S2 E7: Into the Desert

Transcript

Carol Vassar:

I'm Carol Vassar, and this is Living in Faith, Hope & Love. Each week. Father Mark Suslenko, senior priest of the Archdiocese of Hartford, Connecticut, delves into scripture and shares insights from the saints, prophets, and theologians, and discusses practical ways to cultivate faith, strengthen hope, and embody love in the world around us. Through his reflections and spiritual encouragement. This podcast aims to inspire you to live your Catholic faith with joy and purpose. Welcome.

Carol Vassar:

There are moments in life when the ground shifts beneath our feet; when loss, uncertainty, or disappointment leave us feeling as though we’ve been led into a desert. Yet the Church, in her wisdom, also invites us into a desert by choice. Lent is not a punishment, but a pilgrimage. In this episode of the podcast, Father Mark reflects on that pilgrimage of self-discipline, honesty, and prayer, and how it renews and reshapes our lives.

Father Mark Suslenko:

Life has a way of throwing us into desert experiences. We're going along with things being somewhat normal, following the course of events in our lives, and then all of a sudden the bottom comes out, and we find ourselves in a different place, struggling with some heartache and wondering who we are and what life is really all about.

This can often happen when we lose our spouse. Having a partner for the whole of life, and suddenly this significant other is gone. Where does that leave me now in the mix of the world?

Lent also presents us with a desert experience, but it's a desert experience that we're called to choose, and we're called to choose a walk into the desert for 40 days.

Why?

Because as human beings, we can get very wrapped up in life and find ourselves going down a river that we really don't want to be down. Life has a way of captivating us, not with the things of God's love, but with worldly lures and attractions we can find ourselves very easily frustrated. Reaching for too much success. Constantly striving for and wanting more money. Worrying about our self-image: what people think about me, how I present myself. We can get wrapped up with success. Often, our souls get burdened with worry and anxiety. So much so that it really erodes our peace and begins to lead us into despair. We can easily struggle with ourselves, and we're not very good at finding our own axis around which to shape my world, understand my life, and find a course to move forward.

And so, Lent presents us with this desert, and at the time for some reflection and some introspection to clear away some of those cobwebs that can easily become a part of our lives. We wrestle with greed. We're gluttonous. We have a big problem with pride. Many of us struggle with lust. We can easily find ourselves getting angry, bitter. We can find ourselves being apathetic. So, the desert allows us to look at ourselves with honesty and to do an assessment of where I am, who God is, and where I'm really meant to be.

Let's face it, we all deal with temptation. We're tempted by physical needs and desires. We're tempted in our relationship with God, sometimes approaching that relationship, seeking signs and proofs of God's presence rather than just putting ourselves at God's mercy and accepting God's will.

We struggle with the allure of power and success. There's something about being on top, of making sure I have everything I need and more before I can experience a sense of inner peace.

In these desert experiences, we're not meant to be comfortable and happy all of the time. Desert places are lonely. Desert places are dry. Desert places are uncomfortable. It's not really what we would choose for ourselves, but it's what we need. And this art of self-discipline allows us to see ourselves with honesty for who we are and where we've come. It allows ourselves to encounter God as God is, and not as we wanna fashion and make him to be.

A wonderful man by the name of St. John Chrysostom, even though he lived centuries ago, offers us timeless wisdom in terms of our spiritual lives. He says that our spirit should always be quick to reach out for God, not only in times of meditation, but at all times when we're carrying out our daily duties.

A relationship with God is meant to be a partnership, a connection. Prayer is supposed to enlighten our eyes with light so that we see the truth and not what illusion the world is trying to get us to see. A habit of prayer allows us then to be seasoned with the salt of God's love, and then our works will be seasoned with the salt of God's love.

So, what can this desert experience encounter for us? How can it change us? It can teach us the prayer of the heart, and I'm not talking about the daily prayer, as we say, or our fixed times of meditation. I'm talking about carrying our relationship with God into all of the facets and comings and goings of our lives: as we're doing our dishes, as we're getting ready for work, as we're interacting with coworkers, as we're in school. Wherever we find ourselves and whatever we may be doing, our spirit should be quick to reach out to God, if only with a simple act of love, a simple glance of grace, a simple request for mercy and for guidance. In doing so, we will find ourselves more fixed on who we are as sons and daughters of God, who we are as a person, what the meaning of life is really all about, and what we ought to be doing and accomplishing as Christians who believe in Jesus Christ.

The desert is before us for 40 days. Are we ready to go?

Carol Vassar:

Father Mark Suslenko is a senior priest with the Archdiocese of Hartford, Connecticut. If you like what you've heard today, please subscribe to Living in Faith, Hope & Love on your favorite podcast app, and take a moment to leave a review. On behalf of Father Mark, I'm Carol Vassar, and we thank you for listening to this episode of Living in Faith, Hope, & Love.