Coming Together in the Desert

Anni Harry offers encouragement to avoid spiritual isolation and seek the strength of community as we journey through the season of Lent.

Lent is a time of bareness, dryness, and sacrifice. We enter into a desert, and journey with Christ during His own forty days of prayer, fasting, and temptations. During this time, we are reminded of Christ’s full humanity, subjected to moments in which the devil offers Christ all that the eye can see; we are also distinctly reminded of Christ’s full divinity, able to resist the wiles of the devil.

Resisting temptation is hard. The devil knows exactly how to strike, and the way we are most susceptible.

Yet, we aren’t meant to face temptation head-on, alone. We have thousands of years of examples of saints who have overcome temptation, and while none of them were perfect, they embodied what it means to put God first and strive to put Him first at all times.

But, beyond the example of the saints, we have something else we have been given to face temptation with strength.

We have each other.

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The pandemic did a number on social relationships. Instead of assisting each other and coming together for a common cause, we were instead shuttered into our own homes, and given strict orders to not gather with anyone outside of our house. We became isolated. Mental health throughout the United States took a nosedive, as people were discouraged, and at times, prevented from gathering. Once upon a time, I heard an exorcist explain that the devil is an opportunist, and he seized the opportunity to strike at the minds and hearts of people throughout the world.

Fast forward two Lents later, to this Lent, and many of the restrictions have eased up. However, community organizations and parishes throughout the country note a lasting impact of the pandemic—very few people are assisting in continuing to provide for the needs of others. In a parish life, that could look like not having enough volunteers for the ministries at Mass, or to run social groups. In community organizations, that could look like not enough donations of clothing or food to meet the demands of the population that needs goods the most.

Being together gives us strength to face the trials and tribulations of life, but also affords us the ability to gather strength to stay strong when the inevitable temptation comes.

Together, we have the wisdom and strength to lift each other up and provide a safety net to help each other maintain grace and dignity when the temptations get too difficult.

When we are a collective, we have the opportunity to encourage each other to stand firm in our convictions and understanding of the Truth—that we are loved by God, and we are invited into a loving relationship with Him.

The devil wants to muddy our senses and cloud us from recognizing God’s love. He wants us to turn from God and choose a life that is insular.