"Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him." 1 John 2:15
Remember a few weeks ago, I challenged you to join me in making it a priority every day and not just Easter weekend, to worship at the foot of the cross and at the empty tomb as we REJOICE IN HIS RESURRECTION? Well, I was reminded of our challenge again when I read about an extraordinary phenomenon that occurred at the end of the third century in the deserts of Egypt, North Africa. Christian men and women began to flee the cities and villages to see God in the desert. They discerned how easy it was to lose one's soul in the entanglements found in society, so they pursued God in a radical way by moving to the desert. They became known as the Desert Fathers. They saw the world...........
.....as a shipwreck from which each single individual man had to swim for his life. These were men who believed that to let oneself drift along, passively accepting the tenets and values of what they knew as society, was purely and simply a disaster. They knew they were helpless to do any good for others as long as they floundered about in the wreckage. But once they got a foothold on solid ground, things were different. Then they had not only the power but even the obligation to pull the whole world to safety after them. (Thomas Merton from The Wisdom of the Desert}
This is a great illustration of our need for daily time apart with God so let's keep on keeping on friends. Lord, we need you to show us how to "create a desert" in the midst of our full, active life in order to be with you. Cleanse us from the pressures, illusions, and pretenses that confront us today that our lives may serve as a gift for those around us. Amen
Remember a few weeks ago, I challenged you to join me in making it a priority every day and not just Easter weekend, to worship at the foot of the cross and at the empty tomb as we REJOICE IN HIS RESURRECTION? Well, I was reminded of our challenge again when I read about an extraordinary phenomenon that occurred at the end of the third century in the deserts of Egypt, North Africa. Christian men and women began to flee the cities and villages to see God in the desert. They discerned how easy it was to lose one's soul in the entanglements found in society, so they pursued God in a radical way by moving to the desert. They became known as the Desert Fathers. They saw the world...........
.....as a shipwreck from which each single individual man had to swim for his life. These were men who believed that to let oneself drift along, passively accepting the tenets and values of what they knew as society, was purely and simply a disaster. They knew they were helpless to do any good for others as long as they floundered about in the wreckage. But once they got a foothold on solid ground, things were different. Then they had not only the power but even the obligation to pull the whole world to safety after them. (Thomas Merton from The Wisdom of the Desert}
This is a great illustration of our need for daily time apart with God so let's keep on keeping on friends. Lord, we need you to show us how to "create a desert" in the midst of our full, active life in order to be with you. Cleanse us from the pressures, illusions, and pretenses that confront us today that our lives may serve as a gift for those around us. Amen
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