The Seasons of the Soul

by Fred Schaeffer, OFS

Note: I’m repeating this August 2021 Reflection because it was published in “The Canticle” only, limited distribution. Enjoy!
October 27, 2022

In Florida we haven’t got four seasons, there is great weather with lower humidity in the winter months (November to April/May) and in summer we are hazy, hot and humid, occasionally with tropical storms and hurricanes. “Up north,” they have four seasons, and this Reflection comments on all four seasons.

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I've spent about 9 years total in religious life, the longest for 5 years in Massachusetts and Florida. My first religious life experience (1.5 years) was with the Capuchins but that’s ancient history (early 1960). I was close to Jesus, but I slacked again until 1984-5 when I said Enough! Then I attempted to live a holy life away from a friary or monastery. We can all do this, as long as we strive not to sin, and attend Holy Mass frequently, pray the Rosary, and the Liturgy of the Hours, as Secular Franciscans do (not mandatory). The beauty of this Liturgical Prayer is that the Holy Father, the Cardinals, Bishops, priests, deacons and religious pray this Liturgy daily, so every second of the day, in every place on earth, in their own language, people are praying this Prayer of the Church.

The idea of associating activities of the soul with seasons came to me when I lived in New England, as a Monk of Adoration, from 1998-2002 in a small place called Petersham. This is a fairly dull town but it has an intrinsic beauty all its own. When the leaves on trees turn from green to yellow to red and various colors in between, the soul seems to be ablaze with zeal, then slowly settles down to an ascetical bleakness similar to the leaves that have fallen from the trees and the trees are now all bare, and the wind is blowing and it gets nasty outside. And yet there is a quiet beauty in all that. The trees and the leaves worship Jesus perfectly... they do not have temptation to sin. Neither have animals. Once in autumn, maybe in late September, I spotted a flash of orange and black with some yellow. And sure enough, as I came closer, there sat on a thin branch a magnificent Blackburnian Warbler. I still think of it. It made my day, to see such a lovely thing created by the Father. The colors, be they from turning leaves or colorful birds, they are the palette of God's creation... Or, once on the way from Cincinnati, Ohio, to Oldenburg, Indiana, in that Southern part of Indiana, I glanced up at a slowly rising hillside which was awash with different colors... all to the glory of God and his unique creation. It is a joy to behold it all and as we think about it, we praise God and love Him more and more. When the leaves fall and the trees empty as days pass, and it becomes gradually cooler, and colder and the winds of winter begin to blow, we also begin to settle down inside, to prepare ourselves for the long haul. I recall making 1-2 hour daily walks, time permitting, in all sorts of weather. One of my favorite walks was through the woods but when the leaves were no longer there, there was nothing to keep the wind back. And yet, with weather raging around me, I felt the warmth of God's presence for we are never alone. And we are not lonely either when Jesus is with us in our soul, keeping us company. And He can be with every person on this earth individually, and He is still able to do more... He is there for the various elements in nature also. His power in heaven far exceeds his carpenter skills while in Nazareth. For He is the Son of God. One God in three persons. God is the maker of heaven and earth. Of me, of you, of the trees, and the component parts of a tree, now used as beams in a house, for example. When you think about all that, as you look at those bare trees, your soul continues to be alive.

Then comes winter, where a pristine blanket of snow covers every reminder of dirt and grime. It covers signs of the slums in big cities, and lays over it a blanket of quiet and cold beauty. Have you ever walked through a small town with a foot of new snow on the ground? It is beautiful. There is a graceful and peaceful quiet. No traffic is heard, in fact, most of the time it is very still. God's example of the stillness of a Soul at peace. Or maybe in Florida, with the sliding glass doors open to 72 degrees weather with a slight wind, not a sound in late afternoon... as I sit in my recliner without TV or radio on, my soul revels on God's Grace and Beauty. The changing of the seasons, the weather, they help us find those moments of beauty that nourish and give great peace. And when hearing about that Alberta clipper weather movement in the north, I think of a retreat in western Kentucky at the Trappist monastery of Gethsemane, where the outside temperature was 5 degrees... but I felt comfortable in a down parka with Jesus in my soul.

But before long, winter passes and new growth is on the way. First a tiny bud, barely visible to the eye. Then, the leaves on the maples come out, a little at a time, it is a time of regeneration. Father God is at work again, creating and recreating, and our soul comes out of its winter sleep, and we rejoice in the changing of the Seasons once again. Pretty soon some of us will be walking barefoot along the beach, and as we do this, we think of Jesus at the Lake of Gennasaret, cooking for the apostles a little piece of fish. Think of the joy of friendship and brotherhood as Jesus sits with the Apostles and with us, as he breaks the bread and pours the wine, His Body and Blood, and we pray, "We adore you, O Lord Jesus Christ, here and in all the churches in the whole world, and we bless you, because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.” St. Francis of Assisi

And even in Florida, in summertime with day after day over 90 degrees, hot, hazy and humid, even a little cool breeze is a gift from God. Even there, when we're dripping all over, God is there too. We are never alone. He is always there. Please let him in? Sometimes our moods also behave in a similar way but be careful. Mood changes are emotional changes whereas changes of the Soul are deeper than that. I pray that you will recognize the changing seasons of the soul as you go through life now and at times to come. Amen.

Fred Schaeffer, OFS

July 11, 2021 Repub. 10/27/22