FSC Associate Article
The Seasons of Our Lives - Presenter: Sr. Joyce Shanabarger - August 22, 2026
By Mary Mosser, FSC Associate
Sr. Joyce started her presentation with the Scripture passage from Ecclesiastes 3:1–8, reminding us that every human experience has its proper time and season. The passage served as a bridge to her presentation, which showed how our lives move through seasons of change and growth.
The first season of our lives is Spring, when we form our container – our identity and boundaries. Our identity starts with our “birth lottery”: the time and place where we were born, the family we entered, and the country we were born into. We don’t choose the results of our birth lottery; they are given to us by God.
Sr. Joyce Shanabarger
Angels Announcing Christ's Birth to the Shepherds (Govert Flinck, 1639 )
Sr. Joyce invited us to reflect on this early season of our lives. She encouraged us to consider the pieces that formed our container – the influences and circumstances that shaped us in our early years. She offered questions to guide our reflection: What was your childhood like? Does your family tell any stories about your birth or about your name? What faith, if any, was passed along to you? What were some of the milestones and rites of passage that shaped your growing-up years?
We also reflected on Jesus’ “birth lottery” and the circumstances that formed His container. Jesus’ birth was announced by an angel, and He was born into an occupied country to His mother Mary and His foster father Joseph. One of Jesus’ early rites of passage was traveling to Jerusalem with His parents and staying behind in the Temple to speak and listen to the teachers.
The next season of our lives is Summer when we begin to build up our container. In this season, we answer the question – “Who am I?” We pursue advanced education or professional training. We transition into our first “real” job. We figure out who will go with us on our life’s journey – a partner, children, a religious community, or we make the choice to live a single life. We face religious struggles and encounter people with views that differ from our own. We advance in our career and receive promotions.
In Jesus’s Summer season, the number of His followers grew as He performed miracles and became a successful preacher, an influencer, and a miracle worker. Jesus’ rites of passage in this season were calling the Twelve Apostles, His Baptism in the Jordan River, and His temptation in the desert.
The Baptism of Christ in the River Jordan (Károly Markó, 1841)
Agony in the Garden, (Giovanni Bellini, 1465)
When we reach the Fall season, our container is full and we begin to let go of what we’ve built up. We are comfortable with who we are and we’re ready to give back. Yet, this season isn’t without struggle. We encounter suffering along the way – the loss of a loved one, the loss of a job or the pain of watching our children struggle. We face challenges of faith. We become more aware of poverty and injustice in the world and develop deeper empathy for others. One rite of passage in this season is the suffering we learn to carry. We realize that it’s okay to sit with God in quiet stillness and our prayers shift to become more contemplative.
Jesus also faced challenges in the Fall season of His life. The threats against Him were greater, tensions grew, and He became more controversial. During Jesus’ Fall season, John the Baptist was executed. Even after John the Baptist’s death, Jesus continued to teach the people and perform miracles. At the end of His Fall season, Jesus experienced the Agony in the Garden.
The Winter season is the final stage of our lives when we begin to empty our containers. In this season, we share the wisdom we’ve gathered, and we find ourselves listening more than speaking. We come to terms with our limits — accepting the realities of aging, the slower pace of elderhood, and the need for help in ways we didn’t need help before. Our friends may be downsizing, moving to warmer climates, or transitioning to assisted living. Prayer becomes more contemplative, and we make peace with the mysteries we will never fully understand in this life. We also learn to let go of old hurts and expectations. In Jesus’ Winter season, His container was completely full, and He emptied it for our benefit. He gave His life away so that we can have new life.
As Sr. Joyce brought her presentation to a close, she invited us to consider how we might give our love away as Jesus did. We then prayed once more the passage from Ecclesiastes 3:1–8. We carried Sister’s message into Our Lady of Victory Chapel for Mass, where we, the Associates, made our spiritual recommitment. By renewing our dedication to the prayer, life, mission, and ministry of the Franciscan Sisters of Chicago and to the example of St. Francis of Assisi and Mother Mary Theresa Dudzik, we embraced the call to share God’s love in every season of our lives.