Desert or just desserts

The desert experience that is portrayed in Mark"s gospel has few details (Mk 1.12-13) but is found expanded with various extra scenarios in the other two synoptic gospels.  The first really big change that came upon the Church was the movement out into the desert at the beginning of the period in the Church's history that started the monastic movement.  Those that ventured into the desert ventured their to come closer to God as they could divest themselves of the concerns of everyday life that was distracting them.  These initial hermits spent their time contemplating God and attempting to come close to God through their meditations and prayer.  These individuals eventually began to come together and form communities even while separated from the strains of normal life.

In our retreat from everydayness we find ourselves more and more becoming part of God's plan.  Yet retreating cannot be the way forward as we are asked to become part of the world.  Christ retreats into the wilderness to renew and clarify his connection with God, not to leave humanity behind.  In a way this is again what the monastic movement did, it allowed retreat but also engagement in its various forms.  This established change within the lives of those that they interacted with so that the monasteries and the monastics became leaders as it were in changes within society.  It is from the movement into the emptiness of the desert that we find new life in God.  The aboriginal or indigenous person knows that this retreat from the world is necessary for life to continue.  The concept of leaving to find new life is prevalent in many countries through out the world.  If it possible for a community to do the same in its journey together?

What are the hopes that have bloomed in your desert?

Whilst we would like to think that any community we belong to will last forever, it is a truth that many communities come together and split apart through time.  Even on a large scale this process of re-forming takes place as we can see from things like Brexit and the changing profile of the Australian landscape.  If we were to look at these events and the world like this we will see the ebb and flow of change.  In some cases the community / society will go into the "desert" and be reformed at a later date to reaffirm its place within the greater whole.  We can even apply this to the Church on a very Catholic scale as we see the ebb and flow of denominations and there effect on society around them.  The deserted place though is not a place of terror or fear.  There is life to be found in the arid places as any biologist will tell you.  Even in our faith journey the desert place is not a place of fear but a place of change.

In recognising that the desert place is one for us to claim as we find our place in our own faith journey we find ourselves renewed and re-invigorated.  Once we grasp the idea of bringing God closer to us through our desert experience we are able to move back into the community to bring that new life into the lives of those around us.  The problem is or rather the challenge is for us to recognise that the desert experience encompasses our fears.  This is were we face them.  The fear of losing our companions, the fear of losing our established connections, the fear of losing our community.  If we realise that God's call is indefinite and provides a bridge over these fears so that we can form community again, not be the same but form and renew.  DO we really have to be the same for generation after generation or do we need to change and become Christlike in our ministry to those around us.  Connecting in new ways and forming new growth in the midst of the desert.  Achieving just desserts of a recovered reinvigorated and renewed community.