In the desert

The story is told about a man who put up a $1,000 reward for anyone who could find his dog. He called the newspaper office to seek an update on his ad, only to find out from the office boy that everyone, including the manager, was out looking for the dog!

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In today’s Gospel (Mk. 1, 12-15), Jesus was driven out into the desert where He remained for 40 days, and where he was tempted by Satan. Temptation is everywhere, be it in a desert, on the streets, in a chapel, or in our very rooms. The call of the world is strong, and the lure of the flesh is real.

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Someone once said in jest that there are no more temptations in his life. Why? Because as soon as temptation comes, he gives in! All of us experience temptation in one way or another. In fact, even Jesus was not spared Satan’s enticements. How do we overcome temptation? Jesus tells us today that the best way is to pray (“The Holy Spirit drove Jesus into the desert”) and to fast (“And remained in the desert for 40 days”).

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“Pray and flee!” This was the advice of our novice master, Fr. Alphonse Mildner, SVD. As soon as temptation comes, he told us, we should continuously pray the powerful prayer “Come, Holy Spirit!” However, he also told us that while saying this prayer, we must also leave and not go into the occasions of the sin at hand. When faced with sin, it is better to be proud (i.e., to rely on God in prayer) and to be a coward (i.e., to run away from the fight).

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Temptation is strong in the desert. Anyone who goes through any “desert,” be it physical, emotional, financial, social, or spiritual, is often buffeted by waves of despair and hopelessness, and the temptation is to hold on to anything or to anyone that can remedy the difficult situation. Jesus reminds us today that often there is no quick fix or drive-through solution to problems that beset us. Like Jesus, we must learn not to escape from, but to stay in, the desert, and there find Him and remain in His loving embrace.

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Please don’t forget that there are angels who minister to us in our lowest and loneliest deserts. At opportune times of our lives, God will send us people again and again to remind us of His presence and love. Thank God for people whose kindness, generosity, or even rebuke have assured us that we are not alone in our life journey.

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“Namaste” is the Hindi greeting which literally means “I bow to the God that is within you.” Beautiful! If only we acknowledge and see the God that is within each one of us, there will be more respect, understanding, and consequently, love and harmony among us! When we bow to each other with respect, and when we see God in every person, then we have peace.

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Blessed Mother Teresa of Kolkata (Calcutta) concretized the meaning of “Namaste” in her beautiful work for God among the poorest of the poor in India by “seeing Jesus in every person.” There is the big temptation nowadays to see people as commodities, or to take them according to their financial worth and value. Following her Master’s command, “Love one another as I have loved you,” Mother Teresa has shown us what it means to love the lost, the least, and the last among us.

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In the midst of poverty, rush, and noise all around us, let us remember these words of Mother Teresa:

“The fruit of silence is prayer. The fruit of prayer is faith. The fruit of faith is love. The fruit of love is service. The fruit of service is peace.”

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What struck me in the Mother House of the Missionaries of Charity is the simple bare tomb of Mother Teresa, and a few meters above it, the simple room where she stayed when she was still alive. In life, and in death, Mother Teresa was not enslaved by money. She used money for God’s glory, believing in His providence. She received and gave generously, and joyfully. What a beautiful witness and reminder for those who have money, but are miserable, empty, and angry.

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There is something I learned about Mother Teresa in my recent trip to India, and that was her “desert” amidst all the great work she was doing. As soon as she started her work among the poor, she didn’t feel that God was very close to her. For many years, she felt that God had abandoned her, but she kept on praying, loving and serving God and the poor. She did not act on her feelings, and did not fall into the temptation of relying on the consolations of God, but on God Himself.

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Last February 12, a Sunday, I received a text message from ex-seminarian Noel Tandog at about 10 p.m.: “When is the best time to see you?” The next morning, I received a text message from his wife Gely: “Noel just passed away.” Indeed, life is short. Death is certain. What we don’t know about death is where or when. Noel was 48 years old. Let his death be a reminder for all of us who are still engrossed in the worldly pursuit of money, power and pleasures that what matters most in the end is what we carry in our hearts, not what we hold in our hands.

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A moment with the Lord:

Lord, Thank you for being with us in our loneliest and lowest desert. Amen.