Advent 2025. 

" What good is it if Christ is born in, Bethlehem, if He is not born in me." Meister Eckhart.

" 'We are all meant to be mother's of God, for God is always in need of being born." Eckhart.

   " Come, Oh ! Holy Spirit, and fill the hardened and fear-filled heart of this, faithless one"(hij)

" The ox, knows its master, and the donkey its masters crib, but Israel does not know Me,

                                      My people do not understand." Isiah I:3.

A very, very, very Happy New Year. This are the first days of a new, Liturgical Year. Liturgy is, the work of the people. We are all included, in each liturgical celebration, whether we are conscious of it or not.  We come to each liturgical, just as we are. There are no qualifications, or moral standards demanded of us. The spirituality of the liturgy is summed up as follows,  This is the authentic voice of, Divinity Incarnated " Come, you are penniless, weary, frightened and exhausted. Ye, who have nothing, and are looked on as nothing come and find radical acceptance ,consolation, mercy-full love,  and Myself as Your food.  In this our encounter  with your emptiness an awe-full, wonder-full, miracle happens, through the unique action of grace.  The emptiness, the place of nothingness will be filled  with My Presence, and I will never leave you, I am unable to leave you. I am sure you have been victimized by statements denying this truth, that is all baloney,  malarkey at its best.There are a lot of lies bandied about, originating with those who do not understand, and have no willingness to learn, so as to understand.  There are none so blind, as those who will not see." This is the revelation of, covenant love. No transaction involved here !!!! ACCEPTANCE.

   This new year is meant to celebrate the ever newness of mystery, in The Mysterious. This newness is evolutionary, a process dependent on, willingness. We receive new nourishment, in each new, and unique celebration. There are no duplicates. The Creative Gracious Spirit does NOT do, duplicates. Each and everything in creation is an, evolutionary and revolutionary  newness. Our lenses, however are  in constant need of is  of tweaking !!! As we cast our gaze out we see that is going to be a, happy new year for some of the cosmic community. For other members of our shared community, sad to say, it is anything but happy. While the minority experience wealth, and wellbeing, the majority are subsisting on, a pittance. If they are lucky. Their eyes cannot wander from their empty bowls. Licked clean, of , every morsel of food. Many cannot count on another sparse helping of nourishment, while millions of tons of food are conveyed to, the garbage. 

 This is also, The First Sunday of The  Advent Season. We are being afforded four weeks, to again be lead into the necessary understanding of, The Mystery of The Incarnation, as it applies to you and I, right now. Through the instrumentality The Holy Spirit, the NEW insights demanded, for our effective and creative presence is uniquely gifted to to us. We cannot fulfill our unique vocation, by looking at how our companions are doing it. We must listen in stillness. Responding to the command,"Be still and know that I am, God". We are not looking at our hours and days. We are encouraged not to look anywhere but, the PRESENT, NOW MOMENT."  For, "now is the acceptable time, now is the acceptable time, now is the time of salvation". The present that is gifted to us in each unique, now, moment. Not today, but in what is being revealed, communicated to, in this present moment. Thank The Gracious Spirit that lead me to the understanding of, the sacramentality of the present moment. Here, in my Autumnal living, the challenges I face have to be met with being concentrated on where am I right now. The gift of simplicity is much appreciated. 

  Bethlehem is not a place one visits, that is speaking of spirituality realities. Each person will be placed on a unique path, to tread, not lightly. We will  be introduced to what it means to be challenged to, slog!! On the slog be vigilant for the immersion into your unique understanding of the inner reality of  the historical,Bethlehem, now a spiritual reality, WITHIN. Each person we read about in the gospel narrative, is already present, in our depths, right now.  Waiting for us to enter accept their, individual real reality. From this dynamic encounter a new life emerges. Into that unique newness,The Christ Child, will be born, always anew. This newness is the power that draws us into the excitement awaiting us in our Advent-Christmas- Epiphany journey here in 2025. We pray for the openness to embrace all the truths all the exciting and sometimes frightening, challenges. The Christ Child is holding your hand. Entrust your whole hand into His gentle hand that both seeks, and accepts our trembling hand. We are experiencing an inner safety. Make that place of safety your home. The home to house you as we enter a....... you finish !!! 

" The way you look at things, is the most powerful force, shaping your life." John O'Donoghue.

 " Keep something beautiful in your heart, to survive difficult times, and enjoy the good times.' J. O'D. 

     " The Kingdom of God, is,  within you" Luke 17:21.

   " Come, Holy Spirit, and transform the hardened and frightened heart, of, this faithless one." (jih)

  " An eternal and universal kingdom, a kingdom of truth and life, a kingdom of holiness and grace, 

                                               a kingdom of peace, justice, and love." The Preface of Mass for C. T. King.

  For all who are conscious, of who they are, and, the who, they are becoming, everything is evolving into something new. This newness offers a great challenge.  At times, there is great fear involved. Especially for those of us who like, desire, control and certitude. That is why the spiritual journey, is a great, challenge. We have to, eventually, and absolutely let go, of all of our old ides.  Yes everything must go. Speaking for myself  this has been a life long process. I wish the process had a "Go Fast, jump" button, so  I would/will be able to skip the steps required for my journey into uncertainty and darkness. Yes !! Light will shine forth from the darkness, but why does the Brightening, take so much time? 

 We do not look into our yesterdays for the answers, knowledge, required to continue the evolution  into living effective reality. Yesterday's answers will not facilitate what is our vocation which is to allow, what, is in our depths, to become reality. We must pray for the grace, the prophetic courage, to become free, so as to live the radical life, that is demanded. There is no, choice , involved.  Each one has been created, fashioned uniquely, to be an essential , "living stone" required for the continuous evolutionary creation of a " Kingdom of peace, justice, and love."

     This is our unique, eternal destiny. Our's, before the dawning of time. The mists of antiquity must be penetrated, so we " will know who we were, before we knew who we are." Our joy, lies in our becoming our authentic self. NOT the false self ,of comfort, certainty, and assuredness. "Faith is doubt grounded in hope".  What comfort I have experienced in the reflection of that truth.This is the Holy Year committed to our supernatural gift of,  hope.  What are the joy-filled beautiful moments that have risen up from your depths ? They are the graced powered memories that will help you, " to survive the difficult times, and enjoy the difficult times", quoting John O'Donoghue.

 A mere glance at our current death dealing reality, where "peace, justice, and love" are just words on a page. Are they not words,  so so often written on the pages of an election stump diatribe, to what effect ? They get no further than the nearest garbage pail.  Sadly, and maddening are the ubiquitous lies, spoken not from a place of truth-filled sincerity. They are responding to the false self. Their actions are the liturgy reserved of  those who worship at the altar of life, and soul annihilation. They bring their desire for"power, property, and prestige" (Rohr), to a place where the only experience is, into journey into the embrace of   life-less-ness,  and  sadly, slow, soul destruction.

   Our eternal calling is to recognize the power that lies within. Within the collective unconscious, there waiting for our, "YES". "YES", to become the vivifying agents, we are called to be. YES, whomever is reading this effort, where has your "YES", lead you to ? Heartache, rejection, alienation, a feeling of failure, then reflect on ,the throne of The Divine, the cross. As king he has to have a crown, right ? How about a crown not fashioned from gold, but a crown, fashioned from merciless thorns ? That is not the end. In every ending there is a beginning. 

        What are the new life enhancing, vivifying  " new beginnings" that have awakened from the tomb-tabernacle of our depths, are  they not now gifts beyond our understanding ?  The King has willingly chosen, experienced death,  as to  bring rays of  light and hope, to the darkness of your Calvary. If so, then The Resurrection Life is the new mysterious life you are participating in your  lenses have experienced serious readjustment . Failure and rejection,  powerlessness are  stepping sones we must tread on,  so as  we can be lead to an ever new awareness of Living Kingdom, we have always  been  destined for.  Reality is so difficult to accept. Our A.A. friends will glad share that acceptance of all realities is the way to, "sobriety, sanity and serenity". The Kingdom within !!!! Failure is an essential experience, are there experiences I can reluctantly grow from ? Love, prayers, and blessings. Great great great grandpa.

"The soul that journeys to God, but does not pass through ,the nothing, will never reach The All."  

" We will never be led into a darkness, that will overwhelm us"

"Come, Holy Spirit transfigure and transform, this, wounded and hardened heart, of Your, beloved" (hij)

" Your longing, desires to take you towards the absolute realization of all the possibilities that sleep in the clay of your heart, it knows your eternal potential, and it will not rest until it is, awakened"J.O'Donoghue  

   " Hold on to your hats.  Tighten, the seat belts." We are going on a trip into, what was unknown to me, until this afternoon. I am to say the least,  I am very apprehensive, if not scared.

     This happened this afternoon as I was surfacing from my afternoon siesta. This habit, has been partly responsible for, the reality of my 86 years of ? I was going to say living, but that would not be the truth. For many, many decades I was  just eking out,  existence. The I began to take the challenge that goes with, " Some people die, without ever, living". Was that going to be me, or is that me today? I have deep gratitude those who have lead me, challenged me, to not only seek the truth, but live this truth: "We are not human beings having a spiritual experience, we are spiritual beings immersed in the human condition." My life, like all of our lives, began in eternity. In the womb of Infinite Love.We are first and foremost eternal, spiritual beings. Who will never really experience death as an end in itself. Death is the beginning of a transformed life, a new life that requires new vision. What is you deepest understanding of what happens when you see yourself, penetrating the veil of death ? Is there unbridled, joy, yes, JOY.

      Well, here goes !!!  The thought came to me that those two feasts we celebrated, All Souls and all Saints are really on feast, celebrated over two days. Is there another example for us to reflect on ? Does it not take us three continuous days of celebration to celebrate,  Paschal Mystery. Celebrating the death of The Historical Jesus, which lead Him to being The Christ Of Faith. In The Risen one, we live and move and have our being"." Awareness leads to realization", is a saying that has been kicking at my door to gain attention. There is,  awareness. That very slow process  which occurs as we come to be awakened, woke, to the" fullness, vitality and Power" inherent in us.  When ALLOWED this empowers to the living life, and, living it to the fullness." These must not be words on a page, but words so blazoned, that our sight must ever embrace their challenge. Conversion is a process. What is the rugged trail, you are trudging?

      "We have eternal potential", John O'Donoghue, has written, and we are to have no rest until it is awakened." To accept the gift of living in ,the non-binary world,  is not forced we are free to accept or reject. Have a nonbinary vision is essential as, we move forward. In the spiritual life there is no either/or. all there is, is, the both/and. Those of us brought up immersed in binary thought, we were seeing the right, and wrong, the good and bad, acceptable, and the unacceptable etc. etc. What hard work goes into embracing the both/and. I was lucky enough to have been taught by my mother, " There is as much bad in the best of us, and as much good in the worst of us, I am as good as you are, as bad as I am." Mothers are always right. Right ? 

      Yes there is a life, our participation in The Ineffable's Unconditioned Love, that is being shared with us, in every now moment.It is a gift that has never been taken back from us. In fact, it can never be lost by us. What happens unfortunately is, we loose our perception of who we really are, the living sacrament of Beauty, Love and truth. The false self will attempt, and persist in the effort, to use every means to have us loose, deny, or live lives that are a lie. Coming to live in the truth is how some see us living our Purgatory in this life. We all are confronted with the lie lies we have bought into. You have to be beautiful, athletic, smart, gifted, etc. according to some accepted standard, that some perfectionist, very religious person thought up so that they or some family member will look perfect ,on the outside. This person, and persons are actually experiencing Hell on this Earth. There are no consuming fires, as there are no consuming fires in the next life. The perfectionist lives in the hell, created by the false self. Living Hell is seeing ourselves  being locked  in the prisons of guilt, fear, and shame, sorrow anger and remorse. 

           One well know it the Purgatory being  experienced by those who work the Twelve Steps, (the essence of spirituality. Rohr)  leading to recovery, and a  life, lived in  the radical freedom, of truth. The egotistical ego has to be faced, and steps taken to say a consistent NO, to its demands. Purgatory is the lived existential acceptance, that, " That, The truth will set you free". Now-a -days  some add, "but first it will tee you off". Vigilance is essential. The false self is, the speaker of the lie is, "cunning, baffling power-full, very patient and insidious". We have within us The Holy Spirit, The Advocate. Why do we need an Advocate, Defense Attorney, because opposing is The Prosecuting Attorney, also known as Satan.

              All deaths, are both, pain-full and transformative. We will do a lot to avoid, duck, deny the existence of death. Where do you see yourself being forced to face, death in its many forms ? What are the fruits that have appeared, or are you in the process of being awakened, to the inherent gifts?

I failed, to reach my goal.  I got side tracked, as usual, some will add. This is not a newly acquired, trait. This character defect is a friend. With friends like this, why would I ever entertain any new manifestations of the insidious false. Now I ask you where did I get lost ? How will The Feasts of All Saints, and all souls be viewed, accepted as one continuous feast ?  Hint, we are loved  and will eternally be loved with a restorative love, NOT to be condemned because of, punitive justice. " I will NOT the death of the sinner rather that he/she be, CONVERTED, and live." "There is always next week." Is not this a kinda flippant remark for  a person, of my age ??? Well  may love, peace, and joy be your, chosen, companions. Gramps.

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

" Awakening is not to new facts, but to a new way of seeing, 

                                                 and becoming responsible for what we see." Thomas Merton.

               "Awareness, demands, response" (Anon)

       "Though I walk in the valley of darkness, I fear no evil, for You are with me." Psalm 23.

The above quotes can be used to describe my life's journey, up to this point in time. I hope and pray that complacency does not set in, for one reason or another. Can I  say, "Joe, You have been working for decades now, why don't just put your feet up, and relax. Take it easy, you have earned it." ? Words that sound vey tempting, but are the words of the false self, wanting to lull me into, inaction, and that death dealing, state of, complacency.

       Remember how often our beloved Pope Francis, acting as prophet, challenged us to face our individual, and collective, sin of indifference. Can we honestly say, as we view today's individual, and collective  inhospitable and death dealing actions, that there has been any real compassionate actions directed towards relieving, what ? The gruesome burdens of our victimized, exploited, marginalized, dehumanized sisters, and brothers. "  These, "The least of the brethren" are seen as always been the dwelling place of, Divinity.As it was, so it is, and ever shall be, long after those who read this are, dead.

               PLEASE, do NOT even think or imagine that I have come, to the new insights, shared have somehow come by the much desired, "easier and softer way". The, may I say Golden years, have not in any way been golden, in the accepted sense. I am being awakened to this reality, the true, invaluable  lasting treasures of old age, have come ever so slowly, and not according to my, expectations.  My expectations emerge from my false self, and it's insatiable appetite for "power, property, and prestige" (Rohr)  I have placed this little reminder, in my direct  line of sight, as dishes are wash dishes, " Expectations, are PLANNED, resentments."

      Does it work, to be brutally honest, I may catch myself once, in every 40-50 times. That is on a good day, when I am most, vigilant. WOW, the places, events, and circumstances my expectations have taken me would fill volumes. All of which would challenge today's, sensors. Attempting to life in real reality, not fantasy land, demands such effort and discipline. Being disciplined is an essential part of my story. Misdirected discipline can and does irretractable damage.The death dealing, and the abortion of healthy embryonic life, is the  residue  that lasts a lifetime, especially when it comes to sexual abuse. When you say, " I love you" do not expect a heartfelt response to you expressions,The inability to respond, finds it's origin, in the wound that can never be, healed. We must. always be guided by, reverential light when expressing the desire, to really know,  a person, and their in-depth story. The requirement for this real, healthy encounter requires, NO, demands compassion, not empathy. 

            I am sharing with you what has been gifted from my Paschal Journey, into being, AWOKE, and the process of awakening. I was prepared for this  recent, intensely  challenging journey, when I discovered in my library Keating's book " Reawakening". I remember reading his other book. "Awakening." Being in the process of becoming "Woke" we asked, really challenged, to meet the moment to moment change of vision. This is an evolving process. This challenges us to become more and more conversant with, what, at one point in our lives was viewed as unthinkable, a demand to have a personal response to the systems of inequality, loss, sexuality, environment, and global injustice. 

 We all have to accept, and embrace  the local and cosmic challenges, no other generation  has been forced to personally and globally, such challenges. Be gentle going forward. The solution(s) will not come to consciousness upon demand. The answers lie in our depths.  They lie within the collective unconscious, which we all contribute to.  We must have patience with the birthing process. Birthing can be a very slow and extremely pain-full experience. Can we expect any less, as we participate in the cosmic birthing that is happening through our cooperation and instrumentality ?

      Take heart. Make Psalm 23 your own. Yes !! we will with certainty enter dark valleys, We will see that those dark valleys  were in reality, wombs. Fertile wombs from which a vivifying something, un-definable , responding to the darkness of our existential, as our true, reality, emerges.  Again, slow and pain-full, are the operative words. This is how we  to recognize our true destiny. Sadly it comes with a very slow  birthing. That adage: " No pain, no gain" is truer than fantasy, or fiction. You have a Gospel to write.Wrong, Joe. The new gospel, emerging from the collective unconscious, is being written.  The challenge is to bring it to, consciousness.  Maybe this will be the only spiritual reading, gospel-book, some  people will ever be blessed to read. This is your destiny. It is your, eternal, destiny. Great gramps.

     " The Lord is close to the brokenhearted,

                                                                       and from all their distress, He,  rescues them"  Ps 34                                                                    

                " God leads every soul, by, a separate path." St. John of The Cross.

       " Faith, is a dark night for humankind, but in this very way it gives them, light" St. John of the Cross.                      

          '"Come, O Holy Spirit and strengthen the wounded heart of this, Your, faithless one." (jih)

      We are living in an environment, under circumstances which really tests our, essential mettle. Our spiritual values and priorities are, moment to moment, being challenged. " Every blessing, is a curse, and every curse, is, a blessing", is an essential truth that is being truly tested. The blessing is, these ever evolving challenges to the spiritual, physical, sexual, and psychological well being of our sisters and brothers, is now being seen as not just a personal local challenge, but an universal one. We all share, whether we know it or not, in the corporal oneness, of "The Mystical Body".  So then, we are faced with this undeniable, very uncomfortable fact "As we go, so goes The Body of Christ."

   We all belong to the same cosmic community.We all share a co-responsibility that cannot be ignored, or denied without mind blowing consequences. Who can make any sense of our present day,cosmic happenings  The tick up in the instances of natures extremes, is to be our oncoming, everyday experience, so the scientists are warning us. So many of the voices of those  occupying positions of power, have been muted by the destructive power of money, lest the come to own, actively meet their sworn responsibilities. When they assume their responsibilities, it is only then can we with gut honesty say, " YES!!!!  we have a future to look forward to. Scientists are not prophets of doom, they are working, yes working realists.

         We are all Contemporary Christs required to face the existential, moment to moment, dehumanization, exploitation  of  The Christ, found in all those who suffer. We are somehow being blinded to these, the very challenging words of The Historical Jesus, now being encountered as The Cosmic Christ, of a lively faith, Whatever you do to the least of my brethren, you do it unto, (wait for it)  Me." 

         Is there a reason these words do not really reach the hearts, the depths of today's spiritual consciousness ?. Have they ever been allowed, invited to plunge the depths of the collective unconscious, so that their challenging  truth may slowly come to consciousness when invited, or demanded by circumstances. The ministering to today's living, suffering, again Crucified Christ is being cried out for. The cry is being directed to you and I. In The Hebrew Scriptures they went under the code words of "widows and orphans". To day there are living breathing sacraments of The Suffering Christ, and can be seen human beings having actual names. Is it not sad, even reprehensible that their anonymity is destroyed. Their anonymity is broken, only, when their names are announced, publicly, as those counted among the dead. Only in death does name recognition come to them. 

        Theresa of Avila has said it best, centuries ago, when she wrote the following. Easy to read....but  ?

     " Christ, has no body now, but, mine. He prays in me, works in me, looks through my eyes, speaks through my words, works through my hands, walks with my feet, and loves with my heart." Do not these speak to our depths. Speak to our souls. We all have souls that have to be nourished and reverence. As we reverence our souls, so the souls of the immigrant, the disenfranchised, the LGBTQ+, Muslims, all those whose presence is ignored, or  derided into an apparent nonexistence,  have souls that must be nourished and receive reverence. 

   Each person,  mentioned above, does have the same sacred tabernacles in their depths. Read past history. See what happened  when when denial  of the  existence African American"s soul was used to excuse slavery and all of its horrors. YES, YES, each fellow human being on that above list, have in their depths, that sacred  space, where The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit  have freely and eternally  chosen to dwell. Not just dwell in time, NO !!! this is their place of, eternal dwelling.

 This  personally, and cosmic challenging darkness ,so abhorrent to our sensibilities has to be seen through our, WOKE, eyes.  This is an process. Eyes that are forever in the process of being awakened, to realities hidden from us. The  Creative Spirit of Love, never sleeps, always on guard.  We are always, whether we like or not, in the infallible gaze of The Creative Loving Power. That is a Power that is forever bent down to hear our cries of  anger, frustration and powerlessness. This is the apophatic way as opposed to the apophatic way.. We have been placed on that trail, to the discovery....of what. Awakening does not just happen. Your personal experience is....... The spiritual journey is HARD WORK. Love. Great gramps.