40 days in the desert of our lives

Lent reminds us of the 40 years of wandering the Israeli people spent in the desert. It is also a commemoration of the 40 days our Lord Jesus spent in the wilderness, fasting and praying, and being tempted by the devil.

The desert, as we know, is the place where, stripped of all that normally nourishes and supports us, we are exposed to chaos, raw fear, and demons of every kind. In the desert we are exposed, body and soul, made vulnerable to be overwhelmed by chaos and temptations of every kind. But, precisely because we are so stripped of everything we normally rely on, this is also a privileged moment for grace. Why? Because all the defense mechanisms, support systems, and distractions that we normally surround ourselves with so as to keep chaos and fear at bay work at the same time to keep much of God’s grace at bay. What we use, to buoy us up, wards off chaos and grace, demons and the divine alike.

Conversely, when we are helpless we are open. That is why the desert is both the place of chaos and the place of God’s closeness. It is no accident that many saints and martyrs felt God’s presence so unmistakably just at that point in their lives where they had lost everything that could support them. They were in the desert. Scripture assures us that it is there that God can send angels to minister to us.

Have a prayerful Lent.