A Sunday Thought About Autumn to Start the Week Off Right
Our Father in Heaven chooses a palette of the most extraordinary colors each year in autumn, easing us from the lush greens of summer to the stark gray of winter. Just the thought of His sacred artistry makes one wonder how anyone could possibly be an atheist. To do so you've got to suppose this stuff "just happens," more or less by accident. Really?
Well, we Catholics don't have to get tangled up in such nonsense. We know that the beauty that surrounds us in autumn comes directly from Beauty Itself. We thank God each day as the leaves change and the colors intensify to point where you lose your breath beholding His Handiwork. Of course, you've got to make it your business to look up from your phones, tablets, laptops, or whatever other unnatural distractions - including your daily work - keep your eyes from even a few moments of quiet contemplative gaze. But please do.
As for us New Yorkers, we've got a special song about "Autumn in New York" that's become a standard, sung by many if not most of the greats of American pop music. So today we move from Fred and Ginger, with whose singing and dancing we spent a few minutes on each of the last two Sundays, to Frank Sinatra. If you're not familiar with the concept of "The Great American Songbook," a description of the popular music that developed in the early part of the 20th century through the craftsmanship of Kern, Berlin, Gershwin, Porter, et al, and continues to expand through the efforts of a precious few these days, just listen to Frank's version of "Autumn in New York," with an arrangement by the great Nelson Riddle, one of American popular music's most prolific and talented arrangers.
Thank you Father for the breathtaking beauty of autumn, the heartfelt singing of Mr. Sinatra and the supreme musicianship of this arrangement by Nelson Riddle.
So if you're enjoying an extra long "Columbus Day Weekend" or just resting on the Lord's Day, as we should each Sunday, please enjoy a lovely recording of a great American song in the hands of two of American popular music's masters.
Well, we Catholics don't have to get tangled up in such nonsense. We know that the beauty that surrounds us in autumn comes directly from Beauty Itself. We thank God each day as the leaves change and the colors intensify to point where you lose your breath beholding His Handiwork. Of course, you've got to make it your business to look up from your phones, tablets, laptops, or whatever other unnatural distractions - including your daily work - keep your eyes from even a few moments of quiet contemplative gaze. But please do.
As for us New Yorkers, we've got a special song about "Autumn in New York" that's become a standard, sung by many if not most of the greats of American pop music. So today we move from Fred and Ginger, with whose singing and dancing we spent a few minutes on each of the last two Sundays, to Frank Sinatra. If you're not familiar with the concept of "The Great American Songbook," a description of the popular music that developed in the early part of the 20th century through the craftsmanship of Kern, Berlin, Gershwin, Porter, et al, and continues to expand through the efforts of a precious few these days, just listen to Frank's version of "Autumn in New York," with an arrangement by the great Nelson Riddle, one of American popular music's most prolific and talented arrangers.
Thank you Father for the breathtaking beauty of autumn, the heartfelt singing of Mr. Sinatra and the supreme musicianship of this arrangement by Nelson Riddle.
So if you're enjoying an extra long "Columbus Day Weekend" or just resting on the Lord's Day, as we should each Sunday, please enjoy a lovely recording of a great American song in the hands of two of American popular music's masters.
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