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.