In the Desert

Mark 1: 12-15 “And immediately the Spirit drove Him out into the desert. And He was in the desert forty days and forty nights, and was tempted by Satan; and He was with beasts, and the angels ministered to him. And after that John was delivered up, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying: The time is accomplished, and the Kingdom of God is at hand: repent, and believe the Gospel.”

Father Paul: Asked Jason if he has had any experience of being in “the desert.”

Jason: In the desert he was being tempted when he realized he was being called to be a priest. He was watching: ”The Passion of the Christ” when he heard Jesus say, “Will you help me?” Jason said he already felt like he had given up everything – what else! God said there was still more – let go of all relationships.

Rosemarie: I desire to go to the desert. I could not remain where I was and go to where God wants me to go….from a quiet place in Nazareth to proclaiming the Kingdom of God!

Father Paul: What was Jesus doing in the desert?

Sister Sheila: He had to be quiet, to go into the deepest level of relationship. The desert is such a quiet place with no distractions.

Father Paul: Even though Jesus is God, how is it He has to go to deeper levels of a relationship?

Jason: Grace comes to mind. We have it in us. When He proclaimed: ”The Kingdom is at hand, He said, “It’s ON!”

Father Paul : So, do we know the truth, now we just go and do it? We get some information. “Sophomore” means “Wise Fool.” We get certain truths that haven’t transformed us or integrated into the fullness of our being. Has anyone had this experience where you have one version of the truth and then set off with that?

Ethan: A couple years ago I was in a relationship and was going for other ambitions career-wise. I knew the relationship wasn’t right or what God wanted. I knew God was calling me to something deeper. I wasn’t practicing my Faith. I went to the beach one day and met some people with most of the truth, but it wasn’t a trusted truth. I began making sudden moves. I had to get quiet, still. As the Spirit brought me back to the Catholic Church, I had a fear of where my ambitions were leading me. I had a passion to know what the Truth was. I thought I better go slow. If it’s not coming from God, it can cause a lot of pain for a lot of people.


Gary: The greatest temptations I have ever had are women. I was dating this woman who looked like a supermodel, she was rich, had a limo driver, money and lots of gifts. The Lord drew me out of that. [In a manner of speaking] She wasn’t walking with the Lord, and I couldn’t get her to walk with Him. She had everything! I love the Lord. Now I drive right by her exit. I am happy where the Lord has me now. I need the Lord to the foremost. It’s wrong to love something in this world more than the Lord. That is twisted. The devil had me right where he wanted me. I need to stay with the love the Lord has for me so I can be whole and be okay without women [being more important than the Lord].

Mk 1:12-15 (We’re discussing this verse cited above)

The Word was made Flesh

Jesus as truly human can be seen in the gospel scene after his baptism and led to the desert –– after the long years in private –– leading up to his public mission of our Redemption.

Let the Holy Spirit guide us into the Father’s Will

He is driven into the desert and tempted– we may have the power to pull something off – but God may not be asking us to do so

Msgr. Toby English had been in the Air Force for 4 years, and he could have remained and had an excellent career. He could have continued but let that career go. He had the power to continue in the Air Force. But God may not have been asking him to do so. So instead of just going ahead with that career Msgr. English listened more deeply. Later another life would come into the very place where he let the military career go. He entered the wilderness and listened more deeply for God instead of automatically continuing with what he was able to do. So Msgr. did not re-enlist and followed the deeper grace of God that lead ultimately to the priesthood. He lived a different life by allowing God to live His mission through Msgr. Toby’s deeper call.

When we deeply listen, receive and stay true to God’s deeper call we don’t stay the same as we were – don’t have the same mission – letting the Grace of the Holy Spirit move us –– transform us to the next Place –– as we listen, obey and maybe even turn down lesser paths.

This IS the way of Obedience to God’s Will – we forget we are being transformed in this adventure – all of our relationships are deepening and Christ uniting our mission and His in this adventuring together within us – Part of us, that wants to be egoistically in control, doesn’t particularly like this transforming process –– the Mystery of dying and rising in Christ –– because we are control freaks. Obedience is a deep listening and transformation of ourselves –– and the world.

Who we are is not summed up by the term “rational beings.” Jesus Christ is the Word of God – as Christians we enter into who Christ is and share in His mission. –– The Word of God Made Flesh is who we are as Christians! We share the full inheritance of Christ –

Pope Benedict in His book on Hope tried to shift away from over-focusing on the individual call and response to the Lord – Yes we do have an individual part in our call and response ––we are not co-dependent –– but even our part of our response is in that Love that is relational – the Lord places people in our lives to help us grow together – 3 could hop the fence together whereas individually each could not. Catholic tradition is a Communion of Saints – a movement together in the Lord – this takes a little away from narcissism and super-individualism.

God says: You are my Beloved Son, and with you I am well pleased – sends Christ out into the desert. THIS is the time of fulfillment and yet the times can be dark and low (St John the Baptist is in jail !!!)

Abysmal – an abysmal experience – entering the wilderness. But it is NOT moving out to chaos – some people say it is just about letting go and becoming undone, of going with the flow –– but is NOT. It IS entering into God’s unseen real world of the Holy Spirit. – my egotistic identity and roadmap seems like it is coming undone –through a refining – and entering in Christ to becoming a greater expression of the Word Made Flesh – there is a continuity of “Who I am” in entering the desert now – and there is a difference – through lent in the wilderness we let go of worldly ambitions and ways and by become matured in Christ to continue in His mission, which becomes our own mission …

This is VERY deep but also very shallow (as it is fresh, simple –– of God) As we respond we meet others – whom God has invited and who have responded in living His mission. He has been preparing and unfolding within them the ways of God’s Kingdom on the inside –

At the same time – we invite people to live in this Good News – to stir up this spirit in each other – God has this wonderful choreography to unfold His Kingdom in us together.

Human persons are formed in relationships. Fr Paul was allowing this God who is already Good to unfold His Mystery within him at the same time with others­­­–– Fr Paul and others. Do I need to know exactly what Jesus is doing? No. I do need know that Jesus is active in this mission – If I stay in that Zone, then there is all sorts of freedom as to how that may occur. I don’t have to make the plan or control how that occurs. Let God be God.

God’s longing for Fr Paul to be a Priest is not Fr Paul’s (who does have to not have a human desire for the priesthood). God has an incredible care for His people – God needs to act on others –– through Fr. Paul – Fr. Paul does not have a control panel of discernment – all his charts and graphs flatline – Relationships exists between God and these other Friends of His – Fr Paul is just around and amidst these– Even though Fr Paul doesn’t get it clearly, that’s not the point. God invites trust: – “Just let yourself be transformed by Me – allow yourself to be reformed and allow Me to live My Love relationship with them and you” –

Christ is Our Head and the Wise Man Keeps His Eyes on Him: St Gregory N – Amador

Go into the wilderness as a way of interior prayer – that wilderness may not be geographic as much as interior –

Are you willing to draw others into this union that we have – do you want to grow in Love --? !!!