MONDAY, February 23

The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts, and the angels waited on him.

— Mark 1:12-13

Today’s Evening Prayer reading from the Gospel of Mark presents a brief description of John the Baptist, the Baptism of Jesus by John and Jesus being sent into the wilderness for forty days. This is the part of Jesus’ story that the church remembers each year during the forty days of Lent.

We know from the other Gospels that John the Baptist lived in the desert and survived on a meager diet of locusts and wild honey. Mark says that John “appeared in the wilderness.” We can surmise that both John and Jesus willingly submitted to this life of hardship in an extremely hostile environment to strengthen their relationship with God.

The forty days of Lent are a time of fasting and repentance when we practice our modern versions of this desert hardship by shedding tangible things or ideas that we hold dear. But why must we willingly submit to hardship to grow closer to God? In religious communities, we take vows of Poverty, Chastity and Obedience. The vow of Poverty is often misconstrued by the public to mean deprivation and misery. Thankfully, that is not the case. We Sisters live out the vow of Poverty by removing anything that might distract us from God. We do not have our own bank accounts, we wear a habit every day and we regard everything in the Convent as “ours” and not “mine.” We voluntarily give up marriage and children to spend more of our time with God, and for us, this act of sacrifice brings tremendous joy.

I once saw an addiction counselor on television who described sobriety as being “harder, but better.” The Way of the Cross is harder, but it is far, far better than any other way.

Reflect: What are the things that distract you from God? What spiritual practices and holy habits bring you closer?

This Lenten Meditation can be found at Episcopal Relief and Development