Spending Time in the Desert
I was probably about fifteen years old when I first took a trip to the desert. We spent about three weeks of the summer in the southwestern corner of Arizona camping, hiking, and birdwatching (a hobby my family enjoyed very much when I was growing up—and the only reason we were in Arizona in the hottest part of the year!). It was a wonderful trip filled with many memories, but I remember several things distinctly about my first foray into desert life.
First: the tarantula, rattlesnake, and several scorpions we saw. They were all too close for my personal liking. But that’s not the point of this bulletin article, so we’ll push past those.
Second: how incredibly dark the desert was at night. I remember one night especially when we had been hiking in a canyon up until sunset. As darkness descended around us, we slowly made our way out of the canyon—but before we got back to our campground, my dad shut off the car and told me and my brother to notice how dark it was, without any street lamps or nearby light pollution to light up the sky. There must have been no moon, because I remember vividly putting my hand directly in front of my face and realizing that I couldn’t see anything, even when it was inches from my face! I remember nights looking up at the stars and realizing just how vivid they were there. One night, we even got to watch (a bit frightfully, to be honest) a lightning storm cross the desert toward us.
Third: how, when you really paid attention, the desert was much fuller of life than it appeared at a cursory glance. The longer you are in the desert, the more you begin to notice how vibrant some of its life really is. When it would rain, the ocotillo would seemingly instantaneously sprout green leaves and beautiful flowers (ocotillo is a pole-like shrub that looked relatively uninteresting otherwise). The desert was living, but you had to slow down enough to notice it.
I think of that as we move deeper into this season of Lent—a time that could be described as forty days “in the desert” with the Lord. We heard last week in our Gospel how Jesus, filled with the Holy Spirit, was driven out in the desert. In Hebrew, the word for desert is the same as the word for wilderness—probably because, in Israel, those words are roughly coterminous. Jesus often returned to the wilderness—isolated Himself—when He most desired to commune with the Father. Have you ever asked yourself why?
I have to think that it’s because it’s only in the quiet that we begin to notice the even quieter voice of God. In the darkness, the stars show up brighter. In the desert, deprived of everything else, you start to notice more the little signs of life around you, and there's an invitation to savor what you find—to take it less for granted than we do in our normal everyday (Midwestern) existence.
All of this is a great analogy for Lent, at least to my mind. The deprivations we undergo in these forty days—what we call our penances—are not meant to impose a huge burden on us, as if God wanted us to be burdened for some reason. Rather, they put us in a sort of metaphorical desert of our senses, that without the things (even good things!) that usually distract us, we would be encouraged to encounter in a deeper, albeit less obvious way, the life and blessings we find around us. In the desert, far from the noise of the city, we are afforded the opportunity to hear God’s voice a little more strongly. Indeed, if that was the only purpose of Lent, it would certainly be worth it!
Keep spreading joy!
Fr. Friedel
This year's Lenten Service Project will be a parish-wide food packing event. We'll join as a community to pack bags of non-perishable foods to be donated to a third world country. Sign up below or at the Ministry Outreach Fair this weekend!
Rice Blessing Bags - Saturday April 12 in the Blessed Sacrament School Cafeteria
Set Up - arrive at 9 AM on Saturday, April 12 and through first shift until noon
Food Packaging First Shift 9:45 AM to Noon
Food Packaging Second Shift Noon to 2 PM
Clean Up - arrive at 1:30 PM until 3 PM (or clean up is done)
Table Captains - Noon to 2 PM
Scholastic Book Fair begins this weekend! Shop in person at the Fish Fry on Friday night...
Men's Club fish fries began last Friday in the Blessed Sacrament School cafeteria. Dinners are $12 for adults and $5 for children. Includes all you can eat walleye only. Walleye, catfish fried and blackened, shrimp, cheese pizza, mac and cheese. Sides of coleslaw, French fries, or baked potato. 5:00 to 7:00 pm.
From other parishes...
Springfield Right to Life and Two Hearts Pregnancy Resource Center
Annual Breakfast Fundraiser
Join Two Hearts Pregnancy Resource Center and Springfield Right to Life for our Annual Fundraising Breakfast featuring keynote speakers Jim and Annette McDermott!
When: March 29, 2025, 8:30 AM, check-in begins at 7:45 AM
Where: Erin's Pavilion, Southwind Park, Springfield
Attend this free event and help raise funds to support life-affirming work in our community. Table Hosts are needed!
Mass will be offered at Little Flower Church - 7:30 AM
To reserve your table or RSVP, call 217-523-2700, email us at springfieldrtl@gmail.com, or visit springfieldrtl.org for details.
Please join the Pregnancy Care Center for its 41st Annual Spring Luncheon on Monday, March 31st , 2025, at the Northfield Inn and Conference Center. Doors will open at 10:45 a.m. for a silent auction and bake sale. A buffet lunch will be served at noon. Raffle chances to win $200 cash will also be available at the event for $10. Entertainment this year is provided by local musician, Diane Dietz. Seats can be reserved by calling the office at (217) 525-5630. Thank you for supporting the mission of the Pregnancy Care Center since 1978!
Springfield Deanery Meeting
All Catholic women are invited to attend the Springfield Deanery Meeting, Tuesday, March 18th, 10 am at St Cabrini Parish, 1020 N. Milton, Springfield. Erica Smith, MPH, Executive Director, Hospital Sisters Mission Outreach Program will be our guest speaker. Sr Ann Pitsenberger will join her in participating.
“Founded in 2002 by the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis, Mission Outreach exists to improve the health and wellness of people across the globe through the responsible donation of medical supplies, equipment, and support services” (hshs.org).
Soups & Salad Lunch will be provided by Linda Denny, St. Cabrini parishioner. A $5 donation for lunch is suggested. We will also discuss our future meeting dates and have updates on parish, diocesan and national programs. Register for door prizes, too! Please RSVP for the meeting by March 12th to: Linda Denny,217-691-9432 dennyml@comcast.net. or Deborah Pilapil,217-361-7165 debpil@yahoo.com
We also invite you to join us on Facebook! https://facebook.com/groups/561791791821229/
Singles Upper 50s and Above: Are you looking for a renewed sense of purpose & belonging? Register today for a life-changing RENEW weekend retreat at the Pallottine Retreat Center in Florissant, MO (30 min from downtown St. Louis), on March 28-30, 2025. Take a chance and get involved... you won't regret it! Visit www.RenewRetreats.org, e-mail renewretreat.stl@gmail.com, or call (314) 703-1002 for details.
