Welcome Fall – Br. Luke Ditewig
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Br. Luke Ditewig
Ember Day
Exodus 19:3-8
Matthew 16:24-27
Welcome to Fall! Last night was the Autumn Equinox when day and night were almost the same amount of time. The earth’s axis and the sun’s orbit lined up given both hemispheres an equal about of light. The weather here has cooled, and the humidity dropped. Leaves are just beginning to turn color. Soon the brilliance will unfurl as leaves prepare to let go.
Today we pray for all Christians in our common vocation of following Jesus. “Deny yourself and take up your cross,” Jesus says. Surrender. Let go of pride, ambition, faults, fears and seeking self-sufficiency. “Follow me; trust me,” Jesus says. “I am your Savior.” We often fear, flee, or fight, but what if we fall into following? That may sound impossible especially when life and grief overwhelm. Jesus crucified, risen, and ascended bears all our weight, indeed all of creation. Surrender is trusting Jesus with everything.
One part is honestly naming feelings and experiences. A challenge of prayer is our resistance to speak with God about everything. I want to ignore much of my pain, shame, and grief. In whatever form your prayer takes today, whether in the silence of your heart, in speaking to a trusted ear, in journaling, gazing, drawing, or moving, risk honesty about your experience. Pray your life as it is.
God is here with and for you. As before, God will hold as on eagles’ wings. God will “bear your spirit up and brace your heart and nerve your arm.”[i] Let go, like a leaf falling into the divine wind. Poet Denise Levertov wrote: “Freefall and float into Creator Spirit’s deep embrace, Knowing that no effort earns that all surrounding grace.”[ii]
May the beauty of this season remind and encourage our common call. Take up your cross. Welcome fall.
[i] Charles William Everest (1814-1877), alt. “Take up your cross,” #675 in The Hymnal 1982.
[ii] Denise Levertov (1984) “The Avowal” in Oblique Prayers. New Directions Publishing Corp.
So beautiful. Thank you. A beautiful reminder.
“Pray your life as it is.” It’s taken me so long to grasp that advice. And I still need to be reminded regularly. Your reminder has been a timely one for me. Thank you, Br. Luke.
Br. Luke, I don’t always comment on the homilies written by the brothers, but I always read them carefully. Your reference to placing your trust in God is so important. There is so much division in this country and around the world. Not only is placing our trust in Him so important because He does have a divine plan. Only through that trust can we possibly know what is the truth. We cannot simply think we ourselves know that truth and conduct ourselves like Pharisees. In order to fully know the truth and fully experience the beauty of this earth and His blessings, we do indeed need to humbly surrender ourselves to God in prayer. Being self righteous about our worldly views will not bring us the peace that only God can give us.
Such a beautiful, calming message of the grace of God and the beauty thay surrounds us. Thank you Brother Luke for reminding us of what God has done for us and continues to do as we trust and obey. God bless!