The trees around here are so beautiful in fall. They have put on color, they have clothed themselves in the garments of red, yellow, orange, rust. And this garment of color, this clothing of beauty is put on just as we enter the coldest and darkest time of year.

And as we too enter more and more into the cold darkness, we can also feel more and more of a  spiritual cold and darkness in our world – the spiritual cold of materialism, meaninglessness, screens and political madness. But just like the trees, we are also called to put on new garments in the face of the spiritual cold- just like the trees every human soul in our time is being called to put on beauty.

But this beauty, the spirit colors that we are asked to put on in the face of the dark, this beauty is not how nice our hair is, or how thin we look, this beauty is not even how physically healthy we are or appear. The beauty we are called to cloth ourselves with is spiritual beauty.

For it is truly beautiful to see a human heart overcome its insecurity, doubts and fears by putting on the shield of Faith. It is truly beautiful to see a human soul overcome its jealously, hate and envy by putting on the breastplate of purity and goodness. It is truly beautiful to see the human spirit put on the belt of truth by discerning and separating what is lower from what is higher in us.

Dear friends, let us become like the beautiful trees and put on true beauty as we enter the coming darkness and cold. For, it is only through the garments of spirit substance that we can protect ourselves from the adversaries. It is only through the beauty of a human heart that is clothed in faith, truth, goodness and peace that we can overcome.