The Carmelite way of life is a journey into the interior desert of our souls; and like the Sonoran desert, where prickly cactus, rocks and sand survive under a scorching sun, we seem to barely survive the drought sometimes. We feel prickly and irritable, our heart feels as hard as a rock, and the blowing sands of despair blind us to God's beauty. But, finally, when the rains come, like the Sonoran desert, we bloom. And in the desert the rains come with force and power, monsoon power, which thrills us with its intensity. It is then we find that under the sand, and between the rocks, hidden from sight were multitudes of seeds which when nourished by the monsoons become fields of wildflowers and the prickly cactus blooms. After our desert experiences, the seeds of love which God planted in us during the drought, explode into a beautiful new garden filled with the flowers of mercy and compassion. St. John of the Cross speaks of yearning for a life of little or no consolation, rather to love God and others with detachment, but I will admit that along the way to detachment come great moments of esctasy and joy to know that God loves us so much He is willing to water our love-starved hearts with His consoling rain. |
