Hi guys, my name is Fr. Vincent Bernhard and this is my daily visitor. Today we're celebrating the first Sunday of Lent, March 9th. And during Lent, we tend to think a lot about the desert and a theme that we've been looking at in this podcast is the desert. And so today we're going to focus a bit on what the desert experience is like. At today's mass, we hear that Jesus filled with the Holy Spirit. Returned from the Jordan and was led by the spirit into the desert for 40 days to be tempted by the devil. We hear that from Luke. Now, little comfort or distraction exists in the desert. And because of this, it is in the desert that one comes face to face with himself as he truly is, and as he stands without God, without pretense, without distraction. You know, Adam and Eve, they hid in the garden. But in the desert, there's no hiding from God and what he wants to do. While the idea of coming face to face with God in the desert might be a frightening one, the biblical description of this encounter should give us hope and that's what I want to look at. First and foremost, the experience of the desert is an experience of majesty and power. You see, the desert is a place where we see the majesty and power of God at work. When the Israelites, for instance, reached Mount Sinai, the mountain, it was enveloped in lightning and clouds as God descended to meet his people. Likewise, we should also expect to experience something of the majesty of God in the desert. It might not look like Sinai. Instead, as distractions are limited during Lent, We begin to see more clearly the way God has been at work in our lives in silent but powerful ways. Second, the experience of the desert is also an experience of creation and healing. The desert is a place of creation and healing. In the desert, the twelve tribes of Israel were formed into a single holy nation and royal priesthood. When they rebelled against the covenant, God called them back to the desert through the prophets to heal them. Hosea says, I will allure her now. I will lead her into the wilderness and speak persuasively to her. And so while the desert is barren, it is also peaceful. It is a place of healing. Lent is a special time to repent of our sins and see how God is at work in our hearts healing them and restoring our relationship with him. Finally, Because of all this, the desert is also an experience of trial and triumph. The desert is a place where God tested the Israelites in the desert and found them wanting. Over and over again, they cried out, Is the Lord in our midst or not? Through the various temptations and trials God allows us to suffer in the desert, whether they be from our own weakness, or from our circumstances, or whatever they are, We see how God is in our midst despite that. He's challenging us to grow in strength and resilience as his children. We become more confident in the desert that God is with us. And in that confidence, triumph with him through our trials. And so we pray, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, grant Almighty God, through the yearly observances of Holy Lent, that we may grow in understanding of the riches hidden in Christ, and by worthy conduct, pursue their effects, through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit. God forever and ever. Amen. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Thanks for tuning in to My Daily Visitor. My name is Father Vincent Bernhard, and I wish you a very happy and holy first Sunday of Lent. And I look forward to seeing you back here at My Daily Visitor tomorrow. God bless. Hey guys, Father Patrick here. You can see behind me New York City. It's a really an astonishing thing for me to be here. In my new domicile, the new place where I've taken up residence in the heart of the city and to be meditating on the theme of the desert, this land, that's why it's so impactful. Uh, for me and why I wanted to talk to Father Vincent, who's been here for a little bit and kind of figured out the city and how to keep peace in his heart. But that invitation to head into the desert, that's what we all hear at mass today as we begin this Lenten campaign of penance in a real way on this Sunday, heading out into the, into the desert, into the wilderness with Christ. That can be an intimidating thing. It can be an overwhelming thing. Oftentimes in my life, when I think of what it means to head into the desert, I run up against this idea. Being stripped of something, of having to leave things behind, of having to simplify. And again, that can be such a cause, I talked about this a little bit on Ash Wednesday, but that can be a cause of anxiety. And I can resist it and be reluctant about it at first. But so many times, as Father Vincent rightly points out, heading into the desert and that kind of simplifying that can happen, especially during Lent is an opportunity for us to embrace in a real way God's healing grace. So that's my prayer for all of you as we, as we continue to embark on this Lenten journey here, that this Sunday will allow our, our stepping out into the desert to heal us and to renew us, to allow us to be stripped away from all those things that are keeping us. From Christ, let us continue to pray for one another, Aramis Proenvich M.