Call of the Desert

Present day Jerusalem is a modern city in the middle of the desert.  The terraine is rough and hilly.  It is all rock and dirt, a barren land but one that has its own appeal and attractiveness. 

Going into the desert to visit monasteries and holy sites, I found myself just wanting to experience the place.  I just wanted to be.  Being there, I could feel a sense of awe, of mystery.  It gave me an incredible sense of being drawn.  I could sense why people came here to pursue holiness.  It was a place like this that Jesus went away to pray. 

In the history of Christianity, there is the tradition of desert spirituality.  In the early Church, there were the Desert Fathers and Mothers, ones who made their home in the desert to pray and find the Lord.  They became recognised as wise people who were sought after by many for their counsel and wisdom.  Having my brief experience there in the Holy Land, I can understand and appreciate better this movement in the Church history and its value. 

The desert, a place of emptiness and yet a place of so much; a harsh place but a place with its own beauty.  The desert, the one place, highlights absence but also offers a sense of presence.  It is both a godless place but a place where God is found.  It is a place of extremes - absence and presence; emptiness and abundance; temptation and holiness.  To this day, there are people living in the same desert, seeking their way to holiness.