The parable of the prodigal Father, I am happy to share was the that which triggered a new awakening. It was a transforming awakening. To this moment I am still delving into its mysterious meanings. We awaken, and then we are reawakened, because of the efforts of The Gracious Creative Spirit. In the old days we used to use The Parable of The Prodigal Son, to describe this parable. But, bo more !!!!  Thanks to Henri Nouwen and his book on this parable we have been given a whole new understanding the actions of the threesome whose reality I had no clue about.

  Yes, are three presences to be considered, reflected upon, the rebellious son/daughter, the resent-full older brother/sister, and The Prodigal  Mother/Father. YES!!! there are three presences that must be encountered, not just one. All three must be reflected on until we are able to own all three realities within our depths. The deeper we go on this journey, adventure , that takes us  to the dark places we do not to own, in those depths of loneliness, self-hatred, nakedness, rejection, shame etc. Suddenly Light  begins to pierce the darkness and The Depths of The  Reality of Love  is revealed to us.  Who would have guessed ??? The Light of Unconditioned Love grows gradually brighter and brighter and the reality of what we learned about on Transfiguration Sunday , now is our experience. This dazzles us into an unknown reality. a reality not even dreamed of.  Who can challenge  The Power that is experienced by those who cry out from their place of poverty. The Psalmist councils us, " When the poor called out, The Lord heard and from all their distress He rescued him."

We are in tremendous need of clear- sightedness, honesty and courage to gradually embrace, and grow to love; the  rebellious young son/daughter, (the first half of life), the resent-full older son/daughter, (the second half of life), and The Prodigal Mother/Father who offers" unconditioned, unlimited, and unrestricted" prodigal, mercy-full Love. As we know from our journey into mercy, mercy is the love that heals us, soothes us, comforts us, protects us, transfigures us and transforms us. All this is too much to take in at first glance. It takes years to actively encounter all that is offered to us. We are always slowly growing understanding of the deep mystery of The Prodigal Father's love. The Prodigal Lover will ALWAYS give us what we need, not what we want. The acceptance of what is, is the secret. 

     The love revealed to us makes no sense to those with eyes clouded by the restriction imposed by common sense, or the binary way of seeing. The Father is not looking at the balance sheet. The resent-full brother sure is, and is ready to share the insanity of the Father's actions. He points out, " Look that son of yours,  ("NOT" my brother,) has blown half of our wealth, and now you have set him up to get half, of what is left." Get a grip  he is saying. You have lost your mind.  He does not use father or brother. Look at where resentment has taken him to ????.  He now has no family connectedness. He stands  alone in his resentment.

 To the practical eye, The Father has gone overboard. Yes !!! He has. This is  The One  who offers us love, that makes no sense. We are challenged to reflect on this parable until we embrace all that is being said about the dynamic that is alive and well, within our depths. Acceptance of the actions of Mercy-full moves us, shall we say blasts us, into the non-binary world. Our  spiritual garbage can, and does prevent us, from the vision necessary.

 An hors-d'oeure for,  Thursday !!!!!!

                                                  " When love awakens in your life, in the night of your heart, it is like the dawn breaking within you. Where before there was anonymity, now there is intimacy; where before there was fear, now there is courage; where before there was awkwardness, now there is a rhythm of grace and gracefulness; where before you used to be rugged,  now you elegant and in rhythm with your self. When love awakens in your life, it is like a rebirth, anew beginning."  (Anam Cara  by John O"Donoghue)

 You are invited to chew, masticate on that VERY SLOWLY in preparation, for what? The main course, takes some time, before it is served. The desert makes one very hungry, so here,  compulsivity is out, patience is the operative word. The main course is being worked on. This is very scary as I am heading for uncharted territory, as far as my journey is concerned. " I believe, Gracious Guide, help my disbelief.GPJ.

A Monday tidbit for the desert adventure. We never allow Hope, to be a stranger to us. 

     " I must now have faith in this love that touches me so deeply as to transcend me, leavening me as it were,   hanging in midair unable to find any footing  except in the unseen love that keeps drawing me beyond myself into a union with a God I cannot understand." "The  Awakening Call " James Finley.

 The Good Shepherd of the desert speaks of why he came, why he was sent: "I have come, that you may have life, and have it to the fullest". It stands to reason that if The Historical Rabbi Jesus came that we have life, then that same person has to  have life, within Himself. Lucky for us He is not selfish. He is, however, the essence of generosity. As one of The Trinity, Jesus, Lord, along with the Father and Spirit are in one continuous act of giving, of creating. As spiritual beings immersed in the human, it is our dignity to be welcome as fellow co-creators of the magnificent cosmos. A reality that is in continuous understanding of the mystery being worked out in our understanding of history. The " life" to be imparted is The Son's Life, as well as the life of the Father, and Holy Spirit. There is NEVER only one. When we encounter One, we are always in relationship with The Trinity.

   The life of Him we have come to address as Christ is the life continuously in our depths. From the moment of or creation in eternity that life is what gives us life. Never forget you are eternal, in origin and destiny. We need an ever deepening insight into that is this life we have been created with. What happened on The Mount of Transfiguration, was not only for the three amigos, Peter, James, and John but is intended for each one of us who are the contemporary three amigos. The chosen three, saw the life that was deep within, He Who came as THE giver of  all life. The Divinity broke through the chains of the human condition to be free in Its revelation, in this present moment to you and I. Yes ! there is never a moment that the Light revealed on The Mountain is  not now waiting within each of our depths to be revealed to a thirsting, broken, sightless, bigoted, alienated, etc. humanity. We  must reject the accepted heretical vision that we are only what we see.

                 During our Lenten Deserted journey we pray that we may grasp fully the lie we are expected to believe. We are not sheep, to be led by what is accepted wisdom, which so often hides denies the The Real Truth. Scott Peck had that book, "The People of the lie". As long as we all believe the same lie, then it must be the truth. We spend our whole lives, if we are unlucky enough, searching for The Truth. A Truth that came hidden within the human journey of Truth Itself, The Carpenter of Bethlehem. 

     Did you get a shock when you saw that word 'UNLUCKY"? Just as The Original Truth Revealer was crucified for He lived and taught, we too must respect crucifixion for our lives lived in our best imitation He who came as The Truth. He came to confront the lie, and the lie speakers. The Father of Lies, The Devil (the divider) hounds us will all sort of incentives to life the accepted lie, rather than follow the rocky road that leads to our continuous encounter with crucifixion and death.

 Paschal Death is never the end, it is ALWAYS the beginning. As it was Jesus, Who became The Christ, through His encounter with death, so it is with us. We are called to "trudge the rocky road that always leads to death and new life."' With each of our crucifixions we allow The Life of The Risen one, to break through our humanity to reveal the truth the universe is waiting for. We need our lenses to be constantly refocused, cleansed of the garbage picked up from the journey. 

   The Power of The Resurrection transforms all of our garbage into treasure. A treasure that is not to be stored selfishly away, but to be shared. Shared with those Whom the Giver of The Treasure will choose for us to encounter, and the one who will receive, without recompense, the gift gifted to us. Our garbage, is our treasure????? Counter cultural ??? Confronts the popular wisdom that garbage is to be hidden. The we become as sick as our secrets !!!!!! Courage is a gift to pray for, raw naked courage. Blessings, Great gramps as he deals with challenge to faith, that comes with the every moment confrontation with his own personal garbage.

   How is your desert journey ?  Is it challenging, disconcerting, uncomfortable , fear-filled, I invite you to add the challenges you are confronting you at this time. All of us are in the same boat, or should I say desert. All of us are meeting the moment to moment challenge of being; " Spiritual beings immersed in the human condition". What is bubbling up from within as the result of our destiny to be contemporary authentic living realities of The Suffering Servant, The Revelation of the unseen Divinity, the gospel writers of a contemporary gospel. Written, as were the original gospels, under the unique guidance of The Holy Spirit. The same one that worked with the human actions of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

              To carry the above thought further we are, as St.Paul writes " already citizens of Heaven, as we live upon the earth". That word live is a loaded word. Another, four letter word, to add to your acceptable vocabulary, to add balance to your ability to express yourself. Us Irish who have advanced degrees in bad language are in desperate need of acceptable four letter words. Many, many decades ago, I read the following , "we are called to live life, not merely exist". Yet there are billions of our sisters and brothers who are very lucky to be able to eke out a mere existence, while many more billions are living way beyond the lap of luxury. 

  Suffering is a mystery. Suffering is a sacrament. As we journey through the dark valley of suffering we are brought to face the stark reality of what it means to be human, limited, vulnerable,  and deficient in so many ways. We are faced with our powerlessness, and are forced to our knees to cry out " Lord, be with me for I am in trouble." As it was with the chosen people of old, so it is with you and I today. Our Gracious Mercy-full Creator "sees our afflictions, our trials, our oppression ".  In those moments, hours, days, weeks, even years The Savior sees our distress and from all our distress we are rescued. A person in trouble has to be able to surrender to the rescuer, otherwise there is no rescue. Right? 

        Got to be honest here. I can share with you the fact that I am reluctant, hesitant to accept help, until I am in the most pain. Then I have come to believe, It is then and there I am rescued from all my distress and broken-heart-then- ness. Yes, The Lord is close to the broken hearted and in each moment we are offer the grace necessary for us to exit the valley of despair and darkness into the Resurrected Light  of hope and brightness. Yes, it is true " no pain, no gain". No death, no Calvary, no Resurrection and new life. We will have CHOSEN to choose existence rather that be filled with all that is necessary "to have life and have it to the fullest ". This is what is offered in, "now is the acceptable time now is the time of Salvation.

              The Good Shepherd was "driven into the desert". Lucky for us. He awaits there to be our strength and guide. A Faith-full Good Shepherd who NEVER deserts His Lambs and sheep. We are lead to refreshing wells of life giving waters, springing up from our depths. So this is the outline of each person's Lenten Journey. It is NOT for just 6 weeks out of the 52. It is our felt experience  each of the 365 days. To be more specific now is when all of this is available to us. How do we accept the invitation, " Come back to Me with all your hearts , do not let fear keep us apart". We are told we journey through raw naked fear into an ever deepening intimacy. Let us all strive , as best we can, to embrace the stark reality, "Faith is a journey into uncertainty, not certainty." OH!. ! OH! OH! how I wish it was not so. For this in mysterious plan of The Gracious Creative Spirit. Who is always journeying through you, with you and within you.

                Is it not great, we only have to take one step at a time? There is death in the overloading the present moment. In this you go to war with the false self. A war we fight to our dying breath. Our ultimate surrender, that takes us to " new heavens and new earths." Fight the good fight and do your best to refrain from the darkness of powerlessness, which is your stepping stone to WHAT ?? Your personal honest answer." Honesty is progressive " ( As Bill sees It) Your fellow desert dweller,  wounded, wandering, and wondering........ Endlessly. 

                   First Sunday in Lent 2025. Penance is good for us. We do not like our encounters with acts of penance, but they are essential for growth on our individual and communal journeys. Our individual and communal journeys are always unique. That demands of us new lenses through which the newness is revealed to us. Usually very, very slowly., I may add. The penance I am challenging myself with, is to seek out some new material rather than rely on the old. For the last number of Lenten journeys I was depended on old  material written many years ago. It was easy, and convenient. That is what the spiritual journey is about. It challenges our comforts zones, and moves us out of them. Sometimes to quote St.Teresa of Avila, " we must be blasted out of the known, and familiar." Tough words from a saint ???? 

So this year I am going to make the effort to move beyond the patterns of the past, and strike out towards new horizons, and new understandings. As I have written our Lenten journey is our six week retreat, journey into our present understanding of our personal participation in The Paschal Mystery. It challenges to see in the here and now, the journey of Jesus so many centuries ago. As John O'Shea has written, "Jesus's story is our story today". Ready to let behind the familiar and journey into the land that lies behind and beyond the horizons. There are ONLY horizons to be met on the spiritual journey, not boundaries. We are always challenged to look for, the beyond and for the beyond the beyond. We are always having our eyes directed to what is before us, and the excitement of it"s newness. There is also fear to be encountered, as the false self who sees no value in this journey ,and will make every effort to sabotage the work at hand. As The Gracious Spirit never tires of pouring Love into us, so the Tempter, The Deceiver, The Divider never tires in his efforts to side track us, and sabotage the efforts.

                  2025 is offering us all real challenges to seek out the Paschal Mystery being forced of some of the most vulnerable of our sisters and brothers, who already have great sufferings to face and endure. It is reprehensible to accept in any way they  the piling on of bigotry, brutal anti gay, lesbian, and transgender rhetoric etc, etc,. America used to be proud to be called a Christian Country, today's explicit and covert actions sure do not measure up to what Gospel Spirituality reveals to us, and challenges us to live. 

We are told in The Gospel that " the Holy Spirit drove the Historical Jesus, The Rabbi to be, out into the desert. He had just heard the words, " This is My Beloved Son. That word, beloved, has a deep deep spiritual meaning.  We must be always ready to remind ourselves, and others of what it means to be beloved. The Beloved Son was not spared, dehumanization and alienation, As it was for the Historical Jesus, so it is for us who are the contemporary Presence of all that is revealed about Him in the gospel narratives. Being the beloved brings with it no promise of a " flower garden". On the contrary.

   As was written previously we need Psalm 103 ever before us, because of the challenge of our journey into our individual and communal deserts we will a constant well of mercy and hope from which to draw from. We are never called to an encounter with the cross and crucifixion, the we are NOT ALREADY strengthened to meet. My mothers's words have rang many times to alert me to the her wisdom, " The mills of God grind very slow, but they grind very true." Those words coupled with St. Paul's words, " We are never tested beyond our strength" have really helped the struggle in desperate times. The Rabbi Jesus went once to Calvary, but we are being exposed to all that Calvary was for Jesus, and that journey is repeated again and again. The mystery of suffering is journeyed into many, many times but why ? That is your personal question, not mine. It would be very presumptuous of me even to hazard a guess. As has been written " Ask the question, and live into the answer".

Trite answers do not fly any more. Unique answers are the answers for unique questions. Just remembered a quote of Fr. Karl Steumiller " It is only through our sufferings, CAN we have an audience with a God of faithfulness and compassion". Something to chew on ??. These are the meandering thoughts of an 85 year old who has encountered The Suffering Christ revealed behind many disguises. Love, prayers, and blessings, for a very unique encounter with The Greatest of Mysteries. Great gramps. 

   As you read the following, and I sincerely thank you for your efforts over the days, weeks and months, you are going to be stretched. SORRY !!!! My mind is really jumbled right now. Some will say, " Just now, and is this a new discovery ?" There is so much challenging news that is bombarding my consciousness I find myself disjointed, more than ever. I see our Prophetic Pope Francis is now getting serious help so he can breathe easier. With all that is hitting us right now the last thing we can imagine is the election of a new Vicar of Christ. Who will be chosen by The Holy Spirit ?????

       The basic reality is , as we go as individuals, so does the local and universal church. Each one of us is an active, evolving cell of both society and church. As we go, so goes the rest of all  reality. SCARY ???  That is why a daily examination of consciousness  is recommended. We have to have face bravely an honest inventory of where we are at, and where is leading to. All that I am doing right now is the foundation of all that is to come. This begs the question, with what lens do I view my moment existence, my doing and being ??

    Am I allowing the lenses of, a healthy spirituality, view all of my moment to moment reality ? Am I growing in honesty with myself, so I can welcome The Mercy-full Love that eases my fears, uncertainties and anxieties ? We are NEVER completely honest. We are as honest as we can be, right now. Nothing is perfect. We are all perfectly imperfect ,right. We can only grow in our acceptance of that reality, a reality the false self recoils from. We are challenged to walk through our fears, into a gradual fearless intimacy with our selves, Reality, and all of the reality we live in. The journey in radical honesty is very, very, gradual. We travel so fast that, a snail, will pass us !!!!!! The goal is to live, not to just exist.

         We were gifted recently with Psalm 103. I humble recommend this Psalm to be always directing you thoughts, and action. This will lead you to and through the desert of rigorous honesty, on the way to " a new freedom and a new happiness'. The gift is always being offered, but we are  present to receive the present ? The opening words of the Psalm needs to be not just read every day, but become a mantra that keeps us in touch with this basic spirituality. I was immersed in my youth and early teens in the belief in the false idol, a punishing, judgmental, rigid, unmerciful-ll false reality.  I now It has been a slow meandering journey through the pain of unreality , into the freedom of being, the beloved. Loved as I am without, "condition, restriction, or reservation "  

     This is an awe-full reality. So awe-full it take all of our allotted time to even get a glimpse go it. Then a mere glimpse of The Divine Reality is all we need as we face the trudge of our human existence.  This is the end for now. I hope to continue this thought process, our deepest truth, for some time to come. Got your Lenten penance picked out yet ? This year take up, not give up, hint, hint !!!!!!  Prayers love and blessings. Great grandpa Joe, always remember the "Lord is kind and mercy-full, slow to anger and of great kindness." The Loving Power heals us, does not cure. 

 Lent is going to begin on March 5th. Our 2025 unique, one of a kind, journey into the meaning of The Paschal Mystery. We are living , contemporary examples of Its presence  as we live it in our, here and now. Since I have journey deeper into old age the NOW has become a necessary toll of me  to be able ,to not only survive, but life the  awe-full challenge of my, here and now. I have to grasp on to the life jacket which tells me, " now is the time of salvation". Not any other, "now", I am tempted to follow and hide within, but but this mysterious here, this now. This  unique , "now", never  to be repeated, never to be duplicated. 

As I choose , hope-fully, consciously, to live this now moment, so ,will I live the rest of my earthly existence, which is gateway to my eternal life and living. Yes I am guaranteed that there is noting lacking  in this moment, for my continued ability to meet all the challenges that are to  come my way. Es verdad !!!!  I am challenged to meet the truth of Psalm 138, "YOU have built up strength within me." We call that mercy-full loving. In my encounter with this mercy-full loving workings of The Creators"s love I am healed, soothed, comforted, strengthened all leading to transfiguration and transformation. This makes sacred the often offhanded words "no pain, no gain". There is nothing new in our human lives of any value that does not come trough pain. 

  When we are immersed in our personal, and communal experiences, of The Suffering we can cry out from our depths "forsake not the work of Your hands" Ps.138. As we are awakened, again and again to our calling we can make " Forsake not the work of Your Hands" our prayer of desperation and surrender. We  journey countless times to our Calvary experience,  with each encounter we are  always gifted with something new. This gift is not "for ourselves, but for the building up of the common good."(St.Paul)  

  Being able to write these words are not the result of something I read in a book. When are you going to write you book for " building up of the common good" ? Your moment to moment actions write you personal experience of todays sufferings, the dying, and the living some new. Lent is coming so, this year, you will be able to use the excuse ," I was prepared to meet this personal challenge The Creative and Creating Spirit has had you in His consciousness from eternity. You life has no surprises for the Creator, for us yes. When are we going to be free enough to believe there have been surprises in my life, but these surprises are allowing the cosmos to evolve to its highest perfection.Your life is at the highest perfection in the view of The Creator. We are all works in process of being perfected, yet there is no perfect person in our human family despite the lies being acted out, as our supposed truth. So The Voice echoes today, "whom shall I send, who will go for US ?" The  inner  Three are begging for a fourth so the eternal plan CAN work. 

     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.