Out in the Desert

It is a blistering week 5 in this season of Lent.  How's it been going?

I've been praying through the gospel of Matthew and today God spoke to me like this through chapter 11 verse 7-9: WHAT DID YOU GO OUT TO THE DESERT TO SEE?

I found myself asking, why did I enter into the desert of Lent?
 
This past week we were at Pastoral Ministry Days in Rapid City and the authors of the Rebuilt Parish Book started with this same question: why are we here?  They reminded us that we can lose sight of our mission; especially in parish ministry. 
This morning I found myself wondering this same thing as we are deep into Lent.  Like, Lord I forgot why I am doing the this!  Do you guys ever feel the same way?  Maybe not just Lent but "Church" in general.  Right now calving is in full swing, planters are in the ground, and there is miles of fence to fix.  The hardest thing to do for any rancher and farmer is to break from his work and go to Mass.  I find it hard especially when the Mass doesn't feel challenging and in the back of my mind I've got a list of chores I could do when I get home.  This question of why am I here is the same thing Jesus presents to these people that went miles into the desert, for days, to listen to John the Baptist.  He's saying what did you go out there for?  It wasn't to be pampered or to hear what YOU want to hear.  You went to see a prophet, someone who says PREPARE THE WAY OF THE LORD.  I think the reason we go to Mass especially during Lent is this, not to feel comfortable but to prepare our hearts for the coming of Jesus at Easter. 
How do we prepare our place for calving and planting?  The new crop.  We clean up the corrals, fields, and pastures.  If you are preparing your heart for a new encounter with the risen Lord then clean it up.  Go to Confession.  It's what men do.
If you find yourself like me, 5 weeks deep into this Lent, and your losing sight of why you're doing what you're doing.  Look at your corrals and your fields and remember, you're making way for the Lord of your life.  Going to Mass on Sunday is how we let him be the LORD of our lives.  I'm going to keep talking about this subject of letting Jesus become our LORD.  This is why we are here.  I promised to keep these short and so I did.
Peace Brothers