Written by Barb Spies, OFS, Director of Mission Services and Pastoral Care

According to various peak fall colors maps of Wisconsin, we have passed the prime time to view the changing leaves here in Manitowoc. On my drive to and from work, I have been enjoying the beauty of the trees, changing from green to red to orange. More are bare now, but are just as beautiful in their starkness.  

Irish priest, philosopher, and poet, John O’Donohue has written about “Autumn and the Inner Harvest.” He said, “In the autumntime of your life, your experience is harvested. This is a lovely backdrop against which we can understand ageing. Ageing is not merely about the body losing its poise, strength, and self-trust. Aging also invites you to become aware of the sacred circle that shelters your life. Within the harvest circle, you are able to gather lost moments and experiences, bring them together, and hold them as one. In actual fact, if you can come to see ageing not as the demise of your body but as the harvest of your soul, you will learn that aging can be a time of great strength, poise, and confidence. To understand the harvest of your soul against the background of seasonal rhythm should give you a sense of quiet delight at the arrival of this time in your life. It should give you strength and a sense of how the deeper belonging of your soul-world will be revealed to you.”

These words guide us through autumn with comfort and care. We drive through the countryside to absorb the loveliness of this season. We can also take a slow visit through the autumn of our lives. Appreciation for the harvest of the soul can become part of our autumnal delight.

Blessed Angela: “The more fervently I turned to God, the more peace and joy I felt, the more I felt God’s presence.”