Are you traveling for the holidays?

If so, you probably already know where you are staying, whether it is with relatives or friends, or you have a reservation at a place of lodging. 

Imagine the stress of hitting the road and not knowing where you will stay, especially at a time when so many others are doing the same thing. And then imagine you are about to give birth at any moment.

That, of course, is what Mary and Joseph faced as they traveled from Nazareth to Bethlehem to register for the census. We know the story well. They arrived in Bethlehem, were unable to find a place to stay, and the Savior of the world was placed in a feeding trough “because there was no room for them in the inn.” (Luke2:7)

Now imagine not having a place to stay every night. That is the plight of the homeless, something I have learned a lot about in my decade at Catholic Charities. In this month of December as we approach the Christmas story, I think more about the basic need of shelter and how so many people continue to find no room in the inn.

I am happy to say that we can find room for a lot of people. On any given night, Catholic Charities sponsors and supports close to 2,000 beds in various types of shelters. 

We have shelters for men, women, and now families as well. We have long-term shelters that some people live in pretty much year-round, and we have temporary housing for those close to getting their own places to live with their families. We have a shelter called Angel’s Watch for people in abusive situations.

In this season of cold weather, we also operate hypothermia shelters, which are opened in recreation spaces and gyms throughout the city to get people out of sometimes dangerous temperatures. 

I want to give credit to D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser for what she has done with vouchers to help people find their own places. There’s been a significant increase in that program over the last few years.

Yet with all that, with all those beds, there are still people who cannot find a place stay. It is shocking and sad that we still have people die in the cold. In some cases, there is no room, and in other cases they prefer the cold to a shelter.

That may seem odd to those of us who have a place to live, but our shelters are not easy places in which to stay. Those who come worry about their personal safety and what few possessions they have being stolen. I have spent nights in shelters, and there is also a tension that comes when trying to sleep surrounded by strangers. 

There are also the underlying reasons for homelessness. Sometimes it is just economic hardship, which is bad enough, but situations are often complicated by mental illness, addictive behavior, and family struggles. 

At Catholic Charities, we are blessed to be able to operate shelters, serve meals and help try to meet the necessities of life.  We recently had a spectacular Thanksgiving celebration sponsored by Pepco. We served a couple hundred people, and those who came went away with coats, personal items, and a great meal for themselves or to share with others. We are doing the same thing this week for Christmas and giving a gift to many of our homeless, providing some measure of dignity by allowing them to purchase things for themselves.

Catholic Charities continues to make every effort to serve our brothers and sisters in need. We do great work, and even with our successes, we still fail to meet the needs of many who are on our streets and in need of assistance. I can’t help but think of Mary and Joseph finding no room in the inn, and 2,000 years later there are still those who because of various circumstances cannot find the shelter they need. 

It is a big and complicated problem, but maybe we can make a difference if each of us helps in even a small way through our time, talents and/or financial support. Some of us may even be able to offer a place to stay until someone gets back on their feet. 

One overlooked person in the Christmas story is the innkeeper. On that night of our Savior’s birth, he offered what he did have to Jesus, Mary and Joseph. It wasn’t ideal, but it worked, and it is the way God chose to become one of us. If we can help even one person find shelter, we have done something great that we know pleases God and brings Jesus into the world once again.

Merry Christmas! 

(Msgr. John Enzler, the president and CEO of Catholic Charities of The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, writes the “Faith in Action” column for the archdiocese’s Catholic Standard newspaper and website and for the archdiocese’s Spanish-language El Pregonero newspaper and website.)