“Be transformed by the renewing of your minds…”

We gather again after summer’s slower rhythm. For many of us, these weeks have offered space to breathe: a less frantic pace, time with family and friends, travel or quiet at home, and a chance to refill wells of energy that may have run low by the end of Eastertide.

I find it striking that the pattern of the church year runs counter to the pattern of the earth’s seasons. As autumn begins, the earth yields its harvest and prepares for winter: a season of dormancy and rest before springtime’s new growth.

By contrast, our church and community life often moves from summer’s quieter pace —while still active in worship and service, we also make room for self care, spending time with loved ones, exploring new places, or resting in familiar places. And in the fall, we engage in a season of renewed activity, as the church year progresses through Ordinary Time toward the Reign of Christ, we turn again to planning, programming, and action.

This September, let us carry forward the renewal summer has offered. The prophet Isaiah reminds us that “those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength.” St. Paul, in the letter to the Romans 12:2, calls us to be “transformed by the renewing of our minds.” In this turning of the season, we are invited to receive God’s renewal and with wells refilled and strength restored, dive into the ministries to which we are called, with hearts and minds open to God’s transforming purpose, in and around us all.