Alan and Andrea* used to come regularly to our Convent in England to ask for a bag or two of food from our food pantry, a cup of coffee and a sandwich. Over time we came to know that they were brother and sister and lived together in a small apartment on the other side of Leeds. They had heard about us from some friends of theirs and they needed our help most especially with food. They were humble, simple people, both respectful and kind but it was plain to see that they had experienced a hard life and were most likely struggling from some type of addiction. The other fact we came to know was that they had never heard the Gospel. They had a sense of God, but had never been exposed to the Christian faith. We could see though, that they were open – that they desired to hear about Jesus and they knew we had something more to give them than food.
When Alan and Andrea came to our door each week, the sister who greeted them would spend a little bit of time talking about their day, what they were struggling with and offer them a word of hope and encouragement to bring their needs and hurts to Jesus. They were offered holy cards and medals of Our Lady or the saints, and they eagerly received them. We prayed with them and taught them the sign of the cross. Week by week,
month by month, the sisters were bringing the Gospel in little ways and with sincere love to Alan and Andrea. They considered us friends and trust was being built over time.
One Christmas, Andrea dropped off a card for us. We had helped them get space heaters for their apartment and they wanted to thank us. The note she wrote was so touching that I saved it in a file with other mementos from the poor we serve. On one side of the card she said, “To Sisters, Lots of Christmas wishes to you all and loads of New Year thought, from Andrea” – on the other side she wrote, “God should be proud to have you working on behalf of him. So thank you to all of you because without you a lot of people would be lost. Thank you from everybody.”
About a month later, we received a phone call from Alan. He shared with us the very tragic news that Andrea had suddenly passed away. He woke up one morning in their apartment and found her. He was inconsolable and we were all in shock. As he continued to pour out his heart in grief, he shared a conversation that he had with Andrea a few weeks prior. She had said out of the blue that if she went before him, she would send snow to let him know that she was okay. The part about “sending snow” is what took us all aback. I can
count on my hand how many times it snowed in England over the ten years that I lived there – to say it was rare is accurate. Rain, yes – snow, very seldom. Well, the day after Andrea died, we had a blizzard of snow in Leeds – so much so that the highway was shut down and we were unable to get to the friary in Bradford to help with their soup kitchen. We all thought, Andrea must be okay! She must be more than okay; she must have been received into the arms of Jesus – the Jesus she had met through the love of the sisters. She came to know Him and we trust that He welcomed her. The snow became a sign of God’s mercy and consolation to all of us.
Sadly, we found out much later that Andrea had died of a drug overdose. This was devastating to Alan, but we continued to reach out to him and remind him of the Lord’s goodness and infinite mercy – through the story of the snow. The Lord was speaking to Alan, and to us, in a profound way that none of us are out of reach of receiving His infinite
mercy and love. We must all turn in trust to the Merciful Heart of Jesus.
In the Diary of St. Faustina, she writes what the Lord spoke to her, “I have opened My Heart as a living fountain of mercy. Let all souls draw life from it. Let them approach this sea of mercy with great trust. Sinners will attain justification, and the just will be confirmed in good. Whoever places his trust in My mercy will be filled with My divine peace at the hour of death.” Our hope is in His merciful heart, and hope will not disappoint. God bless you during this holy Lenten season!
*Names changed for anonymity
Sr. Catherine Mary, CFR