Autumn- Part II

THIS is the forest primeval.
The murmuring pines and the hemlocks…
Evangeline by Longfellow

A friend of mine from Brighton came down to visit us not too long ago. She had never come to this area and had gotten a bit lost trying to get here. When she finally did get here she remarked to me several times how pretty our town was with all the trees and country roads. I just said… come back in a few weeks and your eyes will pop with the foliage!
We can look at fall foliage and think back to our high school biology class and know the leaves turn color as the tree shuts down its circulatory system in preparation for winter. The leaves turn color as they die and fall to the ground. Looking at foliage with a scientific eye is called “reason”. We can look at nature and through science we can explain away most everything. We can reduce our world to scientific equations and pat ourselves on the back for figuring it all out. But where does faith come in?
Pope John Paul II, in his encyclical, Fides et Ratio (Faith and Reason), states that faith and reason (or science) do not have to be opposites of one another and totally separate. God created the world and the cosmos to be understood and by understanding God’s creations we can come to know and appreciate God: through “all that is created the ‘eyes of the mind’ can come to know God (Fides et Ratio, no. 22).
In my previous profession I had the opportunity to look at life under a microscope. My schooling had taught me about cell structure, chromosomes, etc., but as I gazed into the nucleus of a human cell I would always find myself appreciating God’s creation and the complexities of life. So too when I gaze into a fall leaf tinted red or gold. I see, in the leaf, the face of God…
Another poem I had to memorize in school was the intro to Evangeline by Longfellow. I find just reciting the first line (quoted at the top) when I am walking in the woods (for real or in my mind) puts me in a contemplative mood. This month as you observe the changing seasons contemplate the challenge put forth by St. Augustine:

Question the beauty of the earth, question the beauty of the sea, question the beauty of the air distending and diffusing itself, question the beauty of the sky. . . question all these realities. All respond: "See, we are beautiful." …Who made them if not the Beautiful One who is not subject to change? (CCC no.32)
God Bless, Holly Clark

Autumn- Part I

When I was a child, in school, we were “forced” to memorize poems. At the time I never understood why… but this particular poem, Trees by Joyce Kilmer, has always stuck with me. As a child I could not understand the simplicity and beauty of what Kilmer was trying to say. Every autumn I think of this poem as I reflect upon the fact that “only God can make a tree.” Here in New England we are so blessed to have the seasons that fully express themselves in nature, especially in trees.

This week, as we “mourn” the ending of summer and begin to appreciate the show God is about to give in the splendor of fall foliage let us reflect upon the fact that only God can make a tree, a flower, the sun set, the moon rise, etc. Let us reflect upon Kilmer’s poem and thank God for his gift of nature. (and I will also thank God for the English teacher who made me memorize this poem!) God Bless, Holy Clark

TREES
Joyce Kilmer

I THINK that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.

A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the sweet earth's flowing breast;

A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;

A tree that may in summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;

Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.

Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.

It's Not Fair!

Mt 20:1-16a
Every time I read this passage from Matthew 20 I picture a whole bunch of workers whining at the end of the day about their wages being unfair. Can’t you picture the same thing happening today? Parents with several children fighting over chores or prized possessions will certainly recognize this scenario. Why do we always look at what others have and think we have been gypped?

In my position I have had many opportunities to speak with people who are at low points of their lives. Some are experiencing the loss of a loved one, or dealing with terrible pain and suffering or perhaps the loss of an income and face losing a home. (Some are facing all of the above.) It has always amazed me that many of these people talk to me as if these things were stepping stones in life. They do not complain, they do not feel as if life is not fair. They look at life’s trials and tribulations as opportunities to grow and give back to God. Never do they say to me “life’s not fair.” They know they have the Holy Spirit to guide them, Jesus to walk with them and God to love them no matter what happens in life.

All of us have probably muttered “not fair” a few times in our lives and think the “other guy” has it all, .but it is important to shake off those feelings. God may have something else in mind for you. Instead of looking at what others have, count your own blessings… I bet you will find you have too many of them to keep to yourself! Spread your blessings around. Even when you are down and out God is there, blessings are there, love is there… but it is up to you to seek them out. Life is fair when you let God do the planning! God Bless, Holly Clark

Where Were You on 9-11?

Our nation suffered a terrible blow 10 years ago on this date. The unthinkable occurred. Planes, flown by terrorists, plowed into the Twin Towers, the Pentagon and a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania killing nearly 3000 people. Where were you on this day? Do you remember what your thoughts and feelings were then? How do you feel today? Are you still angry? Do you blame an entire religion or way of life? Even today, the death toll continues to rise as citizens and first responders perish from “World Trade Center Syndrome.”

How do you feel today? Take some time this week to reflect upon your own feelings and how they are different now and back then and then pray for the victims and their families. If you find yourself still angry ask for Jesus’ help. In today’s Gospel Jesus advises to forgive “seventy times seven.” He asks us to forgive over and over again. If He were here today He would advise us to forgive the hijackers. Anger, hatred, resentment are all nasty emotions that are harmful to the body and soul. Sirach makes this point:

Could anyone nourish anger against another
and expect healing from the LORD? Sir 28:3

Let us pray for the riddance of hatred, the vanishing of religious divisions and ask the Lord for guidance in our efforts to forgive those who have wronged us. Let us pray for a better world. God Bless, Holly Clark

Where Two or Three are Gathered

For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” MT 18:20

Recently I have been romping through our medical system, spending some time in medical waiting rooms, waiting for appointments and tests. I usually bring something to read or browse through the magazines to find the most mundane articles ever printed. But lately my mind was elsewhere… In each of these waiting rooms I was thinking two or three are gathered here and I asked myself where would Jesus be in this room? In a pre-op area, would he be comforting the person about to undergo neurosurgery for a brain tumor or maybe the elderly gentleman who needs knee surgery or is he talking to the older woman with the black pants with hot pink purses emblazoned on them? (She told me the wild pants help to cheer her up before surgery.) I looked into the faces of all those around me and wondered what brought each of them there. I could feel Jesus’ presence in the room, beside me, helping me to focus on praying for the health and well being of those around me. I found that as I focused my prayers on others my own medical issues seemed much lighter. I knew I didn’t have cancer or dire medical issue. As I listened to various conversations while waiting for my turn to be called I tried to silently give strength to those around me. When I was finally called up for my turn in the O.R., I found myself uplifted for there were “two or three” or more gathered in the surgical suite and I knew Jesus was there.

This month, when you find yourself in a group, take a few minutes to pray for those around you. Not everyone is Christian, of course, but Jesus is there for us all.