Prayer of St. Francis

How fascinating to be "autumnrifically happy"!!

 

Quotes of Autumn: 

Autumn carries more gold in its pocket than all the other seasons. ~Jim Bishop

Winter is dead; spring is crazy; summer is cheerful and autumn is wise!   
~ Mehmet Murat ildan

In autumn, don't go to jewelers to see gold; go to the parks! ~ Mehmet Murat ildan

O' pumpkin pie, your time has come 'round again and I am autumnrifically happy! ~Terri Guillemets

Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower. ~Albert Camus

I loved autumn, the one season of the year that God seemed to have put there just for the beauty of it. ~Lee Maynard

Autumn is the hush before winter. ~French Proverb

Good-bye and Hello!

 

In the stillness of an autumn afternoon

we sit in quiet communion. Before us,

hills and valleys yawn, spreading wide

their yellow and green, ochre and gold

harvest of hay, beans and corn.

All summer long these fields drank

daily offerings of dew and sunlight.

We listen to the hush of hills,                                            

a hawk above us riding thermal winds,

the drying corn nearby whispering

Praise! Praise! Praise!, the grass

beneath our squeaking swing

chanting, sotto voce,Thank you, God.

Everything around us whispers shhh.

And when we do, we hear the holy

breath of God bringing forth the world.

 

Poem by: Sister Irene Zimmerman, SSSF

A Sacred Season . . .

 

   A Leaf Treader

I have been treading on leaves all day until I am autumn-tired.
God knows all the color and form of leaves I have trodden on and mired.
Perhaps I have put forth too much strength and been too fierce from fear.
I have safely trodden underfoot the leaves of another year.

All summer long they were overhead, more lifted up than I.
To come to their final place in earth they had to pass me by.
All summer long I thought I heard them threatening under their breath.
And when they came it seemed with a will to carry me with them to death.

They spoke to the fugitive in my heart as if it were leaf to leaf.
They tapped at my eyelids and touched my lips with an invitation to grief.
But it was no reason I had to go because they had to go.
Now up my knee to keep on top of another year of snow.

Robert Frost, A Further Range (1936).

Autumn Blessing . . .

 

May you be blessed by the God of Autumn who opens your eyes to the glorious colors of tree and bush and sky. May your heart be open to the colors of God's love and care for you. May you learn the lesson of letting go into God's desire for you. May you be a companion to those who are in the autumn of life and may your own changing years be filled with the glow of God's glory. May the blessing of Autumn be yours. --Maxine Shonk, OP

Sunday Reflections ~

Dianne Bergant, CSA  Readings:  Amos 8: 4-7,  Psalm 113: 1-2, 4-6, 7-8,                                                             1 Timothy 2: 1-8,  Luke 16: 1-13   $$$$$ It is very difficult to talk about financial equity in a market driven economy. Some entertainers and sports figures earn extravagant salaries, while people in essential service professions such as teaching often find it difficult to make ends meet. So many people struggle with some form of money problem. However, in the broader scope of world economy, citizens of this country are considered some of the most privileged in the world. If we were to follow the gospel injunction to “sell what you have and give to the poor,” we would all have to go on welfare and would become someone else’s financial burden. So, what are we supposed to do? The Bible never really tells us what to do. Instead, it provides standards that suggest how we are to do what we decide. We see this in today’s reading from Amos. The prophet is speaking to the wealthy who live in the prosperous northern kingdom. He does not condemn prosperity itself, but the way they use the power that comes from wealth. Rather than take care of the less fortunate in their midst, they take advantage of them for their own benefit. We must remember that the people of ancient Israel were bound together by covenant. This arrangement implies that the wealthy had covenant responsibilities to the needy. Caring for the poor of the land was not a question of charity; it was a matter of covenant justice. The gospel reading is rather difficult to understand. A man, who first squandered the property of his employer and then hoodwinked him out of goods that were due him, is actually praised by the very employer he outmaneuvered. A closer look will reveal that the steward was praised for his prudence (the Greek word means practical wisdom), not for his dishonesty. The ancients had developed an economic system very different from what we have today, and so we cannot judge the steward by contemporary standards. The story does not tell us what debts were forgiven. They might have been the overcharge that enhanced the employer’s holdings at the expense of the debtors, or they could have been the commission that the steward would have taken off the top. Whatever the case, the steward did not manage his employer’s property well, but he certainly knew how to endear himself to the debtors, thus taking care of himself. In this he showed self-interested practical wisdom. It is precisely this practical wisdom that Jesus holds up to the children of light. Like the steward, they are expected to exercise this kind of wisdom. However, though the steward was devious, they are to be trustworthy, even in matters that pertain to this world, for “The person who is trustworthy in very small matters is also trustworthy in great ones.” We might better understand this passage if we look at the meaning of some of the Greek words. Two important words in today’s gospel are derived from oíkos, the Greek word for household: ‘steward’ or household manager (oikonómos); and ‘household-servant’ (oíkétes). Neither the steward nor the household-servant can claim ownership of the goods of the household. Jesus’ last words state: “You cannot serve both God and mammon.” ‘Serve’ means be to be a slave to something. In this passage “dishonest wealth” and” mammon” are translations of the same Greek word. Jesus is saying that we have to choose between God and riches dishonestly acquired. Another word derived from oíkos (household), though not found in the story, but important for our consideration, is oikonomía (economy or household management). The word has broadened to include even the largest human communities. Our contemporary economy is not only market driven, but it is also based on principles of private property. As valuable as these principles may be, they often blur some of the values raised in today’s readings. Besides, though we have a right to private property, we know that we really only use, rather than own, the goods of the earth. They are not our exclusive property. Pope John Paul II speaks of the ‘social mortgage’ on all our possessions. Using the language of the gospel, we might say that the earth with all its riches is the household; God is the householder; and we are the stewards or household-servants. The question is: ‘Just how do we manage the goods that are in our trust?’ Are we devious? Or are we trustworthy? Do we manage these goods in ways that enhance the entire household and benefit all who belong? Or do we squander them, thinking only of ourselves? And when we are called to accountability, do we change our course of action? Or do we finagle ways that will guarantee our own comfort, even at the expense of others? Do we cling to the rights of private property? Or do we recognize our covenant responsibility in seeing to the just needs of others? Jesus’ last words are very demanding: “You cannot be a [slave] to both God and [dishonest wealth]”. The decision is left to us.   Dianne Bergant, CSA https://ctu.edu/

The Sense of a Goose!

 

Our Wisconsin skies  are filled with migrating Canada Geese.  Thought it would be good to share this reading: 

In Autumn, when you see geese heading south for the winter, flying in a "V" formation, you might consider what science has discovered as to why they fly that way. As each bird flaps its wings, it creates an uplift for the bird immediately following. By flying in a "V" formation, the whole flock adds at least 71 percent greater flying range than if each bird flew on its own. 

People who share a common direction and sense of community can get where they are going more quickly and easily, because they are travelling on the thrust of one another. 

When a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying to go it alone and quickly gets back into formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird in front. 
If we have the sense of a goose, we will stay in formation with those people who are heading the same way we are. 

When the head goose gets tired, it rotates back in the wing and another goose flies point. 
It is sensible to take turns doing demanding jobs, whether with people or with geese flying south. 

Geese honk from behind to encourage those up front to keep up their speed. 
What message do we give when we honk from behind? 

Finally - and this is important - when a goose gets sick or is wounded by gunshot, and falls out of the formation, two other geese fall out with that goose and follow it down to lend help and protection. They stay with the fallen goose until it is able to fly or until it dies; and only then do they launch out on their own, or with another formation to catch up with their own group. 

If we have the sense of a goose, we will stand by each other like that. (Author Unknown)

Farewell, Summer . . .Welcome, Autumn

Autumn Prayer

In the fading of the summer sun,

the shortening of days, cooling breeze,

swallows' flight and moonlight rays

we see the Creator’s hand

In the browning of leaves once green,

morning mists, autumn chill,

fruit that falls frost's first kiss

we see the Creator’s hand

- Author Unknown

Autumn Prayer ~

 

O God of Creation,                                                                          

you have blessed us with the changing of the seasons. 
As we embrace these autumn months,
May the earlier setting of the sun
Remind us to take time to rest. 

May the crunch of the leaves beneath our feet
Remind us of the brevity of this earthly life. 

May the steam of our breath in the cool air remind us that it is you 

who give us your breath of life. 

May the scurrying of the squirrels and the migration of the birds
Remind us that you call us to follow your dream for us. 
We praise you for your goodness forever and ever.

 - Author Unknown

Whispers of Autumn . . .

 

A Prayer for Autumn Days

By Joyce Rupp

God of the seasons, there is a time for everything; there is a time for dying and a time for rising. We need courage to enter into the transformation process.

God of autumn, the trees are saying goodbye to their green, letting go of what has been. We, too, have our moments of surrender, with all their insecurity and risk. Help us to let go when we need to do so.

God of fallen leaves lying in colored patterns on the ground, our lives have their own patterns. As we see the patterns of our own growth, may we learn from them.

God of misty days and harvest moon nights, there is always the dimension of mystery and wonder in our lives. We always need to recognize your power-filled presence. May we gain strength from this.

God of harvest wagons and fields of ripened grain, many gifts of growth lie within the season of our surrender. We must wait for harvest in faith and hope. Grant us patience when we do not see the blessings.

God of geese going south for another season, your wisdom enables us to know what needs to be left behind and what needs to be carried into the future. We yearn for insight and vision.

God of flowers touched with frost and windows wearing white designs, may your love keep our hearts from growing cold in the empty seasons.

God of life, you believe in us, you enrich us, you entrust us with the freedom to choose life.  For all this, we are grateful. (From: May I Have This Dance?

September 14, 2025: Sara Ann Conneely Preaches for the Feast of Exaltati...

To Let Go . . .

 

 

 “Letting Go Takes Love”

Author Unknown
 

To let go does not mean to stop caring,
it means I can’t do it for someone else.

To let go is not to cut myself off,
it’s the realization I can’t control another.

To let go is not to enable,
but allow learning from natural consequences.

To let go is to admit powerlessness, which means
the outcome is not in my hands.

To let go is not to try to change or blame another,
it’s to make the most of myself.

To let go is not to care for,
but to care about.

To let go is not to fix,
but to be supportive.

To let go is not to judge,
but to allow another to be a human being.

To let go is not to be in the middle arranging all the outcomes,
but to allow others to affect their destinies.

To let go is not to be protective,
it’s to permit another to face reality.

To let go is not to deny,
but to accept.

To let go is not to nag, scold or argue,
but instead to search out my own shortcomings and correct them.

To let go is not to adjust everything to my desires,
but to take each day as it comes and cherish myself in it.

To let go is not to criticize or regulate anybody,
but to try to become what I dream I can be.

To let go is not to regret the past,
but to grow and live for the future.

To let go is to fear less and love more
and
To let go and to let God, is to find peace!
Remember: The time to love is short.
 
                                   

In Praise of Autumn . . .

 

In the stillness of an autumn afternoon
we sit in quiet communion. Before us,
hills and valleys yawn, spreading wide
their yellow and green, ochre and gold
harvest of hay, beans and corn.

All summer long these fields drank
daily offerings of dew and sunlight.
We listen to the hush of hills, a hawk
above us riding thermal winds,
the drying corn nearby whispering
Praise! Praise! Praise!, the grass
beneath our squeaking swing
chanting, sotto voce, Thank you, God.

Everything around us whispers shhh.
And when we do, we hear the holy
breath of God bringing forth the world.

 

 Poem by: Sister Irene Zimmerman, SSSF

 

 

 

 

A Franciscan Prayer for Peace

Lord, make us instruments of your Peace.  In a world all too prone to violence and revenge, We commit ourselves to the Gospel Values of Mercy, Justice, Compassion, and Love; We will seek daily to promote forgiveness and healing in our hearts, our families, and our world.

Where there is hatred, let us sow Love; Where there is injury, let us cultivate Peace. Fear and distance prevent people from recognizing all as sisters and brothers; tensions lead to violence and mistrust; We will strive to honor the dignity that God places in each and every human person.

Grant that we may not seek to be understood as to understand; To be loved as to Love.  Our failure to understand the other can create exclusion in all its negative forms – racism, marginalization of those who are poor, sick, the immigrant; it can also create situations of domination, occupation, oppression and war.  We pledge to see the way of solidarity, to create hearts, homes, and communities where all people will experience inclusion, hospitality, and understanding.

For it is in giving that we receive, in pardoning that we are pardoned and in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.

Let us pray: God, create in us;
- The capacity to hear and understand the voices of those who suffer from every form of violence, injustice, and dehumanization;
- The openness to receive and honor people from other cultures, languages, religious traditions, and geographical regions;
- The creativity to explore new ways of community and dialogue through music, poetry, performing arts, and mass media;
- The audacity to undertake the building of communities of forgiveness, healing, and reconciliation.

To God who is above all and in all are the glory and the honor.  Amen.

A Prayer for Unity

 

 

In this century and any century,

our deepest hope, our most tender prayer,

is that we learn to listen.

 

May we listen to one another in openness and mercy.

May we listen to plants and animals in wonder and respect.

May we listen to our own hearts in love and forgiveness.

May we listen to God in quietness and awe.

 

And in this listening,

which is boundless in its beauty,

may we find the wisdom to cooperate

with a healing spirit, a divine spirit,

who beckons us into peace and community and creativity.

 

We do not ask for a perfect world.

But we do ask for a better world.

We ask for deep listening.

 

 

--Jay McDaniel, Professor of Religion, Hendrix College, Arkansas

 

Remembering 9/11

 

Hear Our Prayer This Day

In the quiet sanctuaries of our own hearts,
let each of us name and call on the One whose power over us
is great and gentle, firm and forgiving, holy and healing ...

You who created us,
who sustain us,
who call us to live in peace,
hear our prayer this day.

Hear our prayer for all who have died,
whose hearts and hopes are known to you alone ...

Hear our prayer for those who put the welfare of others
ahead of their own
and give us hearts as generous as theirs ...

Hear our prayer for those who gave their lives
in the service of others,
and accept the gift of their sacrifice ...

Help us to shape and make a world
where we will lay down the arms of war
and turn our swords into ploughshares
for a harvest of justice and peace ...

Comfort those who grieve the loss of their loved ones
and let your healing be the hope in our hearts...

Hear our prayer this day
and in your mercy answer us
in the name of all that is holy.

The peace of God be with you.

- Austin Fleming

September Meditation . . .

 

I do not know if the seasons remember their history or if the days and nights by which we count time remember their own passing.

I do not know if the oak tree remembers its planting or if the pine remembers its slow climb toward sun and stars.

I do not know if the squirrel remembers last fall’s gathering or if the bluejay remembers the meaning of snow.

I do not know if the air remembers September or if the night remembers the moon.

I do not know if the earth remembers the flowers from last spring or if the evergreen remembers that it shall stay so.

Perhaps that is the reason for our births — to be the memory for creation.

Perhaps salvation is something very different than anyone ever expected. Perhaps this will be the only question we will have to answer: “What can you tell me about September?”

By Burton D. Carley

Photos by Mary Ann F.

Annapatrice Johnson Preaches for the 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Autumn Loveliness . . .

 

O God of Autumn loveliness, we thank you for the many colors of our lives. We thank you for the rich hues of red, the promising hope of greens, the depth of the golds, and the well-worn browns.

We praise you for all of the life you have given us, the life we celebrate at this harvest time each year. Like the leaves of the trees, we ourselves have been blown around, toasted in the sun, and whipped by rain and storms. Yet, we stand as a testament to life well lived.

Your trees, O God, remind us of our letting go, our need to trust transformation, so that new life can come. Yet, like them, we resist the tearing, wrenching, pulling, and tugging.  We cling earnestly to our color and our home!

Release us, God of the Autumn, and free us so that the wind of your Spirit can fling us to the places we most need to go.  Bury us deep in places where we will find warmth.  Help us to find ourselves grounded in you.

As we look around in this harvest time, we celebrate the bounty all around us and deep within us.  May we be forever grateful for the plentitude!  May we be forever generous with all that is ours.  May we be forever willing to give of ourselves!

And as we journey towards this winter time, help us to always carry the spirit of springtime deep within us as a sign of hope! 

We believe, O God of Transformation, that all of life is your belief and hope in us!  Ready our hearts, steady our hearts that we can respond fully in faith and love!
(Author Unknown)

Praying with hope . . .

 

 

 

Disturb us, God, when
 We are too well pleased with ourselves,
 When our dreams have come true
 Because we have dreamed too little,
 When we arrived safely
 Because we sailed too close to the shore.

 Disturb us, God, when
 With the abundance of things we possess
 We have lost our thirst
 For the waters of life;
 Having fallen in love with life,
 We have ceased to dream of eternity
 And in our efforts to build a new earth,
 We have allowed our vision
 Of the new Heaven to dim.

 Disturb us, God, to dare more boldly,
 To venture on wider seas
 Where storms will show your mastery;
 Where losing sight of land,
 We shall find the stars.

 We ask You to push back
 The horizons of our hopes;
 And to push into the future
 In strength, courage, hope, and love.

 attributed - Sir Francis Drake -1577
Original source unknown

A Splash of Autumn . . .

O sacred season of Autumn, be my teacher, for I wish to learn the virtue of contentment.  As I gaze upon your full-colored beauty, I sense all about you an at-homeness with your amber riches.

You are the season of retirement, of full barns and harvested fields. The cycle of growth has ceased, and the busy work of giving life is now completed. I sense in you no regrets; you've lived a full life.

I live in a society that is ever-restless, always eager for more mountains to climb, seeking happiness through more and more possessions.  As a child of my culture, I am seldom truly at peace with what I have.

Teach me to take stock of what I have given and received; may I know that it’s enough, that my striving can cease in the abundance of God’s grace.

May I know the contentment that allows the totality of my energies to come to full flower. May I know that like you I am rich beyond measure.

As you, O Autumn, take pleasure in your great bounty, let me also take delight in the abundance of the simple things of life which are the true source of joy. With golden glow of peaceful contentment may I truly appreciate this autumn day.

 (Ed Hays, Prayers for a Planetary Pilgrim)