“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.” (Eccl. 3:1)
On the ‘Lord’s Day’ we have the first day of Autumn, the equinox, when light and darkness are equal.  Of course we all recognize the Latin meaning of ‘equinox’?  “Equal night.”  Some say this season is nothing more than a short interlude between summer and the dreaded winter.  As the harvest begins in earnest, giving us a visual picture of the abundance our rural land can bring forth, and how such ‘feeds the world,’ there is more to this season as our Creator intends. 
Sr. Marie Paul Curley explores the spiritual richness of Autumn in her article, Autumn as a Metaphor for the Spiritual Life.  “The bittersweet richness of autumn in nature has made it my favorite season, because it always seems to speak to wherever I am in the spiritual life. Autumn is a season where change is perhaps most striking in nature. Above all, autumn is a season for the strenuous work of reaping and harvesting, and for enjoying the fruits of the harvest. All the aspects of the season of autumn are connected to the most stark result at its end:  the death or seeming-death of the natural world surrounding us, so much so that it changes from rich shades of green to a dull brownish-gray. What is so powerful about this aspect of autumn is that, if seen as part of the whole of all four seasons of the year, autumn also becomes a time of preparing for new life. Clearing the gardens and even planting the bulbs which will stay buried deep in the ground all through winter, but will burst through and blossom in the spring. In our spiritual lives, we can be going through “autumn” when we are living a time of transition—with something ending and something else beginning. It is a time to recognize the gifts and graces that we have received—and their transitoriness gives a special intensity to our gratitude. The spiritual season of autumn can be a time for a fresh start, but it can also be a time of loss accompanied by grief and a sense of emptiness. It can be a time of hidden preparation for something that we cannot yet imagine. . . We witness and benefit from this self-emptying love of Christ every time we participate at Mass. . . .Following Christ means that we are called, in a way, to always live in the “spirit” of autumn—that generous, self-giving spirit that lets go—when it is time—to whatever is precious and to allow ourselves—like a brilliant maple leaf—to float to the ground, trusting in God’s loving care.”
Undoubtedly the weeks of winter encroaches too soon, but Autumn remains a time positioned by our Creator for a deeper purpose and reflection of life.  Much like the leaves changing colors in the ensuing days.  Within those autumn leaves there is a symbolism: brown reflects stability, protection, endurance, and simplicity; red indicates passion, determination, love, and adventure; Orange is a sign of  balance, warmth; and yellow denotes the gentle and piercing light in the darkness.  And the less common purple leaves symbolizes our  imagination, transformation and wisdom.  All such leaves that will in turn nurture the ground, also provides us a fragment of the diversity of ‘life’ our Creator is preparing for us.
Liturgically the season of Autumn harbors the feast day of St. Francis (Oct. 4th): “Remember, when you leave this earth you take with you nothing you have received, only what you have given;” St. Luke (Oct. 18) “Remember the past, plan for the future, but live for today, because yesterday is gone and tomorrow may never come;”  All Saints Day (Nov. 1st) “God creates out of nothing. Wonderful you say. Yes, to be sure, but he does what is still more wonderful: he makes saints out of sinners (Soren Kierkegaard);” All Souls Day (Nov. 2nd) “Since love grows within you, so beauty grows. For love is the beauty of the soul (St. Augustine);” Immaculate Conception of Mary & Our Lady of Guadalupe (Dec. 8th & 12th) “She is more Mother than Queen (St. Therese of Lisieux).”
As we step into this season of change without any foreboding for that which may be just around the corner, we can take to heart St. Francis’ lyrical exclamation, “Let all things their Creator bless,  And worship Him in humbleness.” 
God Bless, Fr. Tim
FYI:  “Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting and autumn a mosaic of them all.” (Stanley Horowitz)