Preparing for Change

Autumn is saying a slow farewell as we head into winter. The last gold, red, and brown leaves are hanging onto the branches, and the trees are letting them fall. Winter is coming, and there’s a chill to the air that hints of snow. Fall is preparing to hand over the baton.

I’m not ready for winter. But this time of year is speaking to my heart. It’s calling me to be open to a transition to a quieter, colder time of year. Even as the days become shorter and darker, the season is asking me to trust that spring and the longer days of light will come one day—and that there will be a beauty, a joy, to the quiet of that colder time.

As we look ahead to Advent, it almost feels as if nature is paving the way to that time, calling us to let the fading vibrancy of autumn go, and be open to the journey ahead. In the Catholic Church, we are preparing to mark the end of the liturgical year as we move toward Christmas. There is a closing of one door as we prepare to open another. Change can be wonderful, but it can also be hard.

The other day I was chatting with a friend, and he said, “There are two things no one wants to talk about: death and change.”

There is so much truth to that. At this time of year, we seem to be surrounded by change, pressed into a transition we might want to resist. Ready or not, we move from sunnier to darker days, from the abundance of autumn to the starkness of winter, from carefree jacket-less afternoons to scrambling to find the hats and gloves.

We are preparing for other changes too—in our communities, in our nation, in our lives, and in our families. Change always brings new possibilities, but it comes with varying emotions. Often, I feel I am not ready for that new chapter.

This week, though, we marked the feast of the presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the memorial of the day her parents took their little daughter to the temple to dedicate her to God. I don’t remember ever noticing that feast before, but this year I found myself at mid-day Mass, thinking with wonder of a young Mary. And I was filled with awe.

Long before her dedication in the temple, from the beginning of time, God knew what changes her life would hold. He knew she would be the mother of his son, the mother of God, the temple of the savior of the world. He provided her with what she needed to be everything she would be.

He created her without original sin. He gave her Joachim and Anne as her parents. He placed her at the exact moment in time and place where she could welcome the baby who would change the world. He gave her St. Joseph, to love and support her and help her raise Jesus. He made sure she had the strength and grace to accompany her son during his ministry, and to watch him suffer and die.

God prepared Mary to be the mother that Jesus needed—that we all need. He will give us what we need, as well, for whatever lies ahead.

We might not feel ready. We might feel like Mary, wondering why so much is asked of us. But God invites us to say yes, as she did, and embrace a new chapter with faith and trust. Change will come, but we can count on the constancy of God. He loves us. He strengthens us. He is with us always.

So, bring on winter. Bring on a new year. And bring on the beautiful journey of Advent, as we walk with our Blessed Mother toward the manger.

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