Desert sojourn, a honeymoon with the Lord
By Fr. Peter Fennessy, SJ
Frank J. Girardin, Desert Landscape (1926), oil on canvas, 20 × 30 inches, private collection.
The Jews spent 40 years in the desert, and so “40” came to signify a time of prayer, preparation and perhaps penance. Moses, Elijah and Jesus all fasted for 40 days, and also in the desert.
The desert became a special place for Israel. Their sojourn in the desert, despite difficulties, was a honeymoon with the Lord. When later Israel became unfaithful, God declared He would allure her into the desert and speak tenderly to her heart, and she would respond to Him as in the days of her youth (Hosea 2:14-15). Today we begin 40 days of Lent, and Jesus invites us to come apart with Him into a desert place and rest awhile (Mk 6:31).
Those who venture into the desert must leave the superfluous behind, travel with the bare necessities and depend on God alone. They must enter its solitude and silence to hear the small still voice of God. They must encounter the demons that are there and those they bring with them, discover their deceptions and resist their temptations as Jesus did. The desert is a place of purification and conversion, but rain from heaven can make even our desert bloom into newness of life.