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| Seasons Moira '04 |
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up
what is planted;
a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
a time to embrace,
and a time refrain from embracing;
a time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time keep, and a time to throw away;
a time to tear, and a time to sew,
a time to keep silent,
and a time to speak;
a time to love, and a time to hate;
a time for war, and a time for peace….
Whatever God does endures forever….stand in awe before God.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-9, 14
Autumn has begun, the time
for change of seasons. We stand in awe
of Creator and creation as the tilt of the earth shifts the light of summer
into the darkening days of winter; golden and scarlet leaves swirl down leaving
bear branches; the crunch of leaves beneath our feet toll the death that brings
new life.
Death is essential to life
though it is hard to appreciate while it is happening. Jesus was born in time and showed us the
Father’s love. Christ’s passion and
death was not the end but brought the world new life; and life
everlasting. At Mass we receive this
new life daily when we evoke the Anamnesis: “Do this in memory of me” and
actually enter into the paschal mystery.
Jesus
spoke to Ven. Maria Celeste’s community, and therefore to us, in regards to the
holy sacrifice of the Mass, “With attention and profound reverence they receive
the fullness of the heavenly treasures in their minds and let fall upon their
hearts the abundance of my mercies, which fall like dew on the meadow.” Florilegium 133
To keep with the analogy of Fall,
we could say this abundance of mercies fall like leaves on the meadow.
God’s mercies are like the
leaves that will soon fall to the ground that by their decay will nourish the
soil to bring forth new life.
We are going through many
changes personally and as a community. What
looks like decay may be enriching the soil of our lives. There has been a lot of letting go still
going on even though we are settled in our new surroundings. Changes in our ways of doing
liturgy and developing new rituals; letting go of the Cape department and
wondering about new feasible income work; sisters aging and their special
needs.
Our sisters in Meadowview never dreamt they would be in assisted living. The pillars of their lives: daily mass, communal prayer and community life have fallen away. What remains of this letting go is complete trust in the Lord. And from that springs peace and a kind of anamnesis, a living memory of being Jesus to the world as a Redemptoristine.
Jesus asked Celeste to, “Make
your will the echo of mine: an echo of love.” Florilegium 64 And that is
what our sisters in Meadowview are echoing even though they are not physically
with us; they are our Redemptoristine sisters living the charism as they are
called to do in these changing times.
We are all called to, “Be
faithful and live by the Divine Life while you are still wayfarers on earth. Because by ceasing to be led by your own will
in everything, and by following whatever I should arrange for you, you will
enjoy an anticipated Paradise. For by accepting me and all that I ordain you will be granted to see my well-ordered
scheme of things even down to the changes in the seasons. You will not be
disturbed by sufferings and crosses. In
being united by love to my Son you will enjoy a life of untroubled peace. Florilegium
68 …and all things will
fall into place for you for the best purpose!” Florilegium 101
The glorious autumn colors
remind us there is a beauty hidden underneath the steady green of summer which
is only revealed just before the leaves fall and die that new life will be
created in the spring if we just be attentive, trusting and awe-filled to the
abundant mercies that are falling upon us in this present season.
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