The journey into the desert is one which has been taken by many people in the history of faith: by Moses, John the Baptist and by Jesus himself, and by many people in the early centuries of the Church, for whom the desert became a kind of crucible of spiritual growth.
We might find ourselves driven by circumstances into dry and difficult desert places. Or we might choose to spend time there because, as well as being a challenging place, it is also a place of encounter and transformation.This retreat draws on the wisdom of the men and women who sought the spirituality of the desert and asks how their insights still speak to us today. We might discover, as they often did, that what you learn in the desert is not what you expect.
There are seven short audio reflections which form a journey into, and back from, the desert. For each reflection, there is also a print version (a transcription) of the audio text, and a collection of related reflective material. The material is designed to be flexible, to suit the time you have, whether short daily prayer times or a extended time on retreat. You might find it helpful to listen to each reflection first and then dip into the other material before moving on to the next one.
Introduction (read or download here)
Part 1: Silence
Part 2: Solitude
Part 3: True Self
Part 4: Encounter
Part 5: Community
Part 6: Speech
Part 7: Ordinary Time
The image used in association with this retreat is by Rabah Al Shammary/Unsplash,
the music is by https://www.purple-planet.com