Coming Up From the Desert

"Who is this coming up from the desert, leaning on her beloved?" – The Song of Songs 8:5

We made it! We have emerged from the desert of Lent and are well into the Easter season. Was your Lenten season fruitful for you?

Let’s spend a few minutes reflecting on the intentions we set at the beginning of Lent. What were the plans you made for entering into practices meant to strip you of reliance on yourself? How has your Lenten practice led to increased dependence on the Lord?

My Lenten intention was to unite a particular difficulty in my life more fully with Jesus. The Lord revealed to me the unhelpful (and sometimes sinful) patterns that play out in my heart, mind and behavior, when I allow this difficulty too much power over me. He invited me to lean on Him - fall on Him really – with each frustration, rather than reacting to them. He taught me that He is the safe place to cry my frustrated tears or shake my frustrated fists. Then, once emptied of the building emotions, He invited me to make acts of and prayers for reparation, on behalf of those who make life difficult for others.

Remaining (mostly) faithful to this practice throughout Lent has increased my confidence that we always have recourse in Him. We may not have any power to change someone or some circumstance, but we have our Lord’s embrace to lean into, receiving comfort and restoration of our strength.

Bearing Fruit with Christ

“Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church…” – Col 1:24

As I’ve pondered what could possibly be lacking or missing in Christ’s afflictions, I’ve realized that what is missing is you and me! What is missing is each one of us freely entering into the work of Christ’s Cross, accepting our crosses as they are laid on our own shoulders and relying upon Him to help us carry them.

In every era since Jesus’ crucifixion, Christians have been pondering this Scripture verse and have been invited to consider, how can I complete with my life what is missing in the afflictions of Christ. We bring completion to Christ’s sacrifice by allowing the fruits of His sacrifice to blossom into fullness in our individual lives.

“The couple arrives from the desert… where the Bridegroom spoke at length to the heart of his beloved, waking her up little by little to the absolute majesty of his love, preparing her for the perfect union with him.” – Fr. Arminjon, The Cantata of Love, a Verse by Verse Reading of the Song of Songs, page 340

Ah, I love that quote! Yes, Lord, awaken me! Awaken my senses, spiritual and temporal, to the absolute majesty of your love, as I open more fully to the perfect union that You desire with me. Lord, I will bring my body - with every one of my sufferings, from the teeny little sufferings to the immense sufferings - right to Your body on the cross.

To lean completely on the Lord, is not only to embrace Him in moments of suffering, but also to look at the patterns in my thoughts, words and behaviors that are yet self-reliant. For me, that means retraining my thoughts from,
‘Lord what am I going to do about this situation,’ to
‘Lord what will we do about this situation,’ to
‘Lord, how can I cooperate with You, as You handle this situation.’

Lord, help me continually make this shift towards perfect union, total dependence and reliance You!

“One cannot attain the consummated wedding with the Lamb without a long preliminary novitiate, endlessly renewed in the desert with him. In the same spirit, one leaves the desert to reach His Kingdom only by leaning, softly and strongly at the same time, on the arm of the Bridegroom.” – Fr. Arminjon, page 340

Lord, we have emerged from the desert, into the season of Resurrection and new life. Show us what is budding anew in our hearts. Give us the grace to hear your invitation into deeper union with you and ever greater dependence on You alone. Thank you for the gift of Your Love. May I, with the bride in The Song of Songs, return Your gift with my own:

“Come, my Beloved, let us go to the fields. We will spend the night in the villages, and in the morning we will go to the vineyards. We will see if the vines are budding, if their blossoms are opening, if the pomegranate trees are in flower. Then I shall give you the gift of my love.” Song 7:11-12

De Yarrison, Copyright 2025