From Cluny to Cîteaux--Did I really ask for this?

In order to make some sense of life over the last couple of years far from my usual comforts, I’ve turned through the pages of books reflecting on

men and women who ran from civilization into the desert in order to find God. Having spent some of my childhood in the Sonoran desert, my early notions of desert life considered it a controlled place of play and adventure. Now as a man, the desert has taken on a more horrific sense. It strikes me as odd to think of finding God here. Yet, these desert men and women were convinced that their trek into the desert was a journey toward divine majesty. When I've found God's presence elusive, they have pointed out that time in a Pauline Damascus can lead to Christ. The letter to the Hebrews seems to suggest the same inviting us Today to see the holy in an unholy harsh place.

Father Doulus “the slave” and student of Father Bessarion tells a story of God’s presence: When we were walking along the sea one day, I was thirsty, so I said to Father Bessarion, Father, I am very thirsty. Then the old man prayed, and said to me, Drink from the sea. The water was sweet when I drank it. And I poured it into a flask, so that I would not be thirsty later. Seeing this, the old man asked me, Why are you doing that? I answered, Excuse me, but it's so that I won't be thirsty later on. Then the old man said, God is here, and God is everywhere.

God is here.