Comments for Lent: Into the Desert at http://www.thecatholicthing.org , comment 1 to 4 out of 4 comments http://www.thecatholicthing.org Fri, 24 May 2013 15:23:39 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.3 http://www.thecatholicthing.org/columns/2013/lent-into-the-desert.html#comment-15861 Thank you for this Lenten reflection. The loving God who gave the Law to Moses did so in the desert. Moreover, He dwelt with Israel in the Tabernacle. Thus, the desert becomes a retreat from the lawlessness of the world, that is, the milieu of sinful and unredeemed humanity, to the Ark of the Divine Presence. - Fr Francisco Mon, 18 Feb 2013 17:14:07 +0100 http://www.thecatholicthing.org/columns/2013/lent-into-the-desert.html#comment-15803 Along with being clean (and quiet, if not completely silent), the desert is well-lit. It's the original "clean, well-lighted place"! Anyone familiar with Hemingway short stories might remember this one - "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place". (You can find it online with a few keystrokes, and it's a quick read.) I first encountered this story in high school, and was disturbed by the nihilistic version of the Our Father, but as I've grown older I realize we must be emptied before God can fill us. "Out with the bad, in with the good" as the saying goes! I find myself walking into the desert this year with a smile on my face! - Chris Ramsey Wed, 13 Feb 2013 08:27:18 +0100 http://www.thecatholicthing.org/columns/2013/lent-into-the-desert.html#comment-15802 One thing about the desert: whatever else it is, it sure is clean -- and silent. - Tony Esolen Wed, 13 Feb 2013 05:53:55 +0100 http://www.thecatholicthing.org/columns/2013/lent-into-the-desert.html#comment-15801 Very well said, David. We live in a society where the spiritual is routinely mocked, where the very notion of the necessity for penance is branded archaic and oppressive. The "desert" has great appeal, all things considered. - Peter Troy Wed, 13 Feb 2013 04:10:20 +0100