The past two weeks we have witnessed the coming of winter a bit later than we may have wanted. I suspect most people, even those who dislike (or abhor) the winter season, would welcome, or at least tolerate, it more readily if it decorated the days of Christmas with a blanket of beautiful snow. That was not the case this past year of 2023 which hosted one of the mildest winters on record.

Approximately one month later however, winter came with a furious display of ice, snow and wind, not to mention dangerously cold temperatures. How can something so lovely also be so life threatening. Perhaps that is the mystery and paradox of the winter season. In his essay Concio Hyemalis. A Winter Sermon, author William Cooper observes that:

Winter makes us withdraw from the world; it pinches, disable, tempts us to neglect our duties, and threatens us with an inward cold – suggesting a loss of love for God and others. Yet winter also nudges us toward God, for in the bitterest cold life continues, and we edge slowly but surely toward the coming of spring.

In these few lines, I believe Cooper captures what many people experience on a deep interior level during these months, but are not able to express in words. The powerful and extreme character of winter, compels us to discover and cling to a reality that is even more powerful than itself – the reality of God. And as we acknowledge the God who fashioned all times and season, we take comfort in believing that even the severity of winter must bow low before the one Creator and Ruler of the universe.

But there is another gift that winter offers us – the opportunity to hunker down within our homes and our hearts to be still in the darkness and to dream. All of us naturally dream during the nighttime of sleep. Why wouldn’t we also dream in those dark days that leads up to the Winter Solstice and in the weeks that follow, even though daylight is said to increase in tiny increments after December 21. I know of people who become quite prolific in January and February precisely because winter confronts them forcefully opening the doors of their imaginations like no other time of the year.

As a nation, we rightfully honor the memory of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in the month of January. Most of us have probably heard those grainy recordings of his famous “I Have A Dream” speech that Dr. King gave in 1963 from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. Dr. King’s repeated refrain “I have a dream,” echoes in our heads inviting us to participate in his sacred dream that one day all men and women will recognize their universal dignity as children of God. It is a recognition that necessarily leads to action.

Dreaming is also one of the recurring images found in the writings and public addresses of Pope Francis. The Holy Father laments the absence of dreaming that, all too often is evident, in today’s world, especially among the youth. In the Pope’s mind, if young people are not dreaming of possibilities and ways to better our world, then there will be little hope for the future.

Providentially, this year’s Parish Mission from February 18 – 21, will focus on our need to dream. It’s title, Let us Dream the Path to a Better Future, reflects the mission’s content which is directly spun out of Pope Francis’ urgent call for all of us. Our Mission Director will be Father Jack Conley, a Passionist priest, who has devoted his entire ministerial life to leading parish missions across our nation, one of which he lead here at St. Joan of Arc about ten years ago. Fr. Jack is a dynamic speaker who consistently offers unique and profound insights born of wisdom and deep prayerfulness. Please mark your calendars and commit yourself to being a part of this annual event that enriches our Lenten season thus preparing us for the joyful celebration of Easter.

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