Irish, Nature Mystic, John O'Donoghue's," For a New Beginning."

        " In out-of- the-way places of the heart, where your thoughts never think to wander, this beginning has been quietly forming, waiting until you were ready to emerge... ..   For  a along time it has watched your desire, feeling the emptiness growing inside you, noticing how you willed yourself on, still unable to leave what you have outgrown......      It watched you play with the seduction of safety and the gray promises that sameness whispered, heard the waves of turmoil rise and relent, wondered would you always live like this..... Then the delight when your courage kindled, and you stepped onto new ground, your eyes young again with energy and dream, a path of plenitude opening before you."

          WOW !!!! what a gift John has bequeathed us. Grist for the mill. Words that challenge us, no matter what stage in life we are at, we are  to be ever and always vigilant. There is a wonder-full, awe-full potency in our depths. The power that, when allowed to operate in freedom, beyond our fear filled anxieties,  will reveal the deepest truths about who we really are, in The Gracious Creator's original scheme of things. The slow journey of discovery, always being guided by the Spirit will will challenge us to go beyond the easy, and  the security of the familiar. O how I ache for the security of entrenchment, but then we are not designed for safe harbors, we are built to face the unsettledness of life's oceans.

       From our shipwrecks, our disasters, our frequent encounters with the  impotences revealed to us, we are slowly schooled in the wisdom, essential for a joy-filled  trudge through the unknowns of life. The Divine is revealed in ways we could never imagine. When we say, our Mother/ Father  God is One of endless surprises, we ain't whistling Dixie !!! The thing certain is there will always be change. The change will come as we enter into and emerge from the darkness of faith. As we are, literally, brought to our knees, we will rise up with a vital newness of understanding, which is also called, wisdom. 

     "In the-out-way-places of the heart.....this  beginning has been quietly forming waiting until you were ready to emerge". Wow !!!! how patient is The  Infinite Creative and Creating Power of the Holy Spirit. A unique gift is prepared for us, and when the time is right, it is revealed to us. We may think this is a sudden event, but "the mills of God grind very slow but they grind very true." We join Thomas Merton in prayer: "my Lord God I have no idea where I am going", within those uncertain steps into the darkness of Faith, a new beginning is slumbering, waiting for the right moment to break into consciousness. We think these  gifts are to be seen as somewhat sudden, far from it.....( HOPEFULLY this thought can be continued. What do you think ? Love and blessings. Great Grandpa Joe. 

 85 +7, Well, the days are moving on, and I am powerless to stop the progress. Powerlessness is becoming more and more a reality I am forced to face, but the process of acceptance is a moment to moment struggle.  A struggle which demands great strength, resilience, and acquired toughness.I just thought it would be a great idea to look 👀 up the meaning of that word. 

The following is what I got from my iPhone: " struggle; make a forceful or violent effort to get free of restrictions." That is the verb, now for the noun, " a forceful or violent effort to get free or resist attack."

WOW !!! That has really changed the way I now understand "struggle".  I was surprised to see the word "violent" in both definitions. This challenges me to rethink the understanding of my journey "through the dark valleys, and high mountaintops ".  I have another awakening, in this my golden years, when everything should be settled and a life of no surprises awaits the living. The very opposite is now my challenging experience. "DARN IT". ( That is me being uncharacteristically polite)   I have this bone I want to pick with my Gracious Giver. How come when things appear to be settled, and serenity  is surprisingly present I am lead into a life of uncertainty, with resulting turmoil, darkness and questioning.

       Here are  my conclusions from my latest upheaval. It was  a given that  I was trudging, struggling on " The Road less Traveled"(Scott Peck).Neil Diamond sang many years ago " It is a long long road, with many awaiting turns " and I bought that hook line and sinker. My new awakening has lead to the understanding it is Not  a road I am traveling, but a trail, that  I am being challenged to slog on, and slog on..... As I travel on roads I can be secure in the fact the road has been faved, and the traveling is smooth most of the time !!!!!  One cannot expect that on the trail. The trail forces on to be careful of each step that has to be taken. There are no motorized vehicles on the trail. Their use is forbidden. It is the person, as the person really is, encountering the trail as Mother Nature has shaped it for me, and all my companions. Mother Nature, under the guidance of The Gracious Creative-creating Spirit  is constantly creating a newness, so every step must hiked with  concentration and awareness, How we are then blessed with an evolving awarenesses of the mystery we are, as we encounter The Mystery in Her glorious Reality !!!!!!

 Traveling  along on the road is one thing to be experienced, but the struggle to traverse the hiking trails demands the total effort of body, mind, soul, and spirit. ( In the encounter with the challenge I have learned all are mysteriously  strengthened.)  To make the "forceful effort" to encounter freedom on the challenging  trail does indeed demand strength of mind and body. Trail hiking is not for the faint of heart. Oh one can begin one's hiking in the reality, of faint of heat . That will change over time as we are strengthened from the struggle, the violent effort to meet the demands of the existential reality. It is now the the hiker is forced to look beyond where her/his abilities, to the powerlessness of self reliance, and then we are lead to to the place of  transformation. We are now forced to look for another gear on which to operate , another Source of help. This Source does not come from the outside, it must be discovered hidden in our depths, where it has always been  awaiting us. The Answer to our need , lies the depths of our reality,  awaiting us to have the courage to trust that the help, grace we need is ALWAYS being offer, without," condition, restriction, or reservation. " The false self wars against that freeing, transforming, awareness. We are called to live in freedom, not fear, and we mysteriously journey through our fears into intimacy. Please do not short change yourself. How does all this challenge you ? Honestly  ?

        This quotation from Psalm 130 is what I cry out, from my place of  abandonment, desperation, and powerlessness. "Out of the depths I cry to You ,O Lord hear my cry. Let Your ears be attentive to my voice of supplications.." So from the depths of my brokenness, discouragement, powerlessness, fearfulness.... I am reaching out  crying out, for your merciful loving help. A dynamic love that will heal me, soothe me, comfort me, strengthen me, protect me, transfigure and transform me. All this does not happen immediately, sad to say, it takes time. I was lucky that early in my childhood my mother made me aware of this discomforting reality, "Joe, the mills of God, grind very slow, but they grind very true." They grind the wheat into the flour essential for a healthy body. We too must be ground into that which will nourish our bodies, and in doing so nourishes, The Body Of Christ.  AWE-FULL, AWE-FULL,  AWE-FULL.

85 years + 1day is the reality from which I write. In my wildest dreams I never imagined this could be my reality. Then "If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans'. My gracious Creator has a great sense of humor. Some of it I have to admit I do not understand, now speaking from the truth of the 85s, there is so very little I understand. Joe, " your life is a problem not to be understood, but  an ongoing  mystery  to be encountered and lived  through.

   Last night something I have not thought about, for some time, bubbled up from the unconscious.It is a quote from Annie Dillard; " Write as if you were dying. At the same time, assume you write for an audience consisting solely of  terminal patients. That is after all, the case. What would you begin writing if you knew you were going to die soon ?  What could you say to a dying person that would not rage by its triviality." These words  have offered  a  real great challenge over the years, and more so today as the back nine is definitely in play. Just a breath away. Dying people have no time for trivialities. They demand the facts. These can ,and do, come to  us in a very often unvarnished manner. All life is terminal, a reality we are not always ready encounter in truth. Living the lie, is not living. It is called existing, not living.

         We have to accept, embrace their reality and then pray to The Holy Spirit to give us the words that will convey the necessary,  reality. Why ? Another word for The Divine, is, Reality. From the moment of our existence we are a reality. We are sent to convey our entrusted message of Reality. This demands we are true to our real selves, the self entrusted with Realities truth. Tough question, are we always true to the real truth, r do we dilute, change it so as to fit in to the reality we life in. Living this way is a lie.  

   I have not always spoken the truth that confronts, but fudged the real truth so a to satisfy the false self. Confession is good for the soul. The Sacrament of Reconciliation does demand a purpose of amendment. So here, on the back nine, I am being as honest as I can. Honesty is progressive, we do not have it all. So be gentle. " "To thine own self be true", a counsel of Shakespeare. That was so easy to write, but is it not so very difficult to adhere to. Truth will come to us from so many directions, and from all the events of our reality. We are never disconnected from reality, The Creator Reality makes that impossible.  

   So The Spirit Of Truth, The Holy Spirit comes not at the moments we choose, or through the teachers of our choosing. The  real prophets of our lives are pretty much people who can, and do rub us the wrong way. In even parish I have ministered in, there was always a,  "prophet presence". How I found ways to duck any encounter, but the Spirit can be way more devious that we can be. Time changed, or need I say the grace of masybrough about the changes that were need, for me to be able to welcome the gifts that were coming through this prophetic presence. Now I have to ask for the grace to accept this truth, "What I abhor in another, is exactly what I abhor in myself. The truth will set you free, but this is taking it to a place I am not anxious to go to. The back nine says," you are running out of options". Why not be really honest, asks the true self ? So kicking, screaming, crying I am lead into the Kingdom Of Truth,Justice and Love. Then acceptance is a reality that can be slowly embraced. It does not bite, but we are still, so cautious.  

 So goes my first consecrated effort, when faced with " write as if you were dying.

 It was a great 73 degrees in Sun Lakes, Arizona this glorious morning.It looks like I have survived the hottest Summer on record here in Arizona. These last number of months were a real tough slog. Each Summer over the last three years were hotter than, the previous one. Where is this going to end ? We have just lived through, on second thoughts, survived is a better word to describe our real tough slog. We had 113 days of temperatures over 100 degrees. We are really enjoying the present cooldown, but we have at least nine more days of over 100 on the horizon. 

    The climate  projections for the future are no, by any stretch of the imagination, encouraging. The gradual disappearance of the icecap will have global consequences, what plans are in place to encounter these future challenges ? I was shocked when I read about the Ecomartydoms taking place in the most endangered areas of our common home. Then my questionable memory reminded me of something  wrote about in blogs past. I did dedicate my little book, "Creation The first Bible" to those nameless sister and brothers, who paid the ultimate sacrifice in the defense of this cosmos, our ever evolving home. They are nameless to me,I am sad to say, but not to their loved one who had to bear the cross of the loss. Let have a special remembrance in our prayers , remembering  all our sisters and brothers, who have to face forces of greed, in a life and death struggle.   LITERALLY 

There have been a total of five extinctions recorded in the history of our planet. Are we listening to some scientists who warns of an extinction taking place right now ? Fact or fiction ?  let The Spirit of Truth guide our  own researching  of the facts.I pray that this will  lead us to an informed decision as to the right actions to be taken. The question must be asked, and the answer contemplated, leading to ???????? Each one of us has to answer that question for oneself, and begin to live with the answer. Andre Gide wrote these very challenging words : " To know how to free ourselves is nothing; the arduous thing is to know what to do with ones freedom." We have been gifted by The One Who emptied Himself of the freedom as The Divine One, God, so as to immerse Himself in the reality of being Human. He came to a land living under  the bondage of the Roman occupation. As Paul tells us He did not deem equality with God, something to be grasped at, but willing emptied of The GodHead so as to immerse in the same humanity as you and I. Jesus,Who became The Christ, so that through His Paschal Mystery modeled how we are to become free. The radical life He lead, we are asked to live so that all humankind can experience real unadulterated freedom. Freedom is never free it always comes at a price.

My parents we not born in a land of freedom. My mother's family suffered greatly in the struggle for Irish freedom. Being close relatives and friends of Michael Collins the suffered unending persecution at the Hans of The Black and Tans. I was brought up with the stories of Michael so looking back the desire for real freedom was sewn in me. Freedom, for all who suffer bondage in any way was instilled in my depths. So then we all have a challenge to meet, at different levels, so that freedom is not just a word but an emerging reality. Would that our world was free to evolve into the bloom of fullness imagined by The Creator and not have to struggle because of those who are afraid of free human beings." Watch out for the free person with nothing to loose" is always in my consciousness. It has been a long time, so this is long.

     

 The curtain has been pulled down on another Olympics. Us sport junkies must not fear, The National Football League for 2024-5 is now in nursery school. Baseball is heating up and a new Mister October may well be crowned. Sports can be, and is a wonderful a medicator, addiction for so many people. When I was growing up my heart, outlook on life was deeply colored  depending on what Cork's hero Christy Ring was accomplishing on the hurling field. As I grew up Rugby was added. " O Meara out to Kyle, Kyle to Henderson, Henderson to ......" were words so dear to the ears of a pre-teen and teen.  Saturday was Rugby,  but Sunday was, Christy's day, and our prayers were directed towards the success of the Cork hurling team. We had no televisions, we were glued to the radio. What simple and uncomplicated days that were gifted to us. 

     Today there are so many  more great fish to fry. Are we the better for it?  What a great fodder for discussion ? Todays talk shows reveals the passions of so many, resulting in cruel, unjust judgements and summary condemnations. We are living in this harsh reality, winning is everything. It has taken  its place in the hearts and souls of so many, it has become everything, replacing The Presence of The Everything, Who comes to us through our experiences of, nothingness. How counter cultural that is, how unacceptable to the present process of evaluation. We must have more, more and still some more is never enough. The people such as I cry from the darkness Enough, is  more than enough. There is always some left over. We experience the miracle of" The Loaves and Fishes'. We do our best, and,  The Great Creative Spirit does the rest, within the realm four nothingnesses and inabilities. " Life is not a problem to be solved, it is a mystery to be lived. In the living out of our mystery we are very slowly introduced to, The Mystery. 

            It has been a great challenge for,over these eons, to come to grips with the " UNS, and, NOTS".  "The unloved, unseen, unappreciated, unwanted, uncared for ......  these have their counterparts in not good enough, (which is a  toxic shame attack, ) not smart enough, not attractive enough,  not powerful not rich enough, not the right color, right gender, or  right  class, .... " ( I got this  in a place that is lost in memory, not retentive enough !!!!!!)  This is a lot to face at any one time. So this can be material for reflection and meditation. We are ALWAYS more that we can see, and way beyond anybody's else vision or understanding of us.  People will see us as they are, never as we are.  

We then are responsible for the development of a  healthy daily  spiritual  practice " examination of consciousness'. This will enable us to face the real realities of our lives and face the need for change. We must do so " calmly, objectively, and  compassionately " ( Rohr).  To put aside the "old man", the false self so as to make room for the evolving "new man", the true self, will take days,  months, years and even decades.  Let us be vigilant in keeping this fact , reality,  front and center, this happens, "one moment at a time". It must be one moment at a time as grace is in the given so we develop the ability to live and  encounter  real and true life, one moment at a time.  Paul "Now is the acceptable time, now, is the time of salvation " Our participation in The Eternal Now, our origin and destiny and the moment to moment mystery. Blessings,Great grandpa Joe.

 

     

           

 I thank you for being very kind in not pointing out any of my mistakes over theses many years. with this effort I am really going to push your understanding and tolerance. You see, I am meeting thsichallenge without my glasses. It is too long since the last post. Well here goes.

         we were introduced again to the fact that The Historical Jesus's The good Shepherd. Whose Presence is ever and always existing in us and through us and with and within us. Along with The Shepherds Presence we also have within our depths the Presence of The Creator God. Now if that was not enough we also have imparted to us The Power of Love, The Creative Spirit. No wonder the "table set before us', is brimming over with Infinite Goodness, Mercy, and compassion.That is the reality of what dwells in our depths, yet, just speaking for myself, we can be overwhelmed with feelings of guilt, fear, and shame, also known as the toxic trinity, in my book. In sports you are asked to focus, focus and focus some more.That coaching works with our spiritual reality as well. That is why it is said so much of sports is 90% head and 10% ability. 

       To shoot a good score in golf without focus on each shot id pretty much impossible. Try chess without focus and you will soon get tired of it. To attain anything worthwhile we need to be connected to Who lies deep in our depths. That connecting effort does not come without long practice, and steady concentration. My dad and I had great chess games. He always wanted to out-concentrate me. That would lead to three hour games, much to my mother's discomfort. Yes my mother loved to chat. Those who know me personally from lived life know that I am definitely my mother's son. 

        The Good Shepherd with The Power-full Power of love are gifted so we apply ourselves to the mysterious challenge of us being contemporary Good Shepherds in place we are planted.  We are all gifted with the call to be in the present moment what The Historical Good Shepherd was in His physical reality.He dwells within us so  when we have the opportunity to replicate His life and actions we are NOT ALONE. There is the voice of the false self who only aim is to distract us from the mission we are entrusted with, and Who it is that is the source "of our Hope and strength".

 We have to face up to how we are being Good Shepherd , first to ourselves and then to the members of The Creators Flock that is our destiny to meet ? There are coincidences in The Creative's spirit's universe. Remember in the old days, say five years ago, we were just focused on the world, now our focus must be on all creation. A  sacred, sacramental creation, which  The Second Vatican Council calls us to be co-creators of. What a mysterious calling. Thank The Creative Spirit that is now directing our thoughts and consciousness to how the word,  interdependence , has now entered more and more, from the depths, where it always was, to slowly emerge as a reality in  present day consciousness. This factual reality is going to increasingly challenge us to answer the call to trudge the roads to new, challenging and exciting horizons. We are so indebted to those who have shepherded quantum thought to its present day dynamic, transformative driving force. Yes as we leave the comforts of what we now know behind, we will be  safely Shepherded along the trails leading to dark valleys, and transformative mountain tops. We must make sure the shepherds are healthy and ready to meet the challenges ahead. May The Creative Power of Love power your moment to moment actions into  a mysterious reality. Whose Real Reality is, "the Kingdom of peace justice and love". Focus on all that is being gifted you, as the beloved, so The Beloved in the depths may be revealed and gifted to the here and now of the evolving cosmos.  Now !!!!! Focus on the developing reality of who you have been chosen to be........ Reverence the evolution !!!!!!! GGPJ.

 

           

 My journey into  the appreciation of the spirituality of The Twelve Steps has been a long one, spanning decades. In Ireland to battle the destructive effects of alcoholism we were introduced to The Pioneer Association. So when I arrived in Phoenix in 1963 I was a blank slate to the workings of alcoholism, and the power of The twelve Steps. It was within the first year my pastor told me to drive to this address, pick up the old man, and take him to Franklin Hospital, which was just down the street fro the rectory. The man was very compliant, and as a result I had no trouble with him. That was first encounter with alcoholism and its treatment. Over the next 60 years my education has progressed steadily. In our Irish Community it was, and is, a constant presence. I read somewhere that back East alcoholism is facetiously named, The Irish Flu.

             I am indebted to Fr. Richard Rohr O.F.M. for a learned introduction into the mysterious workings of A.A.. He has a book "Breathing Underwater" which is a great introduction into the spirituality of A.A. Father has expressed his admiration of the workings of grace in the  lives of those affected and infected with the disease. Alcoholism is a disease. There are no moral issues to deflect from a healthy recovery. The sufferer is " Not a bad person trying to become good, she/he is a sick person trying to get well.". Recovery is a process. A long long journey that can be taken, ONE STEP AT A TIME.  Recovery is lived into, one moment at a time.One receives a daily reprieve from the disease, dependent on ones spiritual condition.There are The Twelve Steps, that are visited again and again during the recovery process. These steps, over time, will guide the alcoholic into "absolute dependence on  Higher Power, into Whose care there is, absolute surrender." Those four words, absolute dependence and absolute surrender, are words one slowly come to the acceptance of. Acceptance is a word that the A.A. member will struggle with all life long. 

 Here is a gift that came to me from Fr.Rohr O.F.M.I get his blog every day. In the following Fr.Richard connects the lessons fro the Gospels and the twelve Steps as life-changing and healing messages that WE can ALL benefit from.

      I am convinced that, on a practical level, the gospel message of Jesus and the Twelve Step of Bill Wilson are largely the same message. The Twelve Step Program parallels, mirrors, and make practical the same message that Jesus gave us, but without as much danger of spiritualizing the message and pushing its effects into a future world.

    Here are four assumptions that I am making about addiction.

     We are all addicts.  Human beings are addictive by nature. Addiction is a modern name and honest description for what the biblical traditional "sin"and medieval Christians called "passions or " attachments ". The both recognize that serious measures or practices were needed to break out of these illusions, and entrapments.

 "Stinking thinking" is the universal addiction......    Substance addictions like alcohol and drugs are merely the most visible forms of addiction, but we are all addicted to our habitual ways of doing anything, our own defenses , and most especially, our patterned ways of thinking and processing reality. These attachments are at first hidden to us; by definition we can never see or handle what we are addicted to, but we cannot heal what we do not first acknowledge.

 All societies are addicted to themselves and create deep codependency.......   There are shared and agreed-upon  addictions in every culture and every institution. these are the hardest to heal because they do not look like addictions. We have all agreed to be compulsive about  the same things and unaware of the same problems. The gospel exposes those lies in every culture.

   Some form of alternative consciousness is the only freedom from addictive self and fro cultural lies......If the universal addiction is to our own pattern of thinking, which is invariable dualistic, the primary spiritual path must be some form of contemplative practice or prayer to break down this unhelpful binary system of either-or thinking and superiority thinking. Prayer is a form of non-dual resting in "what is'. Eventuality, this contemplative practice changes our whole operating system!

Let us sum up, then. These are the foundational ways I believe Jesus and  The Twelve Steps of A.A.  are  saying the same thing but with a different vocabulary:    We suffer to get well. We surrender to win.   We die to live.   We give it away to keep it. 

       This counterintuitive wisdom will forever be resisted, denied, and avoided, until it is forced upon us by some reality over which we are powerless -and, if we're honest, we are all powerless in the presence of full Reality.

         We are all spiritually powerless, not just those who are physically addicted to a substance. Alcoholics simply have their powerlessness visible for all to see. The rest of us disguise it in different ways, and compensate for our more hidden and subtle addictions and attachments.

    Me again. Fr.Rohr sees The Twelve Steps of AA as Americas great contribution to the school of spirituality. This is a school one never graduates from. There are no diplomas handed out, only chips to recognize, the up to the present moment's hard work. 'We do not think our way into a new way of acting, we act our way into a new way of thinking". " Fake it, until you make it."  May your trudge along the road of happy destiny be one of peace, joy and love. Leading to, "a  new freedom and a new happiness".  One out of EVERY three families is infected or afflicted with this disease.

 I am so sorry for the, time between postings. I have been gifted with two new chronic companions for the slog, we also call life. As I sat and listened to The Word being proclaimed I had some really conflicting thoughts. How can Power be present in weakness, loss, death, failure, rejection and the nakedness that is the consequence of living an authentic human life. "We are born human, and we spend the rest of our lives coming to understand and accept what that means."( Bishop Morneau.) Our journey of faith, our spiritual journey leads us to places unknown. We are gently led to an understanding that each places triggers encounters with understandings that contradict the popular beliefs. After each encounter with our powerlessness and impotence we are mysteriously lead to the acceptance of a way of life that before now we avoided like the plague. The road to acceptance is a long and rocky road. With many twists and turns, denying us a look at what awaits us. When am I going to accept this reality, faith is a journey into uncertainty, not certainty". My false self wants clear vision, all we are given is the darkness,  the unknown.  Wow !!! Is not The Unknown another way of expressing our understanding of, The Ineffable, The Divine, God.

 Paul had the experience of encountering weakness where he  mistakenly though he should possess the power to overcome his weakness. His ego, his false self did not want to have to face his continued failures to deal with his particular weakness. We do not know what the weakness was. There have been conjectures, but no certainty. It does mean a hill of beans what Paul was forced to face. In the facing of his weakness and the accounts of his failures, has offer so much hope to all of us who follow in his footsteps. In this revelation of power through failure had within it the font of hope for the many. There is a plan also for our weakness. When we face face failure we must keep before us this freeing reality, from what I am experiencing a wisdom will be taught. A lesson that will not easily be forgotten. This new found wisdom is not for ourselves but to be shared with the person, or persons who will be placed in our paths. As we share this new found wisdom, the pain of our failures, loss, defeats, deaths etc. will be lessened. Joy will come because we have been chosen to be prophets of, The Gospel of Powerlessness. A Gospel the majority are petrified to even consider.  

      For to day's prophets the road is a very dangerous one to travel.  So many of the prophets of Old Testament were killed off, The Prophet Jesus was also killed, so what fate awaits those who dare to challenge conventional wisdom. Which is not wisdom at all, only the road a hell. Hell is the place where Love is not considered as a healthy way of being. It is summarily rejected as the way for the looser, one cannot be successful living a life of dependence on a Power one cannot feel, see, taste or touch. It is the "pig sty' of failure  one comes to the knowledge that in time becomes, the wisdom needed for a truly authentic human life. There are many steps to be taken preparing us for the acceptance. Like all journeys, it is taken, one step at a time. Each step taken is a holy, a  sacred reality. A sacrament, this means what ? 

      Until the next time, peace, joy and love. Great Grandpa Joe.

 

         

" It's Summer time, and the living is easy", great words from Porgy and Bess. It is Summertime and for many millions of people the living is far from easy. It is about survival.   These coming days, weeks and months we will be forced to face  the life and death struggles  of the millions, who  are living, etching out and existence  on or below the poverty. There are the old forgotten ones who will die silently, and alone. What carnage will be wroth on the birds, animals and live stock because of the lack of water. The struggles as seen in the living, in the other world can be seen as the  harsh paradigm of what is happening  in our inner world. This can be very uncomfortable  for those of us who are never exposed to the harsh realities faced by the community who cohabits our common home. A home, I am sad to say is becoming less and less a, comfortable home.  We are being challenged, as never before, to awaken to the harsh reality,  that our inner and outer worlds, need immediate attention. Attention to stave off the sixth annihilation which so many in the science community see happening, right now.

     Memorial Day reminds us, of this fact of life, freedom, is not free. Freedom does not provide the actuality whereby  we are freed of any and all responsibility.  We, with the Creative Spirit of Love are the joint gardeners of the inner and outer, the physical and spiritual creation. There is NO inner and outer creations. there is only, one, creation. A  creation we are struggling to understand. I have had to struggle with this challenging reality over a number of decades. This  struggle is become more intense as I face the stark reality, I am not as young as I used to be. My physical prowess and  athletic abilities are slowly ebbing aware. My awarenesses of the spiritual realities are coming to the surface. What "has been hidden is now being revealed", ever so slowly. Old age has its blessings,  and responsibilities. Do I dare say, "every blessing is a curse, and every curse is a blessing." Thank you Fr. Rohr, O.F.M. for this kernel of wisdom.  These words are  very poor vehicles when it comes for the transportation  of  essential ideas. Those revealed and the daunting number of those hidden and are yet to be revealed. 

    We must not be like the ostrich who keeps hid head hidden in the sand. We must bravely face the Light, and following its unique  invitation to " cast into the deep" and from the depths wondrous emerge. What we are blessed with, must NEVER be seen as something for our private,  individual  use, but always for "the common good", so St.Paul has written. " Look not backward, in anger, forward, in fear, but around in awareness." So Winston Churchill counseled the British in their darkest hour. Now how are you going to apply those words of wisdom, to the faces you are facing today. We are not alone. There is That Gentle Guiding Light ever and always, working in us, through us, and always with us. EMMANUEL is not just a Christmas  word, Its Power resonates throughout It's creation, of which we have been chosen to be  active respondents to the challenge of being "co-creators and co-perfectors" of the emerging cosmos. 

         Have an honest face to face encounter with your true and real self. Give the false self a long, would that it were possible, permanent vacation. You true self, is the one who shares the reality of,  Resurrection Power. With this Power," all things are possible,..... for those who believe. As we are informed recently all that is required is the faith of a mustard seed. Starts out the smallest but ends up as large as you, I, we allow it to grow and spread it's hospitality to all sharing it's cosmic  home. My favorite petition is " I believe Lord, help my unbelief/disbelief." This bromide has gotten me to this point. How I do not know. The miracle of grace is very difficult to comprehend. So, "Life  is NOT a problem to be solved, but a mystery to be lived." Mystery, in infinite wisdom, has chosen both you and I". My part is done, so that leaves .......?????? 

Those of you who have been keeping close tabs on the author will be well aware of the fact GRBAGE was never completed. There was anxiety, greed and anger still not having been addressed. ( This fact triggers some anxiety in Joe.) So we need to go back and continue our journey, deal withe the three remaining boulders. That is the tough part. This struggle is essential so we may see what  transformation has been brought about by the power of The Resurrection. Yes !!! it is always true,  out of death, always, comes new life. "Those who sew in tears, will reap rejoicing".When we share in the Suffering Servants Death , we will assuredly have a share in the cosmic results of The Resurrection. The same Power that brought about The Resurrection of The Historical Jesus, is that same Power Who is dwelling in our depths. This Creative Spirit of Love, when surrendered too, brings about transformations and transfigurations way beyond our spacial thinking. The Resurrected One is not bound by the laws of time and space. The Resurrection is one of the supernatural mysteries of faith. So when you see that I am struggling with the order of words, Joe has hit a dark, blind  spot and still awaits the revelation that will further his advance along his, Via Dolorosa. Each Via Dolorosa is unique to the traveller as he takes  her/his unique steps, " to where, who  knows ". Each asks our own unique questions, and are lead by, The Spirit, into our unique answers. "Ask the question, and, live into, the answer' (Nouwen).

                    I have read, and listened to a great deal of what has been  said and written about anxiety, I have likewise have invested a serious amount of time seeking insights into the mysterious realm of acceptance and serenity. This is my lot in life, and have been real serious about it for many decades. I DO NOT have any answers for you. You will have to do your own work, because I do not have the answers for you.  Please ask for the help, grace, courage  to honestly delve into your deepest reality. It is there  lies your  unique, Truth is lying in your depths, waiting to be freed. In the freeing will  come with a unique message that WILL ever so slowly come to  your consciousness.  You are now in the process of contributing to the perfection of all of creation. The lasting messages will have their origins, not in your successes, but in your failures. " Not as the world gives, do I give" 

Please believe in your inner Authority. Never allow that to be compromised. It is so precious, and must be defended. Now become familiar with the role of the prophet. We, by our Baptism are given a share in the prophetic mission of Christ. Make friends with the fact that the prophet is allows opposed. Opposed by so called,  "good people'. Jesus was crucified as the result of the conspiracy between the religious, and civil leaders of His time. Will we ever come to the real, honest figure of how many have been martyred in South America because they strove for justice and equality. I personally knew Sr. Dorothy Stern. She is recognized as one of the great leaders of the people. So great was her influence, she was assassinated. I have a photo of her dead body stretched facing down on a deserted forrest trail.  

 Each one has a unique message, gift that will enhance the perfection of creation. For this you were chosen, from all of eternity. There is no magic formula to trigger this migration from your depths. AGAIN I am going to repeat, " No deposit,no return ". As it was true for the pop bottle in the  decades long passed through, so it will be true of your efforts as you " trudge the road of happy destiny. Fear, anxiety, and their "friends" will be a constant presence. Paul in Phillipians has this counsel for us : " Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Peter " Cast all your anxiety on Him Who cares for you". As a reminder, all are the beloved of our Prodigal Father Whose love is everlasting, and cannot be escaped from. " The Hound of Heaven " by Francis Thompson. " I fled Him, down the nights and down the days; I fled Him, down the arches of the years ...." and did it work, Home Work !!!!!!! Love prayers and blessings .Great Gramps.

 My brothers and sisters, as Neil Diamond sang, " the road is long, with many a winding turn, that leads us to who knows where, who knows where." I first heard those words many years ago and for some reason they struck home, like so many of the lyrics Neil has gifted us with. these following words have haunted me for years; "Be as a page ,that aches for words, which speaks on a theme that's timeless" are more mysterious words that have never left my unconscious. These words surface, pop into my head, at time when I am facing the unknown. A "winding turn", around which, I cannot see. Then I am faced with this truth "we walk by faith not by sight". Is not this journey, into the darkness of faith, a journey we are called to make, bye some inner voice ? A Gentle Voice, which needs real deep silence to be heard. We do not surrender to that space very easily, but by some 'winding roads" we are lead to this place of peace, and rest. It is," a buried treasure".  Like anything buried,  this "treasure lies in darkness, but we have been gifted with the light of The Spirit, Who will lead us to All Truth, and the freedom that is ours being the beloved daughters/sons of our Gracious Creator.

             St.Paul tells us that this Spirit is The Spirit of freedom, not the spirit of fear, leading us back into slavery. This is The Spirit which enables us to cry out, Daddy, to The power Who created all, out of love, for love. We are  called then, to be a people of freedom, not cowering slaves, bound by the chains of guilt, fear, and shame. This toxic trinity we do not have to face alone, as beloved daughters/sons, we have an inner strength to strengthen us for the moment to moment battles , of daily living. The community of The Holy Trinity dwells within. Do not we spend our whole lives in the discovery of the  mysterious meaning  being ,tabernacles of this Holy  Trinity, and the power that is always bubbling up from our depths ?  

           Richard Rohr has written the following:" The Spirit is always a gratuitous gift. It  is always an unmerited gift. It's always pure grace. like wind it cannot be seen. like smoke it cannot be controlled. The spirit is elusive, blowing where It wills. yet like fire, The spirit can be felt. The Spirit  is experienced as the warmth of God's love. Like blood it is experienced as an inner vitality. The Spirit is supremely intimate, yet supremely transcendent."  Love prayers and blessings to and on all. Great grandpa Joe.

 It has been awhile ?  They say " absence makes the heart grow fonder." Then one day, a teen of my acquaintance, added this bit of reality, " absence, makes the heart wander !!!!!" Now I live in the reality that, it is not about either/or, it is always about the both/and.' We are challenged to live out our given bodily existence living in the BOTH/AND. The Generous Spirit strengthens us to live in our reality, whatever it may be. The spiritual journey is always a challenge, it is hard work, but we have been chosen for the journey, and we never , "walk alone." ( This will have deep significance for Liverpool F.C. fans). That was a great , 'send off", they gave their present coach. That was a deep spiritual experience for many, many fans. This has been born out of their pain. How, awe-full, and wonder-full, it is to see and hear. 'Heart speaks to heart amidst the roar of the waves".

                   There is a very special person who reads this effort. Luke has created a very special creation, and has named it Lucinda. A creation that has touched the deep recesses of his heart. He now wonders whether this will be in his reality, in the Resurrection of the dead ? Luke, many years ago I heard a famous preacher say, about dogs, " if you need a dog to be blissfully happy in your Resurrected life then you will have it." So consequently if your Resurrection experience is not complete without your Lucinda, you will have it. Luke congratulations on using your talents to add to the beauty of creation. When you draw, paint, you are adding your unique contribution to the perfection of creation. For this you were born and in the continuation of your art Luke you will be fulfilling the purpose for which you have been created. You have been part of The Creator Father's plan from the beginning of time. When you were born, you came from The Infinite Loving Womb, and in your birthing the eternal met time. You have been living as " an eternal spiritual being, who lives now immersed in the human condition." When you paint you are allowing the Creative Spirit, The Holy Spirit to work through you for the betterment of ALL CREATION. I pray you will allow The Spirit of Pentecost to work freely through you. All your art work is sacramental for those who are privileged to view it. That means when you and others view that piece of art, as it is with all art, you are drawn out of yourself and into the realm of The Spirit. Luke continue your sacramental presence, and may The Gracious Creative Spirit inspire you to continue your unique contribution to the perfection of our creation. Luke you will be fulfilling what The Second Vatican Council's vision for you, " To be a co-creator an a co-perfector of ALL of creation. Spaceship earth is blessed with your unique presence. Luke you pray for old grandpa Joe. You are blessed with a special connection to The Power of Love Who moves both "heaven and earth." You are the beloved. Live your life as such. 

                The Season of Eater ended with the celebration of Pentecost Sunday. The day that is called " The Birthday Of the Church." On Pentecost The Spirit became united to the body, and we then had The Church, the living, contemporary reality of, The Risen Christ. What was, up to The Manifestation Of The Spirit, a bunch of frightened individuals, has been transformed into a living reality, offering eternal life to those who were open to their message. Those that preached on That First Pentecost, in many cases, did not know what they were saying.All they were able to do was share that which what was in their depths, and was bubbling up to consciousness. Without fear they spoke their truth, too hearts and ears aching for life giving words. The light of The Flames shone through, and a new creation came into existence. That is an essential part of our heritage, our story. In our story we continue the work of evangelization. Carrying the eternal, life giving message to a world that is facing the horrific death resulting residue,  of war. " We are individually chosen to be life givers, not death dealers". Every moment we make that choice, either consciously, or unconsciously. We never exist outside that reality. Our present cosmos desperately  needs those who will allow the power of " love, joy,peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control " which they have been blessed with to surface and explode on the world as we know it. Then there will be a transformation of this exhausted cosmos into a reality through which The Risen Christ, The Cosmic Christ can be the life giving, life enhancing source of a Power that also transfigures.

              I was privileged to be the main celebrant of The Funeral Liturgies of my mom and dad. this time it is different. I am unable to travel. So I am facing a different  set of circumstances. This reality is new to me, and I do not have any road map to follow. So it is one step at a time, enable to be able to live one moment at a time. That moment is called the sacramental now. " Now, is the acceptable time, now is the time of salvation." This moment is as full of the help of our Gracious Prodigal Creator as I need. My needs are always met. It is my unending greed that messes everything up. Love prayers and blessing from this wounded, wandering, wanderer. He is, and ever will be  a " spiritual being, who is so immersed in the human condition " while navigating the uncertain seas. " I believe, help my disbelief", " I can't, we must."

          

 Death questions the authenticity of our existence, is a thought worth carrying over, for some further reflection. Over my sixty plus years in ministry I have never encountered death without being aware, nothing is the same. Growing up in Ireland there were no funeral parlors. The person was waked from their own home. I remember visiting the homes and going into the room where the corpse lay. I used to say a few prayers. After the prayers being offered I did kissed the dead person on the forehead. Then went out.  At St. Andrew The Apostle, we were blessed to have a hospice home in pretty near the rectory. Over 20 plus years I made numerous calls to that home to supply comfort to the dying person, an to their families. Driving back to an empty home now see how many mini retreats The Holy Spirit blessed me with. The lenses through which I was seeing life, were constantly refined by The Great Optometrist. I found I was preaching from a different place. One got to the meat, there was fluffy language used. I had to catch myself, many is the time, from using some of the common language of those brought up in Ireland. We cannot hide from life in all of its nakedness. We must be real. The blessings of being real, you are in touch with The Real, another name for The Divine, for God.

            The life, sufferings, death, burial, Resurrection,  Ascension, and descent of The Holy Spirit are the lenses, through which we are challenged to see the realities of our daily living. That is why we have Christmas, Lent, and Easter every year, because on visit is not enough. The Easter egg is not dipped just once, but again, and again, and again, and..... So we as Christians, and those who face the challenges of injustices, bigotry, exploitation, dehumanization, and trafficking, will find strength in reflecting, meditating on the unvarnished events of The Prophet Jesus's three short years of ministry. In speaking , and above all living The New Truths Jesus was faced with the stern, awe-full reality of what happens when truth is forcefully spoken to power. Virginia, and all mothers of special needs, special human beings, have first hand knowledge of the hoops to jump through to make sure their child receives all that it is entitled to. It is not about extras, it is about basics. When are these mothers, along with The Veronicas, and Simons of Cyrene who minister to the Jesus Christs on a moment to moment basis be recognized as the true evangelists sent to witness today's harsh and uncaring world. I had friend Barbara who was an advocate for patients in a mental institution, her stories shattered me. How can human beings be so callously treated, by so called, fellow human beings. Suffering ,we are to be taught over a long period of time, is a mystery into which we are dipped, moment to moment on our journey following in the footsteps of Jesus, Who became The Christ through His Paschal-Easter Mysteries. Where He has gone , we ARE TO FOLLOW, when we assume the mantle of being The Ministering Christ to todays suffering Christs.

                     Some are blessed with a great sensitivity for the suffering Christs who inhabit our world. What are the fears to be faced in order for us to be authentic, contemporary healers of our wounded sisters and brothers? In the transformative mysterious encounter of care giving, wounded  wounders  become wounded healers.  Warning !!! An earthquake will occur, and "your life will be turned, upside, RIGHT" (G.K. Chesterton) The Risen Cosmic Christ arises from the tabernacle of our depths, "and it is wonder-full to behold ".May your hearts and backs  be strengthened by grace so you will enjoy the life you were chosen to lead, and live at a price. That is why so many of the mystics encourage us "to gaze, look at The Cross." I will not apologize for the results.  May that road ever rise before you. May The Spirit Wind be always at your back. Until we meet again, may  love of The Gracious Mother/Father cuddle you, in safety. May Love prayers and blessings reach you wherever you may be. Great Grandpa Joe.

 Well my sister Virginia has been taken off meds, and is now receiving only medications to keep her comfortable. Waiting for the phone to ring, or a message posted on FB, which will tell me Virginia's life's battle is over. She has been a fighter all her life. Her fight now is to let go of her special needs son Gearoid , who just turned 47. She gave him a great blowout party. Great photos on FB. He was a Special Olympics, Great Britain swimming champion, on a number of occasions. He is so proud of his gold medals. He is not able to comprehend fully what is happening. Virginia will fight like hell, to hang on. Only grace  will be to empower her to let go. Her death will not be sudden. Please pray for her to be able to let go. Please pray for Gearoid that the comforting care of His Mother/Father be a real driving force in his daily battle with loss. We do not like loss, powerlessness, letting go, liminal space, tomb time, I have had some great, long desert hikes, walks these last number of days and Mother Nature is sure great in what is revealed for hope and consolation. I have been saying for years now, "Got a problem take a hike." A deep woods bath would be awe-full. A wood bath sure soothes the troubled soul, and a new provides all that is necessary to continue the slog of, " being spiritual beings immersed in the human condition". Virginia will return to the  Infinite  Loving womb  that first gave her existence and life. There she will be reunited with The Loving Power  which  first loved her. Virginia was so loved that she was given human existence. She was sent, as all are sent, to continue the work of creating and perfecting. Yes the world has become a better place because the decision was made to bless all of creation with her presence. Would Tha all of us could have this written about us when our days as co-creators and co-perfectors of all of creation. 

      Quantum thought is breaking into our consciousness and revealing the immense  power of healthy thoughts in the ongoing creation of our mysterious creation. The health of each human mind is essential for a healthy creation to not  just to exist in but to grasp life, and live it to its fullest. Then the purpose of The Cosmic Christ will be fulfilled in each one of us. " I have come that you may have life, and have it to the fullest", " My joy may be yours, and your joy complete." Go for the gusto, and do not settle for less. " It is expensive, but I am worth it."

                Some random thoughts are all I have for you. I have been taking the journey of  the wounded wanderer. So all I have to share are the scattered thought of this moment. Some of you who have been reading my efforts can vouch for Joe, as one scattered individual. If you ever heard my homilies, you would be taken for quite a ride. One though, one train of thought did not last too long. I never had anything written so The Gracious Spirit took all on a mysterious ride. We got to reach some places, from which we were never given the path home. The sermons were meant to challenge further thought, not to provide  canned and easy answers. It is same with this wandering effort. I do not have the power to answer your questions fully. That's the job of The Gracious Spirit. 

      My job is to get you fired up, so you will never take my for anything. You will see this as pointing you in the direction The Creative Spirit desires for you. I will never be privy to The Gospel that is being written and will continue to be written. May The Holy Spirit be your true guide as you contribute to the magesterium of the people". There is an inner authority in your depths. Foster a deep relationship with That Reality. You will then be a prophetic presence in the place you are planted. The powers that be, may not like the gospel you share. It is not for them to like it.  They are responsible to have a listening ear, and an open welcoming mind. Pope Francis is the model to follow. It is so sad to see that those who need to follow him the most are so actively opposing his every effort to make our Catholic Christian Faith into what is laid out in the Gospels. Then prophets are never welcomed. They are opposed by those uniquely challenged, and are fear-filled when it comes to change. Being a prophet guarantees you one thing, you will be killed. Death is a friend that takes you to places you otherwise not dare visit. Death always questions the authenticity of our own existence. That has been my experience. May it never cease its complacent  shattering questioning. The answers are meant for.......

Happy Mysterious Easter to you all. Yes, the Season of Easter is still with us. Time gifted to you and I so we can grow in our understanding of all that is "perfectly hidden and revealed " in the life beyond the life we say or think is, life. We are challenged not to take life as we see it but to look at life through the lens of a lively faith. An adventurous faith that is always seeking the unseen, so the sen life becomes more of a mystery to us with each passing moment. The time we life in is ever and always Kairos time. Time through which The Gracious Spirit is revealing our origin and our destiny. We have come from the Womb of Infinite Love, and that is our first memory, Infinite  Love. We will be, to quote St.Augustine, "be restless' until we find the time and place where The Infinite is encountered in our croons time, watch time, calendar time. Which will control us unless we take steps to look beyond and seek beyond the so called realities of life. Realities which when given the power will control us and our lives and we will lives of unreality. Then we will ask " "Where is God,The Divine, The Gracious Spirit, The Power of love, etc." ?

                 It is very difficult to gaze on the cross and come to terms with this stark reality, THIS IS THE FULLNESS OF THE REVELATION OF OUR CREATOR, AND CREATING FORCE OF LOVE. That   Human Being, a being, that has been stripped naked, His ravaged body, racked with pain, is further dehumanized and exposed to the "vulgar gaze of the crude, rude, and mocking crowd". A crowd that He wished to be transformed and transfigured so the Infinite Within then may be exposed, and then there where will be the revelation of "new heavens and new earths".  It did not happen during His lifetime, so t now rests with you and I to assume the challenge and do what is possible for us. Not the impossible, but the possible, we are called to do our best, not the best. Then The Paschal-Easter Mysteries reveal that through our great failure, our heart wrenching losses, we are Brough to a wisdom which all the richnesses of the world cannot impart on us. We again go deep to seek out and search out our unique understanding and we with  all the events of  daily lives write a contemporary gospel. A gospel that MAY be written, but not necessarily so." Wherever you go preach the Gospel, and when necessary use words." St Francis.

I love the definition of love Scott Peck gifts us with," Love, is the willingness to extend oneself for the spiritual growth of oneself, or,  another human being". In the economy of today we are challenged to add, "the cosmos, all of creation." In His second appearance in, the room, The Risen One extends Himself so that rejecting Thomas may be brought to faith. Christ's attitude, o'k  "Thomas, so you do you not to believe, that is going to be your loss. Look around you at those who do believe why cannot you believe these you friends that I Am Risen. No that is not the attitude of the Risen Christ. He shows Thomas His wounds, hands and side. He further invites Thomas to place his hand, fingers into His wounds. Thomas comes to believe that Resurrection and new way of existing is possible. That was then, how about now ?  On  my hike to day I was privileged to have, not a meeting but an encounter with another trail person and what I am to share was crystallized in those minutes of encounter. Strange events occur on desert trails. I pray you have the transforming experience.

              His vocation, is to journey with those who choose the created over the uncreated. The apparent good, is chosen not, The Good. The challenge of all recovery is to face the reality that recovery is grounded in the acceptance of, 'Of the powerlessness of power and the power of powerlessness." That must be revealed, communicated by someone who has walked the road that lead to "absolute powerlessness". In that hell of failure, rejection and complete nakedness a little light broke through the darkness. That little light came in the form of wound sharing. "The room"of the gospel is recreated in that place, and the encounter between Christ and Thomas is recreated, ever anew. The suffering, desperate addict must hear the  hope filled good news, there is a way out. The recovering addict share with the sufferer, his/her's "experience, strength and hope' that has come from the acceptance of "absolute powerlessness" over their addiction. I each and every " 12 step" it is in the telling of the slog from where they were at, to the freedom experienced in a new way of acting and a new way of seeing. In each "room' where the twelve step journey is radically shared wounds are again shared. In that honest sharing something very mysterious happens. In the simple telling, retelling, The Mysterious Power of Grace, uses those word as a channel of hope leading to another metaman, metahuman, being touched and the process of restoration has begun. Recovery is a process, not an event. Those who "walk the walk, not talk the talk' continue their slog. A slog that is NEVER taken alone. There is not the confidence in a new Higher Power, and embraces our powerlessness and leads us to new horizons. There are no boundaries in the spiritual journey, only horizons to be travelled to, by a path "we do not know". Faith journeys are not about certainties but the hope-filled acceptance of this fact, the step I am taking right now is the pinnacle of my life. I am as safe as as I can be right here right now. We do not know where this "strength and hope comes from". It is none of our business. Our Gracious Spirit, Higher Power, Great Spirit ...... knows, and in that knowing we are known. THAT IS ENOUGH. ( I am dealing here with Absolute Mystery. Some word may have to be reread, and reread. When this has happened please rejoice, celebrate, in what slowly bubbles up from your innermost depths. This well awaits your  visit, and revisitation is encouraged. The refreshing Water of Life always tastes sweet.

           My sister Virginia has reached the end of her encounter with The Paschal Mystery. She has drunk fully of the chalice of suffering, resulting in her being the source of transforming strength for, others. May her transition to The Resurrected life be one of peace and joy. Her special needs son, Gearoid, will also be in need of encounters with today's Simon and Veronica.  A journey into new awarenesses of powerlessness, and loneliness awaits. We all need your prayers, and, hope-filled thoughts.  Great Grandpa Joe. 

Easter Season 2024 !!!!!.    We continue or reflection of this Easter Season so we are able to view the present life events with fresh lenses that reveal the great mysteries that are present in the present, in the here and now moment. It is always about where I find my  grounded two feet. The ground we tread on is sacred ground. Every step is a sacramental step. Mystery permeates our reality. As a consequence all must be reverenced, as it is holy. There is nothing, no moment lived,, no person encountered, that does not have  "perfectly hidden, and perfectly revealed " (Rohr) within their depths  The Paschal Mystery. So then it stands to reason that our Paschal experience, and understanding of said Mystery is always caught up in encounter. The richness of the gift, like buried treasure, is revealed as the digging is done. No digging, no encounter with what is hidden in the depths will reveal to us nothing. Then instead of the sacramental experience of the moment, there is a meaningless existence. This is turn will be fodder for the false self to lead us ' far off lands " where me will meet the rebellious son living within us. We are aching to journey home to the warm, unconditional  loving embrace of The Prodigal Father. This is always ours, right now.  It is always right now for you and I. We have been generated by The Eternal Mother/Father creator in eternity's our our origin, and destiny is eternal. I pray this encourages you to claim all that you are, and all that is being given to you. 

      The desert always is the source of new perspectives and as a consequence, new understandings. I think St.Augustine famous words " O Beauty, ever ancient, ever new" can be applied to the sacramentality of the desert experience. What is ancient, and what is new, we are led to discover, over a long period of time. The Jesus, The Good Shepherd was in the desert for forty days. Ours, on the other hand, is a life long journey. A tough slog. We slowly surrender to the process of surrendering. The egocentric ego does not surrender without a life long fight. That battle rages every moment in our depths. The results are revealed to us in the events of our daily living. In this way ,The Resurrection becomes a lived  reality. Christ has died, Christ is risen,  Christ comes and reveals His Risen Presence in each and every  encounter with loss, abandonment and death.

    We left poor St. Thomas in his rejection of the reality of The Resurrection. All that was going to change when The Risen Christ reappeared in the room, again without notice. As The Good Shepherd he reaches out to Thomas, and to the place of  rejection. He approaches Thomas as he is, and offers to him His wounded hands and side to be penetrated. At what cost ? From his encounter with the sacred wounds of The Good Shepherd, Thomas leaves his rejection stance and surrenders to faith.  A simple account in the Resurrection narrative, but in simplicity is always  hidden,  and as yet unknown, untold riches.  So it is with us, and our  personal experiences of The Paschal-Easter Mystery.. When we bring our woundedness to prayer, they through grace, mysteriously "become  our sacred wounds" as Fr. Rohr so wisely councils us. The fruits of these wounds are not for ourselves, for our own grandoisement. As we encounter,  come face to face, with a contemporary suffer we must first be able to, somehow, in some way encounter them with compassion. Not empathy, compassion. We must let the wounded one we are conscious of their pain, Why ? Because we too were in the place of  guilt, shame, anger,  abandonment, despair, powerlessness, and hopelessness. Our guts were hanging out. Peace  and serenity were words written somewhere  in some book. We too were experiencing, hell on earth. That was not the end for us,  rather that was the beginning. The beginning of a way of acting, which in turn led to a new way of thinking. This happened over a period of time.The gift of perseverance must be prayed for. We must be honest the journey is not easy, anything but. ( This is to be continued. Ran out of gas at 10:20 p.m.) Sleepy, mistake prone, Grandpa Joe.

An awe-full Easter Season, is my wish for you. Yes, I am going to be able offer this wish for a few more weeks. The  Easter-Paschal has so many, many layers of deep spiritual meaning it would take a lifetime of these efforts to really do justice to all of its, depth meaning. We explore, or better still we are led into the exploration of a Mystery whose meaning can never be exhausted. Each generation will be lead to its unique understanding, while begging the question,"Why was not The Paschal Mystery understood this way before now ?" The Gracious Creative Spirit leads to to what we need NOT what we want, or think what is best for us. In the last post I shared the deep meaning of mercy, which has come to me over a number of years now. Today, The Spirit Willing, we will look a little deeper into  greeting the Risen Christ offered to His fear filled , shattered apostles, cowering in the room with locked doors. Those locked doors could not keep The Risen One locked out. The Risen Christ we must remember is now beyond the restraints of time, and space. In all our spiritual considerations we are NEVER bound by time and space.

           Well ! let us make an effort to create the  imagined atmosphere created by those worried souls.  Was there a conversation taking place among those traumatized persons ? We they discussing  the events that  Rabbi Jesus foretold were going to happen, and sure enough they did. In the events of The Tridium the apostles were shown to be lacking in real courage. " The Shepherd was struck, and the sheep scattered". What were the thoughts of ST. Peter, who promised so much and in the end was a  very vocal denier of his Master. He was brave enough ,however, to face his fears, and cowardice. St. Peter was moved to tears, and that was his salvation. He showed all of us, what happens when we own our truth no matter how horrendous it may be. The truth will always set us free. Free to move from the darkness of fear, into the sun-light that shines on all beloved daughters, and sons. Again, a reminder, once you are the beloved, that gift, that dignity cannot be lost no matter what may occur in our lives. Let us continue and be exposed to the dynamic that occurred when The Risen Christ suddenly appears in the midst of His Apostles.

                     First and foremost the was no shaming the vulnerable one. There was no condemning. There were no condemnations for what they did not do, when He was shamed, and  traumatized . There was no challenge to Peter, " I say Peter were you not the one who promised me so much ? What happened ?" The Risen Christ offered to one and all 'Shalom". Now get a drink because we are going deep in the meaning of the Hebrew word, "shalom". We all know that it means peace,  the absence of war, right ? Wrong. Peace has, like mercy, layers and layers of meaning. It also means completeness, soundness, safety, soundness in body, prosperity, tranquility, contentment, peace especially with The Divine One in covenant relationship, lastly freedom from war. Peace, then is more than a feeling. Shalom is the power that breaks the authority that comes with chaos. That is what The Risen Christ offered to those frightened ones that surrounded Him. There was one missing, Thomas the denier, not the doubter. He deserves special treatment. So guess what is going to be the topic of our next visit ???? 

  Mercy Sunday, 2024. I some time have this thought: "Now we have Pope Francis as our Shepherd of the shepherds, would it not be awe-full to be back in parish ministry again." The  reflecting on state of the economy, and the  fear-full challenge of the raising of funds make this retired guy, a very happy camper." Pope Francis and his great emphasis on mercy, sure has changed the attitude of The Catholic Church in its outreach to all those who are on the margins, and have not they been exposed to the fear relieving gift of todays understanding, of the mercy of God. For one raised in the ethos of "the toxic trinity", that is guilt, fear and shame, this  new emphasis, not on worthiness, but on our belovedness has really been a game changer for me. We were given a whole year to research, and reflect on radical nature of our Prodigal Father's  Love. That meant we had to let go of the familiar toxic trinity, and be lead into the freedom of being beloved daughters and sons.

          That word, beloved, I hope and earnestly pray will be front and center in the planning of your spiritual nourishment. Yes !!! it is a fear filled challenge to let go of the comfortable, the familiar, no how much main it causes, to step out into  Gospel, freedom. The Rabbi Jesus came to reveal, to God's chosen people, a new understanding of what it meant to be "the chosen'. The Historical Jesus is now seen as a reformer of religion and religious practice. He called out, those who hid behind practices that did not reach those on the margins, the rejected, the unclean, in other words all those outside the accepted laws of both religion and society. That is what got Him killed. The leaders of church and state conspired to have Him executed. But not in any humane way, He was condemned to suffer the death of a runaway slave. The ultimate indignity. He we have The Incarnation of The Father's love and mercy conspired against, and enough lies were told that He was lead away, to face, all alone, an excruciating public death.  

           Pope Francis may not be physically  crucified, but he is being  publicly ridiculed, conspired against, demonized, and painted as the antichrist. In his ten years plus he has sought the freedom of those who, up till now, were the subject of exploitation, dehumanization, public ridicule, and any degrading hell those who sees themselves as "the chosen, the gifted, the impeccable," can conjure up. "Awake O sleeper, and be awakened to the rank injustices perpetrated against the one chosen by the Holy Spirit to be our leader and guide. That is what is before each one of us as well, when we dare question the accepted way of doing things. How quickly does one get the shaft if the dishonest practices are questioned, or horrors of horrors, publicly revealed. Let us keep before our eyes today's martyrs who are dying anonymously rather that choose to live under exploitation, and tyranny. There are literally hundreds of martyrs who have died in the struggle for the dignity of all human beings, and a healthy environment  in which to live their lives. There are millions of " Anonymous Christians (Rahner) who are continuing the fight The Historical Jesus initiated. His struggle, His persecution, is as real  today as it was 2,000 years ago. That struggle must be seen as our sharing in The Cross of Jesus, Who became the Christ, through His Paschal-Easter Mystery. 

           We all have to face the same struggles, the same alienations, the same dehumanizations, in our struggle to be authentic Catholic Christians. We are going to fail, get up, and fail again. Did not Jesus fall at least three times on the way to His encounter with ignominy and death. Thank, The Good Giver of all Goodnesses, we have the lens of mercy through which the realities of our lives,  MUST be seen. We all want, desire a healthy spirituality. We then we will have to come to an ongoing,  evolutionary in depth understanding of mercy. I am in the habit of repeating myself, and for that I apologize. I am 84 years on, and a Diamond Jubilarian,  much to my surprise. One cannot underestimate the power of transforming mercy-full love. Why do you think I a making this effort ? To make sure the real authentic message of The Incarnation of This mercy-full Love is conveyed to all those, that is all of us, who seek the sense of belonging and freedom necessary for an authentic human life, and journey. 

         The oil of Mercy-full Love, heals us, soothes us, comforts us, protects us, transfigures us and transforms us. That is what is offered to us, at no cost to us. It is absolutely free. Mercy-full Love is freely given, but it must be freely accepted.  Let us who are innately poor,  hungry for  all that will make life a life worth living, come to , the Well of The Water of Life, to be immersed, refreshed, renewed, reinvigorated and after each fall find ourselves upright, and taking the journey, one step at a time. Let us always be soothed, comforted and strengthened in ways we will never completely understand, while dwelling in these mortal bodies of our. Mortal bodies in which we have been immersed in, coming from The Eternal Lover.

Octave of Easter 2024.  This has been a real tough week. After the challenges that go with The Easter Tridium, and The Easter Celebrations "My get up and go, has plain got up and gone." ( Boy have I reached way way back for that one.) So the energy is physic energy is slowly coming back, and I am endeavoring to start this effort, not knowing where it will go. " Man proposes, but The Gracious Spirit blows, when and where It wills." Like a butterfly, we are blown wherever the breezes can carry us."

                    The Eater Vigil begins not with the sign of The Cross, as we are in one whole celebration extending over three days, but with the blessing of The Easter Fire. From the fire a taper is lit. That taper lights the Paschal Candle. The deacon slowly carries the symbol of The Risen Christ into the darkened church. From that one light tapers disperse the light throughout the darkness, lightening up the candles of the faith community. ( Some still are impatient for the coming of the lights, so out come the lighters !!!!!) No matter how many tapers are lit from the Paschal Candle, and not matter how many candles are lit from the tapers the light of these is never diminished.  Whatever we give away never diminishes our worthwhileness, it only enhances it. " We do not possess anything, until, we give it away." Spiritual paradoxes are not solved in the head, their meaning is slowly revealed to us as we live, life. As Henri Nouwen  reminds us, "We ask the questions, but we live into the answer."  Immersing ourselves ever deeper, and anew into The Paschal-Easter celebrations results in the awakening of a light that leads us through our dark valleys, and the fear-full-ness that can accompany each step taken. The Light that illumines our journey, is to be shared with those placed in our path. The Light shared with us in Baptism is to be shared generously,  For this we were born, for this we live each moment.

                  Here in 2024, we have a very darkened world, and the light of truth is becoming dimmer and dimmer. The Easter Season will afford us the opportunity to renew our Baptism Vows again and again, as we face the challenge of carrying the light of truth into a world that much prefers the darkness, and the continuous dimming of the light. During Easter Vigil celebration the candidates for admission into The Catholic Faith, receive not only The Sacrament of Baptism, but Confirmation and Eucharist, ( The three Sacraments of Initiation),  as well. Becoming not only a Catholic Christian, but a Confirmed one as well, carries with it all the strength we will need to fulfill our intended vocation. That calling, is calling us to be the the living presence, of The Living Christ, no matter what the cost may be. Some seem to just sail through life, without much care, and the there are those who drink deeply of the chalice of suffering. the Tridium, The Easter Octave, and all the days following are our yearly retreat days. Minutes, hours, days that are a special Kairos Time, uniquely designed for the challenges we fade-in the here and now.

                 Life is tough. I beg you not to make it any tougher on yourself, and consequently with all those who are destined to share our Paschal Journey. Jesus at His baptism at the Jordan, heard Himself being called " My, The Voice from the heavens announces, Beloved Son". One would rightly expect the life of The Beloved  Son of The Divine Father to be treated with kid gloves. That brutalized Body hanging nailed to The Cross says otherwise. The Beloved Son was not spared the journey into the depths, of pain, suffering, and complete emptiness because He had to be "one like unto us in all things, except sin". All this had to happen so we would not question The Historical Jesus's journey into the fullness, of what it means to be human. If that pain-full, self emptying journey was not taken then we would not have an authentic model of what it means to be human. Rabbi Jesus took it to the limits go what it means to be human, and the went beyond those limitations. The Incarnate One can only be understood as existing beyond the limits of time and space. Yes !!! this stretches us. we are not destined to be confined within the limited norms that society wants to impose on us, we are called to discover a life beyond boundaries. the spiritual journey constantly carries us beyond boundaries unto the horizons of ........