Why Desert?

1^st Sunday of Lent

February 22, 2015

Mark 1:12-15

“At once the Spirit drove him out into the desert (Mark 1:12)”

Today, we are entering the first Sunday of Lent. This liturgical season traditionally serves as a time of preparation for the Paschal triduum and Easter. It is marked by the spirit of repentance and of baptismal renewal. Today’s gospel gives us a foundation why we have forty days of Lent. It is precisely because want to follow Jesus into the desert for forty days. As Jesus was led by the Spirit, we shall open ourselves to the guidance of the Spirit. Then, the big question is: how does it feel to be in the desert?

Honestly, I have never been to any desert. Except through some movies and ‘Google’, the desert experience escapes my senses. But, learning from the bible, we agree that the desert is indeed an important site. In Exodus, Moses and the Israelites journeyed through the desert for forty years before entering the Promised Land. David sought safe refuge in the desert when his enemies pursued him. Then, John the Baptist himself prepared himself in the desert, eating nothing but locust and honey. The desert in biblical world turns to be a place of formation of God’s chosen persons. Yet again, why does it have to be in desert?

Some commentaries mention that desert in Israel is not the kind like in Sahara where the sand seems to cover the entire earth and life is practically impossible. However, desert or wilderness in Israel is unproductive land due to lack of rainfall, and thus, life is still possible. Yet, still Palestine desert is not a child-friendly place since the wild animals found their hiding and it was a belief that the evil spirits lurked for victims. Looking at these features, we can conclude that deserts in Israel can indeed become a training ground. Yet, again what kind of formation we will receive in this kind of place?

 Antonio de Saint-Exupery through the lips of the little Prince once said, “Here is my secret. It is very simple. It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; What is essential is invisible to the eye.” Astonishingly, the author drew inspiration when he was stranded in Saharan desert. It appeared that the utter solitude and deafening emptiness of the desert strip off those complexities and bring us to face our bare humanity. Immersed in this fast-paced and digitalized world, many of us have lost that ability to see what truly matter, and we simply need to go to the desert. I myself knew well of this, as I juggled from reading books, updating my FB status, and browsing the internet, none of these seems truly essential. It is good that I have set aside time for writing this reflection. 

Paulo Coelho started his book ‘Warrior of Light’ with a story of a boy who searched a sound of a bell at the seashore. Initially he heard nothing but waves and he was distracted by the sound, but after sometime, he was no longer distracted and in fact, enjoyed the beauty of the wave. And as he entered into the silence of the sea, he gradually heard the sound of the bell from the deep of the ocean. This is the experience we need; to be in desert. I was lucky enough that I had this desert moment in the novitiate. For almost fourteen months, we were not allowed to have any communication with outside world, no cellphone, no news. But, we survived and even grew as we were confronted with our inner self.

How about lay people who have no privilege to enter the novitiate? The Church has provided this season and we are invited to inhale the spirit of Lent. Do we go to the Church and listen careful to the beautiful readings? Do we really practice fasting and abstinence, and take some distance with our wireless gadgets? Do we spend more time in prayer and personal reflection, and ask what is truly important in our lives? Lenten gives us an opportunity to walk through the wilderness with Jesus and to see the essential that is often invisible to the eyes.

Br. Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP