In some retreat houses is...
Illustration
In some retreat houses is a space designated as a "desert room," which is supposed to remind the retreat participants of the Middle East climate where Jesus and his disciples lived. The floor of the room is covered with sand, and within its walls, strict silence is to be observed.
In the desert one finds little water, shade, or comfortable living conditions. It is barren and hot. The presence of Jesus, however, changed the nature of the desert - the deserted place was suddenly crowded with the people seeking and finding spiritual refreshment, food, and healing.
We all go through those difficult, desert times in life which sap our energies, leaving us with little desire to persevere. Yet it is in those deserted times and places that we can still find the Lord's presence and, at the same time, gain a clearer insight into our own selves. In the desert places of this world we may be alone, but not lonely; without food, but not hungry; devoid of shelter, but still very much beneath his protection.
It was in the desert that Israel really came to know her God. In the desert the apostles truly relaxed in the presence of Jesus. Into the same sandy, hot, and dry surroundings the Lord also invites us to spend time with him and let him work anew in our lives, his same old desert mystique.
- McKarns
In the desert one finds little water, shade, or comfortable living conditions. It is barren and hot. The presence of Jesus, however, changed the nature of the desert - the deserted place was suddenly crowded with the people seeking and finding spiritual refreshment, food, and healing.
We all go through those difficult, desert times in life which sap our energies, leaving us with little desire to persevere. Yet it is in those deserted times and places that we can still find the Lord's presence and, at the same time, gain a clearer insight into our own selves. In the desert places of this world we may be alone, but not lonely; without food, but not hungry; devoid of shelter, but still very much beneath his protection.
It was in the desert that Israel really came to know her God. In the desert the apostles truly relaxed in the presence of Jesus. Into the same sandy, hot, and dry surroundings the Lord also invites us to spend time with him and let him work anew in our lives, his same old desert mystique.
- McKarns
