An Autumn Perspective on Our Crosses

Autumn gives us a unique perspective on our crosses. In this season of letting go, trees blaze with the glory of leaves that soon will drift to the ground and become part of the soil. Grape vines relinquish their fruit and become dormant during the coming season of plummeting temperatures and wind. On the Feasts of All Saints and All Souls, we cherish the memories of those who once walked among us.

It is instructive to see how Jesus approached the autumn of his life, when he knew that his immediate future likely held betrayal, suffering, and death.

• He allowed others to minister to him and comfort him, as when Mary of Bethany anointed his head and feet with costly perfumed oil in anticipation of his death and burial.

• He gathered his closest companions around him to enjoy their company one last time and to strengthen them on the night before his death.

• He continued his work of healing and teaching until his last day, when he restored a man’s ear that had been cut off by Simon Peter in the chaos of his arrest and forgave those who had crucified him as he hung on the cross.

In the midst of our own crosses of illness, diminishment, and grief, we too can accept comfort from others, savor the company of our loved ones, and continue to minister to others in whatever way we can. And when it is time to surrender the life we currently know, autumn teaches us, as Sr. Joan Chittister says, “to accept and let go, so we see the promises of every new moment.”