Emmanuel
The cycle of life and death, of leaves springing and falling, affects each
of us, old or young.
Spring and Fall: To a Young Child by Gerard Manley Hopkins (1844-
1889)
Margaret, are you gríeving
Over Goldengrove unleaving?
Leaves, líke the things of man, you
With your fresh thoughts care for, can you?
Ah! as the heart grows older
It will come to such sights colder
By and by, nor spare a sigh
Though worlds of wanwood leafmeal lie;
And yet you wíll weep and know why.
Now no matter, child, the name:
Sorrow’s spríngs are the same.
Nor mouth had, no nor mind, expressed
What heart heard of, ghost guessed:
It is the blight man was born for,
It is Margaret you mourn for.
Even as we delight in autumn’s beauty, we also feel a sense of impending loss.
Perhaps there is a sense of beauty even in letting go.
Reflection
Autumn is a time to look back, as Saint Peter Favre explains, time to
gather the fruits of our labors. Have we counted the summer blessings
and thanked the Lord for the good times of summer? There may be
wintry, leaner times ahead, so we should be prepared.
Even in the spiritual life, there is an ebb and flow. It is not all highs,
not all the beauty of autumn colors. We must let go, look back with
gratitude, and look ahead even to the cold and darkness of winter.
Have we shared the fruit of our labors? Have we taken care that
nothing is lost, that I am living up to the best of my ability?
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