Darn, I did it again! Twice in this same winter season, I did it.  I lost one of my mittens.  That is to say, I’ve lost two mittens this winter; each time, the left hand one! I’m not quite sure how this is happening as one would think that I would notice it missing in a relatively short period of time and recover it quickly.  Alas, lost mittens, like lost socks, are one of the great mysteries of human existence!  

Goodness, though, how I miss my mitten!  You see, I do have several sets of warm gloves in my bin, but quite honestly, gloves just don’t cut it, even in a mild Minnesota winter.  I realize that I don’t have to explain the difference between mittens and gloves to those who live in the north, but for those in warmer climes who may not know the “felt” difference between the two, there really is a significant difference. 

Gloves, obviously, separate each finger from the others and insulate each digit against the cold. Mittens, on the other hand (catch the pun?), allow all the fingers to buddy up next to each other, insulating the whole hand, with the exception of the lonely, bold, black sheep thumb. Indeed, invariably when it is very cold, I allow my thumb to slip out of its protective sleeve and cozy up next to its digital siblings. Long story short: if you don’t want cold fingers (and thumbs), wear mittens, not gloves. And now I have two right hand mittens, residing forlornly in my mitten basket, destined forever to lives of desperate yearning for their respective partners! Oh, the world for a mitten!

Now, I really must get to the point! Most of us human beings are like fingers (or thumbs). We do best when we have some protection against the sometimes cold, hard world in which we live. So, like fingers in a glove, we insulate our lives with homes and jobs and bank accounts and countless other things that protect us from the harshest realities of the world. We claim these sources of protection as good, even as blessings in our lives.  And, indeed, they are. Truth be told, yes, gloves do provide a certain level of protection. 

But what if these same sources of protection separate us from others? What if, in our best efforts to stave off the harshness of the world, we become separated from those who don’t have any protection? And what effect does insulating our lives from those of others cause our own lives to be less “warm,” less joyful, less meaningful? And if we are, indeed, living our lives like fingers in a glove, is there a better way?

The mitten! Three cheers for the mitten! Instead of insulating our lives from all others, we may instead come alongside others for both protection and fellowship. Most of our lives, like fingers in a mitten, are best lived alongside others who may provide support, accountability and love. Not only may we receive the warmth of others, but we are given the opportunity to share our warmth with others. For the vast majority of us, life together is vastly more joyful than life apart.

The Church is like a big mitten, and we are all fingers in the mitten, doing our best to stay warm and share our warmth with others.  The mitten may be old and worn.  It most certainly has holes and snags that require us to patch and darn. It may look ridiculous to others who don’t understand. But never doubt the power of the mitten. For many of us, we can’t live without it.

~Father Art