«Come in and see»
Contrary to spring, fall, which will be knocking a tour door shortly, is a time of «endings». In fact, we enter a time that signals the «end» of vacations, the «end» of all sorts of festivals, the «end» of days when it is good to bask in the sun, the «end» of surprised meetings during a stroll, a pick nick, a bicycle ride or while walking. But September also brings us «beginnings». It is the beginning of a new academic year. Everywhere, children and parents are getting ready for the «return to school». For radio and television, it is also a «return». With intensity and detail, they announce their new scheduling, competing to attract the greatest numbers of listeners and viewers. In offices, industries and businesses we see new job openings, new products are put on the market and new clothing fashions are showcased in store windows.
These are realities that are seen throughout society. But what about me personally? Does the arrival of September signal as many «endings» as «beginnings»? Is the arrival of fall a time where I find myself alone while the arrival of spring, followed by summer, was an occasion of openness to others, and to the Other?
As for my presence to others, certainly, during the following months, I will have to experience this presence differently. In fact, outdoor gatherings are out of the question. It will have to be done inside, sheltered from the wind and the rain. It is up to me to see that the quality of these meetings is at the same level as the ones I have experienced during summer. During these meetings, I have to bring along the warmth and the sunlight that summer blended in during the summer meetings. Only the encounter with the Other can put in me this light and this warmth. How can this be done?
Just as the children and teenagers that are experiencing their return to school, it is by living a «return» to oneself that we will discover more the Other, who is, and wants to be, a source of light and warmth in our lives. The Other is right there, present in us. He is more present to us than we are to ourselves. All we have to do is «go in» to our inner selves in order to «see». The end of spring and the arrival of summer with its sun, its warmth and all its activities made us go out of ourselves just as it made us go out of our homes. Just like the arrival of September and fall make us experience «returns», this time of the year should be one of a return to our inner self where the source of joy and hope, sun and warmth of our lives is present. 
«Pray to your Father who is in that secret place» (Mt 6,6)
Fr. Jean-Jacques Robillard, OP
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