TALKING ABOUT THE WEATHER

“You have crowned the year with your bounty, and your paths overflow with a rich harvest; The untilled meadows overflow with it, and rejoicing clothes the hills.” --Psalm 65:12-13

It is a universal part of human nature that when people don’t know what else to talk about, they end up talking about the weather. But it is not for a lack of things to talk about that I write about the weather in this first bulletin article upon my return from sabbatical!

While I admit that the weather can be a hot topic, I was struck by the fact that all our readings for Mass talk directly or indirectly about the weather! From rain and snow to the sufferings of the present time and the groaning of creation to the scorching of the sun, there are allusions to all types of weather, pleasant and adverse. Here we confront a truth that all weather has its merits: “There is no such thing as bad weather. All weather is good because it is God's." This wonderful meteorological and theological teaching is attributed to St. Teresa of Avila, the Spanish mystic and reformer who emphasized radical surrender to God and the circumstances of life. How boring life would be without weather, even if we found ourselves subjected day after day to forecasts of 72 degrees, sunny with a gentle breeze!

I had always been told (or at least imagined) that the Bay Area of San Francisco was a kind of paradise on earth with the same ‘perfect’ weather throughout the year, but I discovered—thankfully—during my February stay in that area that this simply is not true. As fallen human beings though we don’t have a capacity to enjoy for very long the goodness that we are given by God’s providence. As for Adam and Eve, so it is for us! We are often unappreciative and complaining, but how boring would life be if we never complained about the weather, for what would we grumble about during our long Minnesota winters?

As I look back on my last couple of weeks in Italy, I knew it was time to come home to Minnesota. Certainly in part it was the pull of our beautiful Minnesota summers, but I must say it was also the push of the crushing summer heat and humidity of the Italian peninsula. I had to laugh out loud reading Hilaire Belloc’s wonderful 1902 travel memoir, The Path to Rome. Belloc had so much to say about his experience of walking as a pilgrim to Rome in time for the Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul on June 29th. He gave words to my experience of late June Italian weather: “For in Italy long before nine it is glaring noon to us northerners…The North is the place for men, for this bare Tuscany I was never made…intolerable heat had taken the ascendent”. Although I don’t often quote Belloc, he was a great friend and contemporary of Chesterton, but I digress. To spoil the book, he did reach his goal and I reached mine! I am so thankful to have returned home to Holy Cross, the place where I belong.

In conclusion, one of the key insights from our readings is that good growth is not dependent on perfect circumstances or weather, but rather on the efficacy of God’s Word and the Sacraments. We can all make the most of the weather we are given, for growth and an abundant harvest are possible wherever we are. May this summer see us grow in holiness and fruitfulness. I look forward to catching up with you all!

~Fr. Howe