The Monthly Note
June 2011
God and the Weather
by Hervé Tremblay, O.P.
It’s a well known fact…we are criticizers. And if there is a field where we particularly excel at that, it’s truly the weather, «our national sport». I still hear my mother and my aunts lamenting: each winter was always the worse one we had seen; each summer the worse we had seen! Frankly, we are not wrong. Our country is one of extremes: from -25 in January to +35 in July, with all possibilities in between.
So I say one thing: a country of extremes should produce a strong people, capable of resisting and adapting to all climates. Instead of criticizing, we should fight back and adapt. A friend of mine always says: «There is no bad weather, only bad clothes».
When we look at it, beyond our criticizing, we are that, already: strong, resistant and adapted. When I rethink of my mother and my aunts…yes they would spend winter and summer criticizing, but they would pull up their sleeves and work, summer and winter.
Our spiritual life should be a reflection of what our country does for us. Not criticizers and beggars, but strong and courageous Christians, trusting in God’s presence and help, He who works with us in the most scorching heat and in the most intense cold.
Fr Hervé Tremblay, o.p., professor at the Dominican College.
