Dear ones of St. Columba's,

First this week, a confession: I'm afraid of spiders. It's not a reasonable fear - I am perfectly well aware that most spiders are harmless to me, and that they do a world of good for us in terms of catching pesky insects. I don't mind them much outside, especially this time of year when the morning dew adorns the beautiful webs of the orb spiders as they wait for prey. But this is a difficult time of year for me when it comes to indoor spiders. I brace myself each fall for the wolf spiders that come trolling through looking for mates, and the daddy long-legs that seem to appear out of nowhere. I put peppermint oil at all my home's entry points (which helps!) and still marvel at how the biggest spiders reliably show up when there is no one home to help me dispose of them.

There's one spider I'm not afraid of. She is so tiny, smaller than the fingernail on my pinkie, which helps. But I love this spider because of where she lives - in our altar. St. Columba's has always had a teensy little altar spider (or spiders, probably but I have only ever seen one at a time), a wee thing that will occasionally pop out from under the chalice as I am setting the table, or scuttle across the white linen, barely visible, when I am setting the altar book. I am always glad to see her, and careful to move her safely away from our holy meal. This tiny little life reminds me that God's creation is both beautiful and unpredictable. Sometimes when I spot the spider (and it's not every week) she reminds me of the Holy Spirit, present when we least expect her. Our altar spider also reminds me that we worship a God who can be both infinitely big and infinitely small. The Bible tell us there is no bird whose demise God doesn't know about, no tear that falls that God cannot see, and hold, and know. 

This week we are remembering St. Francis, the patron saint of Creation, a man who lived as if he were siblings with all the life that God has made. It's a good time to see our world as full of life - which also means that our world is full of God. This Sunday we will bless all the animals we love, creatures made by God who bring us so much joy, in the opportunities we have to care for them. May their presence bring us closer to the God who made all things, great and small. 

with care and gratitude,

Alissa