The Daily Struggle

Gospel: Matthew 4: 1-11

"The desert is not big enough for two." - Nikos Kazantzakis

The desert represents the world in its totality and full reality.  It is a harsh place of struggle; it is also the place of ultimate encounter with God.  The desert cannot be avoided; it must be entered in order to encounter God.  In both the life of Israel and Jesus this truth had a geographical reality to it: from Egypt to Israel, from Galilee to Jerusalem one has to pass through the desert in order to arrive at the place of ultimate encounter with God.

The trials in the desert are not one time only events; it is a daily encounter that we must ultimately face alone and by ourselves.  Yes, we have the community of the Church with us, but fundamentally each one of us must face this struggle ourselves, face this encounter with God alone.  Religion is only a preparation for this encounter; it is not the encounter itself, for the encounter takes place within each individual person.  

The forty days of Lent remind us that the encounter with God in the desert is a daily occurrence, that God alone is our source of support and strength in the struggles and trials of the desert.  "The desert is not big enough for two" - we must go there, like Jesus, alone, relying solely on God in this harsh place.