Like the Changing Leaves

If you spent any time outside this past weekend, you’ve probably noticed that more and more leaves have already begun to change, revealing beautiful new colors that we all look forward to seeing every fall.  The way that the leaves on trees change is the chlorophyll breaks down, making the green fade and allowing the reds, yellows, and oranges to show through.  While it appears that the leaves are green most of the year, those other colors have actually been there all along, hidden and masked underneath the green, waiting to be revealed.  The leaves can serve as a metaphor for us as Christians.  The fruits of a life lived for Christ are waiting to be revealed.  If we allow ourselves and our lives to be transformed by Jesus, we will change.  

Each and every one of us is created in the image and likeness of God.  From the moment of our existence, we were created to know, love, and serve Him.  This means that we all have good qualities and fruits present within us that need to be cultivated.  But these Christ-like qualities and traits are often covered up and hidden by our sinfulness.

What if we all allowed our lives to be changed by Jesus, to become more like Him every day?  We would love others better, experience more peace, and be more forgiving, humble, patient, and obedient.  Many times, we fail to live out many of these qualities.  These qualities and traits can often stay covered up by the opposite ones, the selfishness, the pride, the envy, and everything else that is not of God.

So how do we uncover those Christ-like qualities and actions that we were all created with?  We must acknowledge that we cannot become like Jesus on our own and that any good in us is because of Him alone.  We must go to mass, receive the eucharist, go to confession, and spend time in prayer.  Through our efforts and habits in our faith journey, we will see change and become who we were created to be.
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The process of the leaves changing every fall, reveals the bright and beautiful colors that the leaves were created with.  What if we allowed ourselves to be like these leaves, allowing change to take place in ourselves, so that the goodness and beauty we were created with would shine through, ultimately revealing Jesus for others to see.