Everything Appropriate to Its Time

Rachel Watkins ponders the seasons, both earthly and liturgical, given to us by God.

Depending on where you are sitting, the weather outside your windows might be snowy, rainy, or unexpectedly warm. The end of winter into spring is a particularly fickle time in my neck of the woods as I can see a flurry of flakes one day and record-breaking heat the next. Such is the nature of ever-changing weather and the movement of calendar pages. Outside of our homes and within the calendar of our Church, seasons come and seasons go.

Our calendar year will gives everyone, in some fashion or another, the same four seasons. Furthermore, Catholics around the world will all experience the six liturgical seasons at the same time. However, there is one season we travel by ourselves. While we have family and friends around us, we travel getting older alone—a season unique and unrepeatable.

God is charge of both the weather and the Church. From Genesis with Noah, the ark, and God’s promise we are assured that He remains the same through every season:

“All the days of the earth, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.” (Genesis 8:22).

Our Church has set our liturgical seasons highlighting the plan for our salvation. From Advent to Christmas, Lent, the Sacred Paschal Triduum, Easter season, and our stretches of Ordinary Time our readings and customs highlight Christ’s work in our lives.

As for the seasons of our lives, we are called to work together with God, which isn’t always easy. Do you know the #1 hit from The Byrds which reminded the world “To everything there is a season. Turn! Turn! Turn!”: a popular reimagining of Ecclesiastes, chapter 3?

Having a favorite season of the year, whether it be related to weather or even the liturgical year is familiar to us. I love spring as my favorite season, but Christmas tops my liturgical calendar. It is the last type of season, the season of my life, that I have found myself struggling with.

As a mother now dealing with mostly young adults and their struggles, I have found myself looking back to toddler years with a bit of envy, the very idea of which can bring a new mom to tears. I have had to bite my tongue more than once from telling the young moms at my parish, "You’re going to miss these years": a quip I hated hearing when I was deep in that season of life. I have also caught myself talking only about health issues when I see friends. Much to my embarrassment, I realize I am not aging with grace.

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We are called to be open to our own seasons day by day, month by month. #CatholicMom

Just as we cannot change the seasons as they change month to month, and we would be loath to alter the liturgical calendar, we are also called to be open to our own seasons day by day, month by month. During an earlier season in my life God sent me children; during this time He is sending me grandchildren. I can take a page from Job, who was able to remember well during his seasons of both struggle and joy:

The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. (Job 1:21)

In the midst of the changes in my seasons, I conveniently forgot what Ecclesiastes says quite directly:

God has made everything appropriate to its time. (Ecclesiastes 3:11)

I need to bring myself to a point where I can say with confidence:

I recognized that there is nothing better than to rejoice and to do well during life. (Ecclesiastes 3:12)

Copyright 2023 Rachel Watkins
Images: Canva