“Every leaf speaks bliss
to me, fluttering from
the autumn tree.”
— Emily Bronte

“Autumn is a second spring when every
leaf is a flower.”
— Albert Camus
Did you know that autumn is referenced only once in the Bible (Jude 1:12), as false teachers are compared to autumn trees without fruit? The underlying message of the verse is clear – whether it be the season of the year or the period of one’s life, autumn should be a fruitful, abundant time. It also is a time to focus on God’s gifts, those we can see and those we can only feel.
 
“Autumn is a good time to focus on God’s wonderful blessings – family, friends, strength, shelter, care, guidance, ministry, more time to pray and study His word,” says Sister Amata Shina. “It’s a good time to focus on our commitment to God.”
 
“The eventual letting go and returning to the earth teaches me about changes in my life,” says Sister M. Virginelle Makos. “I learn that the nakedness, loss and cold of the coming winter enables me to experience the fresh green and vibrancy of the spring that follows. In the midst of changes, there is always hope.”
A Prayer for the Changing Season

O God of Creation, you have blessed us with the changing of the seasons. As we welcome the autumn months, may the earlier setting of the sun remind us to take time to rest.

May the brilliant colors of the leaves remind us of the wonder of your creation.

May the steam of our breath in the cool air remind us that it is you who give us the breath of life.

May the harvest from the fields remind us of the abundance we have been given and bounty we are to share with others.

May the dying of summer's spirit remind us of your great promise that death is temporary and life is eternal. We praise you for your goodness forever and ever.
SPIRITUAL ENRICHMENT FOR FALL
Plan to connect with creation and enhance your experience of autumn
by taking part in these upcoming events hosted by our sponsored ministries
OCTOBER 16
Sixth Annual
Monocacy Farm
Food Festival
OCTOBER 29-31
Harvest Retreat:
Connecting with Creation
NOVEMBER 12-14
Fall Women's
Retreat: I Have
Called You By Name
Autumn Lessons from a Midnight Friend
Excerpts of an original poem by Sister Barbara DeStefano
 
In the peace of night-time solitude, I can see truth,
all that is real, all that is constant in the depths of our existence.
 
You see, nature is a dynamic teacher, ‘tho I seldom give her my listening ear.
Even, at the midnight hour, I look out at the leaves,
playfully scattered across our grounds,
their colors displaying the whole spectrum of Autumn beauty.
I look at the trees, not quite so elaborately dressed as they were last April.
I hear the wind, whistling its way through branches and bushes –
creating a dance-like response to the music it plays.
 
Fall is in the air.
And as I witness its signs, as I touch it and smell it, feel it and breathe it in,
I think about dying and rising, shedding and new births,
letting go, and trusting in fertile seeds, submitting to the flow of the cosmos
with hope in the promise of future life renewed.