After his baptism, Matthew tells us that Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert in order to be tempted. . . . When I experience my own desert times – times of alienation, barrenness, or aloneness, I tend to forget that I may have been led there by the Spirit to face my own demons, to let them emerge and rise before me, and to learn my own powerlessness and weakness, to enable me to see my openness with others who feel alienated, rejected, barren, alone. I need to recognize and acknowledge those whom I have kept at a distance as those who can broaden my vision, who can stretch my boundaries and free me from the trap of judging who or what is "acceptable." My demons can minister to me if I acknowledge them, and those others whom I hold at a distance may well be the angels who will bring me to wholeness.
– Excerpted from Hidden Friends: Growing in Prayer
The Carmelites of Indianapolis
Sheed and Ward, 1995
See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
Why Jesus Is My Man
Quote of the Day – June 18, 2010
Who Is This Man?
Jesus: Path-blazer of Radical Transformation
The Essential Christ
Image: "Christ in the Desert" by Maria Laughlin.
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