I am going to begin with the gospel reading from Mark because once again we are reminded to go away to a deserted place...to get away. This is not a vacation destination but rather a secluded place separated from the stress of daily living.
Deserted means abandoned. Where did Jesus find an abandoned place to spend alone? I wonder? Was Jesus experiencing the feeling of abandonment? I wonder? We know as Jesus hung on the cross he cries out, "Father, why have you abandoned me?" Did the Apostles feel abandonded when Jesus withdrew to be alone. Certainly they experienced the fears of abandonment after the crucifixion. Later we will hear how Job dealt with abandonment.
When parents have to make tough decisions in dealing a child's illlegal substance abuse they feel like they are abandoning their child. Tough love as they say is not abandonment; it truly is a greater love.
It seems that Jesus was constantly being persued for his healing touch. He needed this time away to reconnect with the Father. Remember when he used his ability to heal the hemorraghic woman; he felt power leave his body. He is divine and human. His human self needed to be rejuvenated; thus he retreated to a deserted place. Alone he could communicate in prayer more easily with the Father. He could tap into his divine strength.
In rising very early before dawn he was probably hoping not to be missed or persued. Jesus had to make time for himself. How often do we make personal time for ourself? When was the last time you allowed yourself the luxury of getting away?
Job is also dealing with feelings of being deserted and abandoned. He laments, "So I have been assigned months of misery, and troubled nights have been allotted me." He cries out to God further, "...I shall not see happiness again." Patience has often been linked with the person of Job, but he is actually very frustrated and depressed.
Richard Rohr has written a wonderful book, Job and the Mystery of Suffering, which I recently had the opportunity to read during a difficult time in my life.
I would like to end with some of my favorites quotes from this book.
The mystery of why there are thorns on the rose eventually becomes a question of who God is. pg.17
God walks with us into our own fears, to feel them, to own them, to let them teach us. pg.18
For thirty-seven chapters God says nothing. It is our worst nightmare:
A silent, hidden, ineffective God. Pg.47
...We learn by letting go; we grow by giving up. Pg.77
...worthiness is not the isue, but only relationship. Pg. 113
"I am happy and excited that you exist. Your very being is good." Pg.138
The original picture is of a man praying alone in a deserted place.
I chose this kaleidoscope image because the brown center appears to be deserted, yet the shades of orange encircle the space. The orange represents the Divine energy from which we can draw our strength and return refreshed.
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