The desert: an unknown…

1 • Reading, drawing, TV series, sushi, video games…

I absolutely love to read.

I’ll admit it here and deny it elsewhere; I believe that reading is among the most beautiful things one can do when alone.

I also enjoy drawing.

However, since drawing for more than half an hour straight gives me a sensation of knees turning into cheese, to avoid getting too bored while drawing, I keep myself company by watching TV series on my tablet.

This way, I mix business with pleasure…

I also love going out for sushi with my longtime friends.

I adore taking long walks with one of those friends (the ‘real’ ones, of whom everyone has no more than 2-3) to whom you can open your heart.

And I don’t mind geeking out in front of a video game as if there were no sin to be forgiven (even though I no longer have time, and it’s a rare treat if I can play a video game once a year…).

…

… But sometimes, I have the feeling that all of this isn’t enough…

… and that something is missing…

2 • … Distractions, distractions, distractions…

The issue — obviously — isn’t about reading. Or TV series. Or friendships. Or whatever-I-like-to-do-in-my-free-time.

The issue is that many of these things, like grains of sand poured into a container, slip into every pore, occupying most of our post‑work time.

Amid this chaos, it’s easy to get swept away by the current…

And in the hustle and bustle of everyday life, finding space for God is not something to be taken for granted…

…to carve out time to truly hear His voice…

Someone might say:

• “Wow, Sale, you’re really overthinking it!”
• “In the end, what’s the harm in doing what you enjoy?”
• “Chill out!”

I don’t know. I’m not convinced…

… even Pope Francis (who seems kind and dear, but hits like a blacksmith!) recently planted the same seed of doubt in my mind:

Hard words, uh?

3 • Jesus in the Desert

At the beginning of his public life, Jesus does something rather curious (which is recounted in all three synoptic Gospels):

Jesus goes into the wilderness, the desert.

But he doesn’t go there “randomly.”

The Spirit brings him there. That is, God.

And he stays there for forty days.

F-O-R-T-Y!

What is Jesus seeking in the desert?

(Without getting too fancy, as I’m neither a theologian, nor an exegete, nor a medieval minstrel…)

The desert is a place of silence, of prayer.

It’s a dull, monotonous, and arid place, but it’s also a dangerous, challenging, and scorching place.

It is where spiritual combat takes place (about which I said a little something a couple of months ago).

The desert is a privileged place for listening.

In the desert, one can hear the voice of God. And that of the Tempter.

And sometimes it’s not easy to discern one from the other…

4 • The Desert in the Third Millennium

I am a loafer…

I have everything at my fingertips (or a click away)…

Most of the time, I look for shortcuts to solve problems…

…and abandon ship when things go wrong…

So, you’ll understand well that this whole desert thing, not getting distracted left and right, spending some time in silence to listen to God, is like a slap in the face for me.

That being said, far be it from me to lecture you about the importance of carving out time to be alone with God…

…go ahead, you’re adults: do as you please!

(Especially since unsolicited advice is often unwelcome…)

… this little page (and attached cartoons) is just a post-it for myself… something like:

Around the middle of the last century, Madeleine Delbrêl wrote these prayerful notes:

Conclusion

In the 5th century, Eucherius (Bishop of Lyon) wrote:

There you have it.

I think he was absolutely right…

sale

(Winter 2020-2021)