The beauty of fall is arriving with full force.

What a gift this season is!

The lush green of summer is slowly unfolding the splendid colors of orange, red and yellow. Home décor welcomes the lighting up of pumpkin spice scented candles, a fall themed door wreath and a happy gnome sitting alongside tiny magic filled mushrooms.

Look around you.  The many faces of change (seen and unseen) is present everywhere except in the unchanging ONE who declares “I, the Lord, never change.”

God remains the same forever

We are the ones who must experience all the faces of change that come in a lifetime.  Change brings the grace of visible joy when the heart and mind strive to reach God.  Each day, we wake to that inner power that stirs us to become more of the person He created us to be.

Ultimately, reaching that potential of being and becoming brings with it, the vision to see ourselves the way God created us.

And yet, there is a form of change that brings the promise of unsettling times.  In the same way that Job grappled with sorrowful change, we do all we can to cope with life events that cannot be altered given the limitations of our humanity.

We wish our precious parents can stay forever young. Praying for cures to heal loved ones is a lifelong pursuit.  It seems as if both present and anticipatory sadness is always at work to break our walk with God.

The  Serenity Prayer guides us to turn to God in the struggle to accept that which only the Divine Persons can change.  We pray for Wisdom to transform for the good, those things which God places in our domain to change.

Only the Wisdom of God can show us the difference.

When faced with hard change, St. Paul tells us that we must never lose heart. “Though our outer self may waste away, our inner self is being renewed day by day” (2 Cor 4).

Remember that it is not what we do, but why; not how much, but how well; not how energetically, but how lovingly; not the mountains that we move, but the motive that urged us to move them (Raymond 54).

As the purpose for “why” we are here is to glorify God, our life must mirror that reality in a way that shapes us from within and is evident to those around us.

Happily Ever After Promised by the World

There is the kind of “happily ever after” change the world tempts us with to keep up with the times.  We are told to accept the needs and wants of our changing world.  The louder these voices become, the more necessary it is to remain centered on Christ.

Christ was very clear about the impossibility to change the Word of God.

He said, “For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.”

Hence, if God’s character does not change, then His Word does not change. His truth, standards, and way of salvation will never change (John 14:6).

The world does not have the power or authority to change God’s Word.

Clearly, the foolish keep trying.

Just as the seasons change, those in pursuit of God must continually seek ways to transform from within to grow closer to the divine Presence.  Every book we read, action taken (or fail to act), words spoken, and how we think all hold a place with glorious potential to bring us closer to God.

Disciplines that Cultivate Change and Growth toward God

• Attending Mass to receive the blessed Eucharist . In every perfect way – Christ in Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity is present in the Eucharist and received during the Liturgy of the Mass.  Remember that the Divine Presence continues long after we say AMEN.
• Read great works of literature founded on God’s infinite love. The classics are a wonderful source of inspiration to cultivate virtue in the human life when facing adversity or a future that feels uncertain.
  

  Currently reading:
  

  The Family that Overtook Christ – The Story of St. Bernard of Clairvaux and Humility (Rev. M. Raymond, O.C.S.O.)
  The City of God (Reading Volume 2 of 4 Books seen pictured here)
  The Way of Pefection (St. Teresa of Avila)

• Get outside, take walks to think, listen to an audio book or pray (if walking is not possible – appreciate the beauty of the fall season with glances through a window or through the eyes of a visiting friend).
• Dive deep into the life of a saint challenged by affliction and persevering by grace.  I love St. Bernard of Clairvaux (especially his prayer to the wounded shoulder of Christ).
• Healthy foods that nourish the senses with goodness (I especially love steel cut oatmeal with fruit and granola, any kind of pie and pumpkin spiced tea).
• Memorize an old hymn and read a poem a day. Especially love the hymnal words from “Be thou my vision” and the way Christian artists make those praying words timeless.
• Keep a journal to contemplate your faith walk, set spiritual intentions and make all that your heart and mind carries visible to contemplate and pray over.  Journals capture our memories in a way that can be revisited over our entire lifetime.