When I went to Catholic Charities DC nearly 15 years ago, my feelings about snowstorms changed.
I loved them as a kid. Didn’t we all?
They meant days off from school and fun outside, sledding, making snowmen, and throwing snowballs. Snowball fights could get pretty chaotic with 13 Enzlers and the neighborhood kids.
Now, though, I am happy that we have finally broken out of the bitter cold and that the snow and ice have begun to melt. Temperatures rarely got above freezing for almost 20 straight days, and we’ve had the longest stretch in decades with snow on the ground.
The prolonged extreme weather got me thinking about those out in the cold and reminded me why I now see winter differently. My feelings changed during my time at Catholic Charities DC because I got to know those very people who were out in it.
I saw them on the streets of the city in the cold. People with no shelter. People who were hungry. I read in the paper that at least three people have tragically died this year from hypothermia.
I suspect – and hope – that many were offered a place in one of the shelters but did not want to go. That’s not uncommon.
Shelters are, of course, critically important. They provide warmth in the winter and air conditioning in the summer. Meals are served. You usually get a bed. Bathrooms are available.
At the same time, they are difficult places to be. You don’t always feel safe or welcome. They are not places where deep friendships easily form. Shelters are places with a lot of anxiety, nervousness, and worry about your safety and what might come next.
I thought a lot about these people while sitting in the warmth of the rectory at St. Bartholomew’s. I don’t know as many of them personally anymore, but I know they are there, and I know their struggles. I pray for them, and I pray for Catholic Charities DC and all who do their best to care for the homeless and the hungry.
I used the storm’s forced time at home as a chance to slow down, catch my breath, and do some things I don't often have as much time for. I read more, and I spent more time in prayer and reflection. That was a blessing.
I was also blessed to celebrate a couple of intimate and special Masses on the Sunday of the storm. There were literally just three or four people who made it to Mass, and we celebrated in a beautiful and quiet way. I don’t often get to exchange the sign of peace with every person at Sunday Mass. The few people who came to those Masses really enjoyed the intimacy and the sense of being so close to God as we sat around the altar.
I also began to think about Lent, a liturgical season in which the Church encourages us to do what the snowstorm did for me – spend more time reading, praying, and drawing closer to God. Lent begins next Wednesday, and I encourage you to start thinking about what you might do as well.
In the Gospel on Ash Wednesday, Jesus tells us about the three great tools for Lent: prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. He reminds us that we are supposed to do them quietly, behind the scenes, without seeking praise or recognition from others. The reward for our efforts comes from God, not the praise of others.
Those three tools – gifts, really – can get us in better touch with God and his presence in our lives. I'm hopeful that we don’t need another snowstorm or any other weather disruptions to fully get into prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.
Let’s use the gift of Lent well, slow down, and engage in these spiritual disciplines. Let’s pray for those who suffer in the cold. Maybe we can give to a charity that supports them. If your parish participates in the Rice Bowl program, maybe your fasting can help provide a donation.
Think now about what you can do this Lent to make it your best Lent ever. That is my goal every year. I don’t always succeed, but I always feel closer to the Lord when we celebrate Easter. That’s my prayer for us all.
(Msgr. John Enzler serves as the mission advocate of Catholic Charities of The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington and is a chaplain at his alma mater, St. John’s College High School in Washington. He writes the Faith in Action column for the archdiocese’s Catholic Standard and Spanish-language El Pregonero newspapers and websites.)
