February 19, 2010
The Second Half
Edge of the desert
BY DEACON JIM AND ANN CAVERA
Just as we sat down to begin this column one of us had a phone call from a friend who enjoys long conversations. We found it interesting that she chose this moment to call because we had already decided to write about distractions during Lent. Remember when distractions used to be those brief interruptions that took our attention away from the real focus of our lives? Today, distractions have become so common that dealing with interruptions can take most of our time. Few of us are able to give our undivided attention to anything and so living in a constant state of distraction passes for normal daily life. We have gone from being productive to being so busy that we no longer notice the difference.
When we first began visiting our son in Phoenix some years ago, we were almost overwhelmed by the contrast between the lush green Midwest and the harsh reality of this city in the desert. His front yard had something he referred to as “desert landscaping.” Actually, this meant the entire yard was covered in rocks a little larger than gravel with a few cacti poking out near the front door. For the most part, mechanically cooled, man-made structures provided water and protection from the sun. Hundreds of thousands of people ignored reality and lived in comfort in spite of the desert heat.
From descriptions found in scriptures, we can assume Jesus lived in a region more closely resembling the Southwest than the Midwest. Here is the dilemma: while we happily drop everything to spend time with our son in the desert, we hesitate to follow Christ into the desert during Lent. Maybe we hesitate because when we spend time with our son we still have all the comforts of home. However, to spend time with Christ we have to let go of the distractions we use to make ourselves comfortable and allow room for the changes that will bring us closer to him. Our spiritual progress will be determined by what we are able to leave at the edge of the desert. Food, idle pursuits, in fact, anything physical that can be used to take our focus away from spiritual basics is worth consideration. Anger, gossip, greed, the thirst for power and lack of forgiveness barely scratches the surface of negative baggage we might choose to drop at the beginning of our journey. The payoff is that with diligent practice, the changes we make can alter our spiritual focus long after Lent has passed.
The season of Lent always begins with Jesus being led by the Holy Spirit into the desert. Each year the Holy Spirit extends the same invitation to us. Most of the time, while living quite comfortably, we don’t realize the distractions we entertain may have turned our normal daily life into a spiritual wasteland. Here, at the beginning of our Lenten journey, we struggle with the same question we face every year. How far into the desert are we willing to go with Christ?
Deacon Jim and Ann Cavera are former residents of Evansville; their award-winning column is a regular feature of the Message. Contact them at www.catholicseniorspirit.com.