Patience in the Desert

For forty days Christ suffered in the desert, fasting and depriving Himself of comfort, choosing to undergo hardship and temptation for the sake of teaching us the importance of fortitude, penance, and trust in God alone.  Christ made Himself uncomfortable to show us the importance of doing the same, of not being afraid to do the difficult for the sake of greater sanctification, and to not shy away from suffering which redeems to remain in excessive comfort which weakens.  During Christ’s forty days in the desert He was a model of perseverance as he endured the necessary trial, embodying patience as He waited on His Father to make the next move, in order to lead by example and show us how to use adversity to grow in virtue.

In the same way, especially during this season of Lent, we are called into the desert.  Some of us are called to journey into the desert, leaving behind peace in prayer and letting Christ’s suffering make us uncomfortable, inspiring us to renew our efforts to remain in His grace by reminding us how incredibly unworthy of Him we are.  Others of us are already in the desert, struggling to make it through, thirsting intensely for a single drop of blood from His side to show us He is still there. In this dryness Lent calls us to unite our sufferings to Our Lord’s, thus being saved through them.  Still, others of us are called to thrust ourselves into the desert that comes with recognizing that something in our lives needs to change, to leave behind the suffering that comes with knowing a difficult, dreadful decision must be made, and take on the trials that come with finally making the decision.  This kind of desert involves a leap of faith, plunging into the barrenness without provisions or directions, literally surrendering it all to His Providence, and trusting that He will guide your paths to their right conclusions, even if the direction you decided to start walking was incredibly far from right.

Each of these struggles, each type of desert, when experienced during this Lenten season and united to Christ’s own desert tribulation, becomes a sanctification.  Each trial can become a wellspring of grace, and at the end of each desert there is the promise of respite.  For some this Lenten dryness may only be a continuation of a spiritual low-point which seems to have no end; for them, Lent is a reminder that the desert will end, that even in the desert life can be found, and if they only hold on to the Father as Christ did, He will send angels to minister to them as well, when the time is right.  For those who choose to seek out the desert, because their spirituality has been on a high and they are ready for new, rigorous ways to awaken new parts of their soul, the desert is humbling, for even Christ could not go through the desert without suffering, and even their shining souls can profit from the buffering of the sands of sacrifice.  And for those who walked into the desert, hearts already in pain, and knowing the way was only going to grow harder before it became easier, this is the time for patience.

Patiently wait upon God, in faith await His guiding hand, He will not allow you to perish on the way.  He holds you in the palm of His hand, and whether He uses the desert to guide you back to true path you left behind, or to reveal a new way to you, you will be stronger for having braved the desert, and He will reward your faith.  May we all, at our different stages of the journey and within our different deserts, join together under the Holy Church, embrace her liturgical seasons and the lessons they are meant to teach, and emerge from the desert strengthened in faith, proven in hope, and full of love for God and neighbor, love we are ready to extend in the spirit of Christ’s sacrifice.

God bless you all on your Lenten journeys!