Valentine's Day 2025. I hope and pray this day is a moment to moment journey into the mystery of Love's action in your life, and how this has transformed and is transforming ,your challenging human journey. Love is dynamic and above all, actively creating. Because we are human we will heartily embrace "the easier and softer way" of living and turn a deaf ear and a blind eye to what Creative Lois asking, no demanding of us. Over the years I have  had to meet the challenge of the presenting the radical call to embrace to the radical demands of, The Jesus of The Gospels. His demands to reorder priorities got Him ostracized and eventually die the horrendous, ignominious death of a runaway slave. That is a scary act to follow. That is the reality we are called to embrace, and live out, a reality we as humans recoil from. We are called to journey, ALWAYS DEEPER into the true radical meaning of what was and is revealed to us in the human journey of The Incarnate One. Where He went we are called to follow. Yes we are always encountering the reality of His Passion and Death and over time has a deeper and more challenging demands of us who say, or claim to follow in His footsteps, no matter where it may lead to.

              Have I been successful in getting a creative response to Gospel Life and living ? Of course not. That is not the model laid out for our imitation  by the historical Jesus. Where He went , we as His disciples, are challenged to follow, into suffering, death and continuous rising to, a new way of living. The fruit filled challenge of embracing The Christ within us, and the Suffering Christ within all of our sisters and brothers is a challenge that needs supernatural active support. " Of ourselves we can do nothing, but we can do in Christ, Who strengthens us" to meet the challenging of following in His footsteps. There is a great connection, I feel, between the discovery of The Suffering Christ within ourselves and the willingness to embrace all the appearances of The Christ within others.

Henri Nouwen proposes there is a gradual growth from hostility to hospitality of The Suffering. Christ within ourselves and how we then embrace the reality of His Presence in all His challenging appearances. The false self will recoil from any appearance of such challenge. The prayer is, " please say that ain't so'. It is and that cannot be changed unless we attempt to rewrite the gospel message of The Good Samaritan. To the original audience what Rabbi Jesus proposed was opposed by the very nature of who The samaritan was. 

So we today can follow the accepted reality, or have the courage to say, WAIT, WAIT, the is another way of viewing this challenge, and this new way is to accepted  embraced. Conversion is a hard and very difficult. It is pain-filled. It is not popular, nor is it socially accepted, as the commonsense way of living. As we discover, embrace and minister to The Stranger, The Alien, the unacceptable part of who I am, then there is only acceptance and radical love of The Stranger, The Alien within. We can rightly say, "I can't " meet this challenge ? We can NEVER say "I can't ", because of The Indwelling of The Trinity is always WHISPERING ,"We can." You are always a radical foursome meeting, all challenges. Let us pray for the courage not only to silently pray for our prophetic Pope,  and to to be a vocal supportive presence as well, as he encounters the many challenges of being a prophet, and a suffering one at that. The Suffering Christ is alive and we are empowered to see Him, in His Vicar on Earth. Not a time to be on the sidelines. Suit up and show up. You never meet any challenge alone. "I am with you". YES, help my disbelief.

 " We are all intended to be, what we never were." A quote I wrote down, but the author's name is missing. Joe would love to claim that as his own, he now must embrace to mystery involved, We are who we are, who we are going to be will be decided by my response to to the grace filled now moment, and all that it brings to us. All that I need is coming to me right now. There is nothing missing, nor can there be anything missing. The Mysterious Trinity is living out Its life, within our depths. Our challenge is to gradually connect with that depth, and allow The Life to bubble up to transfigure and transform both ourselves and the evolving cosmos. There is such great emphasis on the dynamic of all that is happening to us and all evolving creation. As we evolve, so does all the reality I now am immersed in.  We are not just somehow involved in the Creating Creative Spirit's work we are immersed.

        It has been some years now since that word immersed has become part of my vocabulary. It came to my attention when that awe-full quote of DeChardin hit me right between the eyes. " We are not human beings, having a human experience, we are spiritual beings IMMERSED in the human condition" I am guilty of repeating that quote ad nauseam. I am reminded of this stark reality, when we enter the realm of '" ad nauseam", we are in danger of becoming annoying and tiresome. I guess I have embraced the danger inherent in the above action. It is, has been well worth the risk as I have embraced the danger and am reaping the gifts. Gifts I have to share, otherwise  my life evolves into a wasted desert. Bereft of life and life enhancing gifts.

This blog has evolved into Joe bringing to you all that has become part of my evolving reality. Evolution became a part of my vocabulary way back in the late 1950s. It was looked on with suspicion but my rebel nature embraced the risk of staying with the invitation to be lead deeper and deeper into the unknown, and there The Unknown is now evolving, as my reality evolves. Evolving into what ? I am not privy to a  complete answer. I must "ask the question, and live into the answer" so counseled Henry Nouwen. Has this been easy ? sad to say definitely not. 

     I am a very impatient Irishman.  ( Really, and when did you find that out? so says those who know me.)  I want EASY answers, and I want them NOW. That I have found out is not the way it works. " Faith is a journey, into darkness, The unknown and The Unknowable. Thanks to The Gracious Creator Creating Spirit Who has designed all creation as an evolution. A moment to moment evolution. Let us pray for the collective living faith, that leads to perseverance, even though we fall and fail. We must beg for the strength to gather ourselves on the  pitiless ground and respond to The strength which lies in our depths. In time we gifted with the gift of the faith that comes to us through our many, many deaths and resurrections.

You are becoming what you never were, and because of this creation in slowly and deliberately evolving. Now is a great time to encourage the seeking out Merton's great prayer: " My Lord God I have no idea whee I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end, nor do I really know myself ....." Google those words and be gifted with a life enhancing constant companion. This is my experience, as I have to live life, one nano second at a time. From this reality goes my prayers and good wishes, for what ???? Blessings Gramps.

  "I wonder what Grandpa Joe will squawk about this time ? " would be a great caption for this photo, or do you have a more appropriate one ? This was shot outside of West Yellowstone, a number of years ago. For this first, the first post of 2025, I am looking forward to what is going to, bubble up, or to quote the birds, what will be the message be or more bluntly, " What  the squawking will present for consideration."

                    " We live life looking forward, but we understand it looking backwards", right now?. A new quote I also like: " Learn from yesterday, live for today, and hope for tomorrow". Our current "yesterdays" have gifted us with tremendous wisdom for us to reflect on, and allow the wisdom to filter down into our depths. There it will lie, joining of Spirit of Love and Wisdom already residing in the tabernacle of the soul. We really need to claim the exhortation Paul offers in Collosshons as words that will guide the time we are given to be " co-creators and co-perfectors " of our evolving cosmos. Each one of us, by our thoughts and actions are either " life givers or death dealers " to what is evolving. Our gift to the future lies in our present thoughts and actions. What faith The Gracious Creator has in each one of us ???? The  AWE-FULLNESS that lies beneath all, that is, is mind-blowing. 

                " Put on heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility,  gentleness and patience " 2 Corinthians 3: 12. We must also keep before us that this is A Holy Year dedicated to , Hope. Unless we are working on the previous spiritual qualities, we will not be prophets of Hope, but purveyors of increasing death and destruction. The Gracious Creative is in each moment pouring into us what we need to be healthy co-creators. Each moment contains within it all that we need for right now. No more, no less. Each moment is a sacrament, to be reverenced and enjoyed so that we as prophets of hope are empowered to meet the challenges of each approaching moment. " Hold on, pain ends."

          Compassion is not empathy. Empathy depends nothing of  the serious and self emptying action that compassions demands. Compassion means I suffer with you. Join you where you are at, only with fruit-full love and life giving acceptance.. We are the modern Good Samaritans which our existential evolution is in such desperate need of. I cannot remember a time  where humankind's  inhumanity to fellow humans is at such an all time low. How can there be Hope where the dignity of each human is confined to such narrow  and destructive judgments. Humility speaks to me and says, very pointedly " There go you, but for the grace of God." Stunning !!!!!!   

         Until the next time, if there is going to be one, I leave you with this ancient blessing:  May " The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you ; The Lord turn His face toward you, and give you peace." As you are blessed, so, bless all those that WILL be placed on the trail with you. Be angels, be trumpeters of The Good News. Love prayers and blessings. Gramps.

                

       

        

      I pray you all had a very mysterious, revivifying Christmas celebrations. I received a Christmas card from a class mate. Tommy sees a  life  beyond the life we see.He has been blessed with the heart of a poet. Msgr.Tom's card read: "May the God of the crib, become the God of the table". As you sat around  your Christmas table where was The God of the crib  being manifested for you ? In whom did you see the mystery of The Incarnation being revealed, anew, for you? The moments around the Christmas Table become timeless for us, because The Timeless One is enfleshed in all. The Timeless One comes to us disguised in so many ways. We have to take the time to reach beyond the  infinite disguises to The Ageless One  being revealed to discover the hidden dignity of all who inhabit our reality.

             During the season of Advent-Christmas-Epiphany I have always challenged those who could, hear and read to look for The Crib within. We have been exposed to countless reproductions of that iconic scene. All are different, reflecting, the nationality and culture of the artist. We have are exposed to the reality of Christmas has truly evolved as a cosmic event. Rightly The Timeless One has become truly encountered in all of our realities. It takes the artist, as always, to present to us what our uneducated vision has not been able to see. When The Reality, immersed in all reality, is recognized all we can manage is a great WOW !!!. Wonder Of Wonder , what a gift that is now occupying the here and now moment. Infinite are the moments of our encounters with The God of the crib, being, all are there within our unconscious. Moments of encounter with The Ageless Hidden one resurrects something deep within and we are lead into a new way of seeing , believing, and acting.

            Who was present in the original crib scene that is is enlivening and verifying my life this moment ? Who is present in the Gospel accounts of the original Bethlehem event that is now leading you to a deeper and more realistic understanding of your sacramentality ? Are you an angel trumpeting the good news for all who occupy your reality ? Infinite is the number of sisters and brothers who need not only to have  the announcement of The Good News, but our reality sparks a belief in those who have lost faith in their belovedness ? Let's be honest. The Good news has to be immersed in reality to have any real life-giving power. It is a modern day scandal that there are so, so-many of The Beloved"s  daughters and son have been so abused as not to be able to live Their Loving Creative Spirit intended them to life ?  Their infinite dignity has been smashed, by countless acts of prejudice, bigotry, and false religiosity. It is heartbreaking to see the numbers of these our sisters and brothers who chose to die rather than continue to eke out  an existence  in the hell they inhabit.  The shepherds, the original outcasts, were chosen to be the first to hear, see, and announce Love has become a human, is wrapped in common clothing, to announce there is no one that has ever been loved, and then rejected by The God, this Child will call, Father.

A very mysterious, and so questioning, 2025. The quest NEVER ends. Be true to your deepest reality. There Love, The Reality, that  all creation cannot contain  lies in wait in the tabernacle of your soul. Pray for the evolving growth so we can all the more authentic proclaimers of the radical,  authentic, transforming  announcers of this good news, the more screwed up we are, THE CLOSER our good Shepherd is to us. When we become lost sheep, we get the a free ride on the shoulders of  The Good Shepherd. I just drained a large cup of "shut up ".

 Mind, thoughts slow down please. I cannot keep because of all the places I am being taken to. Is not the mind such a blessing, and a curse, of course like EVERYTHING else in life ??? Looking back these are a startling number of thoughts looking for attention. That first memory of being brought into the sitting room, which like all old Irish homes , the best room in the house, but rarely sat in, and shown the plate on which there was a glass of wine and some cookies. I was told that was for Santa. In the morning when I looked in the dining room I saw nothing but an empty glass, and clean plate.  That is my earliest memory of mystery. What has been yours , as it colors the way life is viewed right now. The mystery of what happen was lost in the business of Christmas Day. That year a two mile walk, up hill to mass, was the center piece of that Christmas. All the rest lies in the unconscious, waiting  to be resurrected. 

       My next vivid memory was the crib, at Castletownroche. To visit the church in the evening, there was nothing but darkness, except for the sanctuary lamp's little light. That light, shining in such darkness was a great source of strength and confidence. That light gave me the lasting gift of the part light played and has played  in the darkest moments I was to encounter. Then every year there was this magnificent crib scene constructed in the sanctuary, to the left of the altar.  For me that was a very safe place to go to All around was darkness but to me this was the place of safety, and sanctuary.  It was a very gentle pace to be. It will take many books to share how those moments have impacted my life. Today these moments  carry the dignity of being, sacramental moments. Moments that leads to a connection with a Reality that cannot be full described. Moments to return to, again and again. Each visit opens up a new and deeper understanding of what it means to be on a spiritual journey.

     As we are entering these last few days of Advent, what are the thoughts, the moments that carries you away from the present, with all  of its  existential challenges, to what is NEW. What is new as you answer the question, "What Child is this?" Where  have you allowed yourself  to be led to, where today's questions of faith challenge your core, sometimes taken for granted, in-depth questions? The are there because you are always, every second, being ever so gently led to a new and deeper understanding of The Incarnation. We are being  the power to be "life givers, or, death dealers to ourselves, and consequently to all others. Take the words of the song " Mary did you know' ? It is The Mary of today whois being asked that question. Let The Mary within be a caring, nurturing, caring mother lead you to a new and a more challenging, enlivening understanding  of The Child Whose shared  birthing is, all of our innate dignity. 

 So all of your "Marys" do you know that when you kiss the face of your baby, child and adult, you are kissing the face of God ? The hidden divinity IS incarnate ever anew, as we are renewed, ever anew. 

( I had a sudden burst of energy, and the result, there is a sharing.) Blessings Great grandpa.

     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.