Lenten Thoughts from drpaulose.com
“The Spirit drove Jesus out into the wilderness and he remained there for forty days, and was tempted by Satan. He was with the wild beasts, and the angels looked after him.” Mk.1:12-13
The true desert, where no one enters, where no one is with you, but where there is only you and God. The theme of the desert recurs throughout the Scriptures and the development of Christian spirituality throughout the ages.
The desert is a powerful place; it is a place where one lives on the edge. It is a place where there is little protection. It is a place where, without the trappings which go with everyday life, one is faced with great and ultimate realities.
In his own life Jesus too knew the need for the desert and for lonely places. The Public Ministry began only after Jesus had spent forty days and forty nights in the desert where he had been driven by the Spirit (Mk.1:12-13.). In the desert Jesus was face to face with the Father and with the demons. In the desert Jesus was open to the goodness of the Father and it was in the desert that he faced the power of evil. The desert brings one to the ultimate questions and personal challenges. At other times in his ministry Jesus withdrew into lonely places to be alone with the Father. Sometimes he took his friends aside to a place where they could be alone
God speaks to us in the great silence of the heart. It is hard to find Christ in crowded places. We need solitude. If your heart is attentive, God allows himself to be seen. In the crowd you will find noise, in the silence you find God.
Aloneness with God is understood as an essential element in spiritual growth.
