From the Desert to the Temple

Why is it that God had the prophet Isaiah prophesy that one would prepare the way for His coming by crying out "in the wilderness"(Is 40:3)? Why is it that St. John the Baptist found himself eight centuries later "in the wilderness of Judea"(Mt 3:1) crying out in fulfillment of this prophecy? What is the significance of the "wilderness" being the location to initiate the preparation for the Lord's coming? It would seem that more people would hear the Baptist's message if it were proclaimed in a city like Jerusalem where there was a substantial population to hear it. But out in the desert? A desert seems like a location conducive to the message going unheard.

It is in the city where all our necessities are met-if not in abundance, at least sufficiently- so the locus of our encounter with the Being we depend on entirely cannot be found there. It is in noisy, populated areas that distractions arise which divert our attention away from our reliance on Something or Someone higher than ourselves. But it is out in the desert, in the wilderness, where we come into real contact with God. It is when one goes out into the wilderness, into the wastelands, that he feels his helplessness and it is this very sense of helplessness that fertilizes the soil of our spirit so that the Baptist's offer of help can be heeded.

God will not force His way into our hearts. If we think and act as if He is an insignificant part of our lives, He will remain an insignificant part. On the other hand, if in emptying our minds of constant consideration of the fulfillment of our wants and desires, we enable space for God to enter in, then the desert seems like an appropriate place for the Baptist to begin preaching. By making ourselves barren of worldly things as the desert is barren of water, we enable our spiritual porosity to absorb those heavenly things with which our souls constantly thirst.

However, there is still another reason why the desert is, at least symbolically, a beneficial place for the preparation for the Lord's coming to begin. Notice how it was not in the Temple, the center of Jerusalem, where the voice is heard crying out, but on the outskirts of society. It was almost as if God wanted the road for His coming to begin being paved at the furthest distance away from His holy dwelling place in Jerusalem. This is significant because the road-which leads to encountering the Lord at the Temple-begins at the furthest point away from the Temple. As a result, now no one, whether coming from the city, the suburbs, the countryside, or even out in the wilderness can say there is no way back to God from his location.

Regardless of the pain, the anguish, or the loneliness; regardless of the sin, the darkness, or the guilt; regardless of the aridity, the illness, or the disease: the road which leads to God Himself has already been laid from the desert to the Temple. From every walk of life, from every problematic situation, from every ensnarement to sin, saint and sinner alike have found a way back to God by the very fact that the Baptist's cry is heard far, far out in the desert.

The way has already been plowed, but it takes our effort to step out into the road and begin travelling. Pray, go to Church, repent, practice virtue, and make space for Him who is higher than yourself. Perhaps in addition to being a time to remember God's coming to us, Advent might be a time for us to remember to come to Him. It is only fair we meet Him halfway.