We are approaching Autumn, with a different awareness this year – we’ve had a few funerals of friends and family and it’s highlighted for us that we are in the Autumn years of our lives. There’s been much joy amidst the sadness, the gatherings of family and friends, many blessings, and of course the questions that are raised for ourselves – do we seek to live each day to the fullest? Do I still seek to put you, my beloved, first in my life? Are we still trying to be ‘in it together’? On different days, we might give different answers, the heart is willing, but the flesh can be weak.
Spending time with children and grandchildren has been a gift, their vitality, their verve, all of life ahead of them, in the springtime of their days, they are a reminder to embrace each moment, each day.
As the book of Ecclesiastes reminds us, there’s a time for everything under heaven. The 2nd reading on Sunday (Sept 3rd) asks us to ‘offer our living bodies as a holy sacrifice, truly pleasing to God, not model yourselves on the behaviour of the world around you, but let your behaviour change, modelled by your new mind. This is the only way to discover the will of God and know what is good, what it is that God wants, what is the perfect thing to do’ (Romans 12:1-2).
As God only ever wants what is the best for us, it is good that we continue to take time to listen to Him and listen to each other, then together we can discern how best to enjoy Autumn – quiet walks on the way or throwing leaves over each other and rejoicing that we still can? What are you rejoicing in today?
Brian and Maureen Devine
Coordinators Two in One Flesh