Aisling on Earth

 ADVENT 2025.   " There is in all  visible things, a hidden wholeness." Thomas Merton.

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

"Come, O Holy Spirit, transfigure and transform, this hardened, and faithless heart." (jhi)

" At the center of our being, is a point of nothingness that is the pure glory of God, 

                                                                                     " untouched by sin and illusion." Thomas Merton.

" Go to your cave, and it will teach you, everything, you kneed to know" was the advice one of the Desert Fathers gave, when asked for answers. Centuries later we are challenged to respond to that challenging exhortation. " Go to your cave." In those days women and men, choose the nothingness of the desert, to be the place where they immersed themselves. Immersion, for what purpose ? For what purpose ? so as to be led into an ever deeper awareness of The Unknown, The Divine Presence, God. They choose an isolated cave to be their dwelling place. It was not a place of comfort. With none of the conveniences of todays living. In the emptiness of those caves the wisdom we all ache, and search for was, revealed. Thanks to, The Gracious Giver, of all that is essential for our journey their wisdom has been preserved and has filtered its way down to you and I. 

So here we are, journeying into the,  unique cave each. A cave that has been chosen for us, from eternity, as an essential part of the evolution taking place on the  many levels of  our individual  evolving souls. As the evolution goes so goes the health and well being of the collective unconscious. The wisdom of the desert offers a contemporary guidance, to us the desert mothers and fathers of 2025.  Their apophatic wisdom offers us a wisdom that will challenge the given, the certainties, the comfortable places we have found, and will defend to the death. Yes ! it will take many, many, deaths, Calvarys for us to be blasted out of that comfort, so St.Theresa of Avila warns us. Bethlehem, the manger, the crib, its inhabitants and visitors  is the dynamite we most need ,  so as to be blown out of comforting answers, for our uncomfortable always challenging journey. A journey in the vivifying, contemporary, meaning-full,   supernatural Mystery of, The Incarnation. 

 If we complain about comfort, lets us ask Mary, of her endless journey, which began with her, YES !!!! Mary is the model that is presented, not for our comfortable admiration, but for our challenging, response, embrace and  imitation. To remind ourselves of this  awe-full reality, we are Mary. As she was chosen, so we have been chosen, from eternity. She was born free of all the ravages humanity had, has to endure. We are chosen to endure the legacy, of humanities rejection, of the original plan. It did not come without a price, her Son took care of that. We are the contemporary Marys challenged to renew our YESES, again and again. Why ? so that the mysterious work Mary began can continue, into eternity.

 Many years ago, I think this has been previously mentioned, The Bethlehem scene was presented to the community as happening within a cave. The same cave reappeared for the communities journey into Lent, and the celebration of The Paschal Mysteries. Yes, the same cave, evolved as reminder the The Incarnation event and The Paschal Mysteries are one continuous vivifying reality, always happening within the cave of our souls. (The,  deepening belief and acceptance of  this reality, is only a resent gift.)  How we prepare and celebrate leaves a lasting legacy. 

What is the legacy we are preparing to leave from 2025 preparations ? Do we recognize this challenging, awe inspiring, deepest reality, we live within  a contemporary, Bethlehem. How was The Christ Child, and His parents treated ? How do we see children and  their parents being treated ? There was no welcome to be found, in the busyness of the inn ? They were sent to a place of silence, emptiness, and nothingness. In that place of abject poverty The Divine Creator choose to be the birthing place of His Son. This begs the question, where is the place of abject poverty that The Christ will be incarnated within you? What are the challenges the Bethlehem at large offers, in your Via Dolorosa, that can lead to apathy, complacency, and the deadliest, indifference ? 

Yes !!! "there is a  hidden wholeness in  everything." "Everything Belongs"(Rohr) The Gospel accounts are NOT about 2,000 years ago. This is the lie that somehow has developed credence. We are called to confront the lie. To BE the living answer, The Gospels are alive and well, do you not see it in the gospel that I am have been chosen to write. You, and I, by our actions create, write, a living gospel, for the people who have been chosen to read it today. In this, now, moment. For all, " Now is the acceptable time, now, is the time of salvation." You, the now, your manger and crib within  the Bethlehem of the existential ????

 All the answers, must be ALLOWED  to bubble up.  These challenging answers are to be embraced, no matter the cost, and the guaranteed inconveniences. Ask Mary about, challenges and inconveniences ?? Yet the power, of mysterious grace, brought her safely through. As it was for her, let us beg the grace for us to really and truly embrace the challenge, the danger of being the contemporary Mary. May the fruit of your womb be an everlasting blessing, for now, as it impacts to collective unconscious ,for, eternity.