Snow had fallen, snow on snow

 

This is the view outside, this morning.    We got snow, though nowhere near the 6-10 inches anticipated.   Now it is bitterly cold, in the teens during the day,  supposed to drop below zero tonight.    And there is a windchill factor as well -- maybe you can see the wind-marks in the snow in the picture.    Though it's past season, Christina Rossetti's poem definitely comes to mind.  

The weather extremes here are extreme, all right, but very different  from the ones in the California mountains.     There we would get snow up to our roofline, and in the summer, occasional wildfire threats.   Here you can get below zero (plus windchill) in the winter and above 100 (plus humidity) in the summer, and tornado threats in the spring and fall.

I feel like there is a spiritual analogy there somewhere, but it appears to have frozen : ).      It probably would be something said better by the poem.   

Since Ash Wednesday arrives in two weeks, how about a random Lenten post from exactly 13 years ago to the day?    It is an address by then-Pope Benedict XVI, a reflection on Hebrews 10:24, which says:

“Let us be concerned for each other,
to stir a response in love and good works” (Heb 10:24)

Pope Benedict XVI writes:  

This first aspect is an invitation to be “concerned”: the Greek verb used here is katanoein, which means to scrutinize, to be attentive, to observe carefully and take stock of something. We come across this word in the Gospel when Jesus invites the disciples to “think of” the ravens that, without striving, are at the centre of the solicitous and caring Divine Providence (cf. Lk 12:24), and to “observe” the plank in our own eye before looking at the splinter in that of our brother (cf. Lk 6:41). In another verse of the Letter to the Hebrews, we find the encouragement to “turn your minds to Jesus” (3:1), the Apostle and High Priest of our faith. So the verb which introduces our exhortation tells us to look at others, first of all at Jesus, to be concerned for one another, and not to remain isolated and indifferent to the fate of our brothers and sisters.

I like that word katanoein.   Strong's lexicon comments:

In the Greco-Roman world, the act of careful observation and contemplation was highly valued, especially in philosophical and educational contexts. The use of κατανοέω in the New Testament reflects this cultural emphasis on thoughtful consideration, urging believers to engage their minds fully in understanding spiritual matters. This aligns with the Jewish tradition of meditation on the Scriptures, where deep reflection on God's word was seen as a path to wisdom and understanding.

The goal, I suppose of careful consideration (even discernment) is to understand and respond, "in love and good works."   This is kind of the opposite of what the internet's public square  seems to be about nowadays, so I think Benedict's message is still very timely.  

Again, I would like to tie the bleak midwinter idea in with the theme-contrast of careful consideration for our fellow humans, through the Incarnation, but it is not happening.   

Stay warm, if you're in this hemisphere!