Into the Desert

I would have preferred to title this blog “Into the Dessert,” but I think the current title is more appropriate for the season of Lent. I do love my desserts though. They help make a hard day a little better and a good day great. However, life brings us many deserts and going through one can help make us a better person.

Being uncomfortable and sacrificing some pleasures in life can get our priorities back in line and help us to see what’s truly important. If our bellies are always full and we have everything we want, we have a greater tendency to live for the joys of this world instead of the eternal joys of the next. It’s easy to get our priorities out of whack when we indulge in the things this world gives us. It’s also easy to neglect to talk to God when everything is going great.

I think most Catholics would agree that Lent is their least favorite liturgical season. I have come to appreciate it more and although it’s not fun, it’s very important for our spiritual development. We complain about eating one regular meal and two smaller meals on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday when many people in the world have a lot less to eat every single day. The neat part about Lent is that there is no one right way to do it. We can tailor what we do during Lent to best help our spiritual life grow. We should try to pray more, fast more, and give more, but exactly what we do is up to us.

Jesus once said, “If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.” It’s hard to deny ourselves of pleasures and wants, but in doing so, we become stronger to resist temptation and sin. Pretty much all sin centers around us choosing our way over God’s way. If we can get to the point where the pleasures of the world no longer matter as much to us, we can begin to focus on finding our pleasure in loving God and our neighbor.

This Lent, let’s try to put down some of the desserts and pleasures in life and go into the desert. Even fasting from something small can produce big spiritual gains in the long run. Always remember, no pain, no gain. No cross, no crown. No guts, no glory.