When the Snow Melts Away…a Lenten Thought

Here in Chicago, we had a blizzard in February that dumped 20 inches of snow. Most of it is gone now, melting in the ever-so-slowly rising temperatures. Occasionally, however, one comes across the vestiges of a huge mountain of snow left behind by the snow plows. Underneath all of that snow, what do we find? Lots of MUCK! (see pic below) It soon becomes apparent that it’s time for spring cleaning!

It seems to me that this is a good image for Lent, especially the notion of fasting (giving things up). The reason we do this is to remove the clutter from our lives…clutter that creeps in without us noticing as the year goes on. Fasting and giving things up is like allowing that snow to melt away. It opens our eyes to that which has been under the surface. We find some MUCK in our souls but we also find the beauty that’s been hidden. With a little spring-cleaning, we’ll look good as new for Easter! Have a good 2nd week of Lent!

About Joe Paprocki 2742 Articles
Joe Paprocki, DMin, is National Consultant for Faith Formation at Loyola Press, where, in addition to his traveling/speaking responsibilities, he works on the development team for faith formation curriculum resources including Finding God: Our Response to God’s Gifts and God’s Gift: Reconciliation and Eucharist. Joe has more than 35 years of experience in ministry and has presented keynotes, presentations, and workshops in more than 100 dioceses in North America. Joe is a frequent presenter at national conferences including the Los Angeles Religious Education Congress, the Mid-Atlantic Congress, and the National Conference for Catechetical Leadership. He is the author of numerous books, including the best seller The Catechist’s Toolbox, A Church on the Move, Under the Influence of Jesus, and Called to Be Catholic—a bilingual, foundational supplemental program that helps young people know their faith and grow in their relationship with God. Joe is also the series editor for the Effective Catechetical Leader and blogs about his experiences in faith formation at www.catechistsjourney.com.

2 Comments

  1. I love the analogy.
    I love how the “muck” melts and spring flowers come up!
    Our Lent/fasting/almsgiving/prayer gives us new life in Baptism. Just like the feeling I get when I see the first crocuses pop up!

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