The glory of God’s creation is on full display during this autumn season. Our Creator is whispering into our eyes, as if to say, “Come look and ponder on what I have made for you.”
The leaves, like flames of the burning bush, call our hearts to a deeper connection and understanding of the love Our Lord has for each one of us.
However, some fail to see the gift. They may feel only a soul-crushing emptiness due to the loss of a loved one, separation from family, or some spiritual blindness. Yet we are never alone. We are surrounded by angels, saints and God’s merciful love. We are called to grow and change, to come forth from our cocoons into the brilliant light of love, to change like the seasons with new gratitude and depth of understanding of the many gifts offered to us daily like the seasons. Our Lord’s own heart in the Eucharist given with an unfathomable passion, to create a burning heart within us.
When we allow our mind and heart to wander away from God, when we fail to see the beauty of the trees, sunset and clouds He has given us, we spiral into a chasm of our own despairing creation. When we cry out to God like the psalmist, with all our heart, He promises to take us into His arms. He promises to be our refuge.
In this season we are reminded of the words of St. Paul: “Have no anxiety at all but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God” (Phil. 4:6).
He will respond. Look outside – He responds at dawn with a new day that He has given us. How will we respond to this new day, this new season?
Deacon Carl F. Brown serves at St. Leo the Great Parish in Winston-Salem and is father of Spencer Brown, editor of the Catholic News Herald.