A Pilgrim's Journey: Out of the Wilderness

Monday, February 27, 2023

Out of the Wilderness

It is in this time of Lent when our Holy Mother the Church especially uses all her rich resources to bring us back to holiness, back to wholeness with Christ. She exorcises and reconciles; she pardons and blesses and anoints; she instructs and lays on hands; she worships and fasts, and does everything possible to touch us with Christ. She brings us to the very springs of eternal life.

Our human condition is summed up in Adam and Eve. They acted on their own decision and in their own strength, according to their own thoughts, apart from God. And so have we. As a result life around us has collapsed. People are fractured and broken, isolated and alone in their shame and guilt. The human soul, in its rebellion against God, has become addicted and trapped in its own sickness. Our Ancient Enemy, the Father of Lies and the Great Seducer, has captivated us. And on our own we are powerless. Like the Prodigal Son, we long for the freedom of the sons and daughters of God. Our souls hunger for food that has substance to it.

But the Bridegroom is here, and the Bride of Christ, with her lamp lit and filled with oil, bids us rise to go out with her to meet Him. He comes to release us from our captivity, to bring Good News to us in our poverty, to give us sight, to restore our liberty, and to empower us to walk in the glorious freedom of the sons and daughters of God.

But in order that all of this might happen, we must first curb our arrogance, put bridle and bit to our pride, and acknowledge the hunger of our souls. Fasting, almsgiving, and prayer are the remedies that allow us to be emptied of arrogance and ego-centrism. They clear out the accumulated clutter in our souls, sweeping them clean and so making room once again for God's presence fully to dwell within us, bringing us out of our self-inflicted wilderness.

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Painting: “Man of Sorrows” by William Dyce (1806-1864)

Meeting Pope St. John Paul II

In 1983 I was a newly-ordained priest. In November of that year, it was my privilege to be in Rome to take part in developing The Book of Divine Worship. During that time an invitation was extended to celebrate Mass with His Holiness, Pope John Paul II, in his private chapel. After we had said Mass, and in those few moments I had with the Holy Father, he told me that he remembered considering the request for my ordination, and he described how he came to an affirmative decision. For me, our brief conversation was an experience which will be treasured forever. At the conclusion of our time together, I asked him if I could take his blessing back to the people of my parish. His very simple words remain precious to me: "With all my heart, I bless you and your people." He then embraced me, and I knew that I was forever "home in my Father's house."