In the Desert

By the solemn forty days of Lent the Church unites herself each year to the mystery of Jesus in the desert.
--Catechism of the Catholic Church 540

Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert, and for forty days He fasted and was tempted. The Catechism tells us that this is a mystery – a truth that cannot be fully understood, even after revelation by God. During this season of preparation, we Catholics unite ourselves to this mystery through increased efforts of prayer and fasting; we imitate Jesus through sacrifice and self-denial in our desire to be like Him. And we examine our consciences, and we make confession in order to reconcile ourselves with our God and with each other.

I am very much aware of my own weaknesses and shortcomings. I’ve been known to have a bit of a temper at times. I also struggle with weaknesses of the flesh – for example, I like to eat a little too much. I was once a very selfish and arrogant and egotistical man, and these things are not easily gotten rid of. Every time I post on this blog or tell someone about Jesus and that I am a Catholic, I am very much aware that whether or not anyone believes me depends, not so much on what I say, as on whether or not others believe that I believe what I say.

I’m reminded of a statement at the beginning of the song “What if I Stumble?” by dc talk: “The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips and walk out the door and go on about their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.”

And so I make no claim to being a good or holy man. I need God’s Mercy as much as anyone, perhaps more.

In a discussion about prayer yesterday, my friend Padraig stated, “Humility is simply the inner realization of the truth…and the truth quite simply…is that everything we have is a gift from God.” Humility is the understanding that we can say or do nothing good except by the grace of God.

Early one morning a couple of years ago, a friend suddenly asked, “Do you really believe this whole Jesus thing?” Now I am not a morning person and this caught me totally off guard; it was time to go to work, and I wasn’t certain he was even talking to me as I had just walked into the locker room. At the time, I wasn’t certain how to respond to him. Now I realize that all I needed to do was look my friend in the eye and say with conviction, “Yes I do.”

Yes, I do believe that we should put God in the first place in out lives – that we should seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. Yes, I do believe that we are called to holiness. And in all humility, I do believe that just because a standard seems unreachable, that doesn’t mean that this standard isn’t the truth. And in all humility, I do believe that just because in my weakness I may not be able to live up to the standard, that doesn’t mean I should stop proclaiming the Truth.

I leave you with the words of another song by dc talk (earlier today I was listening to it and jumping around the room).

In The Light

I keep trying to find the light, on my own apart from You.
I am the king of excuses – I have one for every selfish thing I do.
Tell me what’s going on inside of me: I despise my own behavior.
This only serves to confirm my condition that I’m still a man in need of a Savior.

I want to be in the light as You are in the light;
I want to shine like the stars in the heavens.
O Lord be my light and be my salvation.
All I want is to be in the light

All I want is to be in the light...