Happy Thanksgiving

Dear Parishioners,

I woke this morning as the sun was rising and casting its beauty on the Church. Because of the sun and the beauty of the day, I headed out the door in shorts and a sweatshirt. Big mistake!!  It was 32 degrees outside.

In the yard of the little church across Leonard Street, was frost, marvelous in its appearance as the rising sun glistened upon the crystals of the ice on the ground.  As I drove towards Alpine, most of the trees were bare and their leaves scattered all over the ground.  A few trees held onto their golden yellow leaves, but they too were beginning to die on their branches. 

As I crossed the Ann Street Bridge, over the Grand, one of the symbols of the oncoming winter appeared to be on the river. As I looked east, the water appeared like frozen glass as if a thin covering of ice was on the river. But my eyes were deceiving me as I noticed two ducks were swimming on the water.  The trees along the banks of the Grand were mostly bare and all signs of winter were dressing the Earth.

We, here in the North, are accustomed to the four changes of the seasons each year.  The Earth takes on different looks each time these mysteries take place.  In the winter, we are exposed to the colder temperatures and the snows that paint the land white, the Earth appears to be asleep.  In the spring, the Earth awakens and life begins to grow and colors change from dormant to newness.  Summer months bring the fullness of life to the surrounding areas.  The Lake becomes a destination for all to enjoy its beauty and its gifted pleasures.  Then fall arrives and everything begins to change.  A Monet-like change takes place as the Earth begins to settle down for its long winter’s nap.

Have you ever considered the beauty of the ever-changing Earth to be a reminder of God’s presence and His difference among us?  We create the differences in God because of the way we go about our daily lives and His presence among us is an indication of how we live in an ever- changing world.  God’s love for us never changes, but our relationship with Him changes as our lives change.  If there is harmony in us, there is peace between the Father and ourselves.  If things begin to change, uneasiness comes among us and we see God’s presence differently as we become more dependent upon Him.

The beauty of the Earth is that it has the capacity to show us these different faces, but God’s face never changes; His presence is always there. The beauty of God’s presence is that it is constant because His love for us doesn’t change no matter what the circumstance. 

As we prepare to be grateful, let us thank God for His presence and His love.  They are as wonderful and as beautiful as this Earth He gave us to live on.
 
Happy Thanksgiving everyone,
Fr. Denis and the Staff and Redemptorist Community of Saint Alphonsus Parish