The Desert Weekly Summary
Week Eight Summary (Feb 19 - 23, 2024)
Monday
We learnt that a desert experience is an integral part of any hero’s journey. It usually occurs after the call to a great mission. ‘The Spirit drove Jesus out into the wilderness’. It connotes that Jesus did not plan on going into the desert but he was driven by The Holy Spirit. This is very characteristic of our desert experiences. We do not plan our wilderness experiences. We were happily going along our journey in life when suddenly we are driven into the wilderness by some unforseen occurance.
Tuesday
We feel insecure, lost and abandoned. Our ego, which so often controls our behavior, loses its grip on us. We feel frightened as the future is uncertain. Our mind goes into overdrive, filled with imaginings and a multitude of options to get out of the desert. It is in this state that St Mark’s Gospel tells us that Satan will come and tempt us, we will be with wild beasts, but that we can be assured of the help of angels. Satan’s temptations are crafty deceptions, he offers us ways out of the desert while avoiding the hard work of transformation.
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Wednesday
St Mark tells us that there were angels in the desert ministering to Jesus as he faced Satan and the wild beasts. In Catholic theology, angels hold a profound and mystical significance. Rooted in sacred texts and centuries of theological reflection, the understanding of angels is both rich and nuanced. When we face desert experiences, we are not alone, we are being ministered to by angels. We can interpret angels to be the actual angels that accompany us, and also persons who act like angels in our lives, persons who walk with us during our wilderness experiences guiding us and supporting us.
Thursday
Carlo Carretto, a religious brother, offers profound insights gleaned from his solitary life in the Sahara Desert. He emphasizes that the desert takes us away from the noise and distractions of the world to find our inner selves and connection with the divine. The desert leads us to transformation. We learn new skills and attitudes that we would need for the mission beyond the desert.
Friday
As soon as Jesus emerges from the desert he embarks on his mission of preaching the good news of the kingdom to the people in the towns and villages of Galilee. Experiences in the desert have historically led individuals to profound spiritual insights and often catalyzed their missions or ministries. The desert serves as a crucible for spiritual transformation and discernment of God's will, ultimately leading us to a clearer sense of mission or purpose in life.
Thank you for walking with us this last week. We enjoyed your company. Today is a good day to review the lessons we have learnt along the way. We hope it was an impetus to transformation. We invite you to be an affiliate evangelizer by sharing the posts with family and friends. Please invite them to subscribe so they can get these posts in their inbox. Tomorrow we start a week reflecting on the Transfiguration as told in St Mark’s Gospel.