Facing the demons

Hi again folks. It's been a while since I last sat to write lines in this place, but I know that some have been starving for food of this sort, so sorry for the inconvenience.

Hmmm .... starving for words, for guidance, for nourishment ... wasn't this (in effect) what happened to the Israelites as they wandered in the desert? Isn't this the image that's recalled for us each year during this season of Lent? Perhaps it might be worthwhile to pause and reflect on the value of depriving ourselves (we call this discipline fasting) in order to discover or re-discover the things for which our souls truly thirst.

As it happens, the quotation from the book of Daniel in Tuesday's scriptures is a meditation worth examining. The prayer of Azariah becomes our own prayer as we too stand in the midst of trials and tests (whether those trials come from forces outside of us or from within) and we find ourselves stripped of all excuses, provided we're honest with ourselves. The result is that we must stand before the Lord, with no tangible offering to be given. This can be a very vulnerable moment, and a difficult place to be, but we must stand still in this place if we are to learn the lessons that are being taught.

Only once we have reached this place, faced the fear that rears its ugly head when we look deep into the recesses of places where we have hidden the secrets of life, and brought them all into the light of faith and truth can we find the serenity of standing silently before the God who loves us. This is a moment of grace, for it is the discovery of deep and abiding love that results, and this discovery is enough to feed our hearts, our spirits and our souls.

This is the place that we must be in if we want to truly understand and appreciate the blessings of the Resurrection.