Fr. Don's Daily Reflection - November 24, 2024
Photo by Cathy Lampert
Psalm 62: “In you alone is my soul at rest. My help comes from You.”
Late fall in my part of the world, before the snow falls, offers a very spare, austere landscape. The trees, except for the stubborn oaks, have lost their leaves; the grasses are various shades of pale yellow and brown. On a cloudy day the whole scene is of muted, somber colors, beautiful in its own subdued way. If one is in the right mood it’s conducive not only to contemplation but also, for some, to a moment of melancholy.
A good setting in which to re-read the Hebrew Scripture book of Ecclesiastes. Perhaps a good time to allow ourselves a more somber mood or time for some of the poignancy and beauty of human existence.
After all, human life has both tragic and happy aspects. Rather than simply brushing aside the former, we should at times give it some attention. With Ecclesiastes we can wonder about, even lament, the injustice that is evident; we can reflect on how difficult it is to change that and other things that are wrong; we can be sorry to see the really tragic things that happen to innocent people.
It seems better to spend these melancholy moments with a book like Ecclesiastes and with God in prayer than to inflict them on otherwise happy people around us.
Psalm 27: “I believe I shall see the Lord’s goodness / in the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord; be strong; / be stouthearted, and wait for the Lord!”
