“What did you go into the desert to see?” – Mt. 11:7
As we once again begin the season of Lent, the first image which the Church gives to us is that of the desert. Although we are accustomed to using the term “desert”, the Hebrew notion is better communicated through “wilderness.” When the Israelites went into the desert after leaving Egypt, there were not going into a place of exclusive solitude and emptiness. They traveled through a land of conflict, facing danger from beasts, from lack of resources, and from enemies. For them, however, the desert was ultimately not a place of separation from God, but a place of encounter with Him, a place where the desires of their hearts were revealed and purified. It was
in that conflict, in that strife, that the people of Israel learned of God’s mercy and plan for them.
The Biblical experience calls to mind St. Anthony the Great, the founder of monasticism. As a well-off young Christian man living in the late 3rd century, it seemed as though he had everything that he needed. And yet, after hearing the words of our Lord: “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me,” Anthony left his life, left his possessions, and ventured into the desert. He was not seeking penance or suffering for its own sake, but, in that great and fearful wilderness, he sought God. Being separated from all that he had left behind, surrounded by wild beasts, and harassed by temptations and demons, he allowed Jesus Christ to win the victory in him, rebuffing every attack by the words of our Savior who first ventured into the desert for us. His witness began a movement of Christians forsaking their belongings and going into the desert to find God in the dramatic conflict of prayer and of fasting.
This is the purpose of our own fasting and prayer, of creating our own little desert wilderness within the season of Lent. We are not seeking to punish ourselves or to make our lives harder, but to learn to see God and to know our own relationship with Him. These little deserts can help us to prepare for the real deserts of our lives, those times when we feel that God is simply standing far off. We all face times of intense conflict that will challenge us to the very depths of our being. But within that struggle, we are invited once again to encounter Jesus Christ, who entered into this world to show us God.
Peter Binder, Seminarian Intern
Blessed Sacrament Waterloo 