This second week of October has finally brought a touch of autumnal weather to Texas. I am reminded of the passage in the Roman Canon for the commemoration of the dead:
Ipsis, Domine, et omnibus in Christo quiescentibus, locum refrigerii, lucis et pacis, ut indulgeas, deprecamur.
To these, O Lord, and to all who rest in Christ, grant, we beseech Thee, a place of refreshment, of light, and of peace.
While Dallas never quite sees a proper fall season by any reasonable standard—temperature, colorful foliage, or that feeling of impending change that makes one stand straighter and look for what is to come—this brief respite from the heat is still a proper reminder of the coming season of Advent and of its precursor November, in which we especially succor the holy souls still trapped in the heat of Purgatory.
For every one shall bear his own burden.... And in doing good, let us not fail. For in due time we shall reap, not failing. Therefore, whilst we have time, let us work good to all men, but especially to those who are of the household of the faith. (Gal. 6)
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| (Hyacinthe Collin de Vermont) |
Los Angeles is even worse. October is just another month where the temperatures are still in the eighties. Drinking an Oktoberfest beer never feels right here.
ReplyDeleteThe liturgical seasons mirror the natural rhythm of the northern hemisphere. We emerge from the coldness of Lent with warm and sunlight at the Ressurection. We celebrate the saints and the Trinity for the brighter, warmer, inviting part of the year and withdraw to sobriety with Advent, considering a world chilled in sin before the coming of Christ with Christmas as our solitary consolation.
ReplyDeleteLiving in Dallas we have a harder time experiencing that. There are no seasons here, just hot and less hot. Our winter weeks can have days of 20, 40, and 80 degrees within a week, which makes dressing for the day invariably a challenge.