Transcript of the Video Above

Daily reflections for Lenten Easter, written by Oblate Father Ron Rolheiser, OMI.

We live lives of tortured complexity. Inside each of us, there’s both a saint and a sinner. And enough complexity to write our own book on abnormal psychology. Our hearts are a murky cauldron of grace and sin, angels and demons. Always, it seems, we’re torn in a way that leaves us feeling unsure, guilty and tense.

To go into the desert means to stare our inner chaos in the face. What demons live inside this chaos?

The demons of the prodigal son, Grandiosity and unbridled sexuality. And the demons of his older brother, paranoia and joylessness.

Grandiosity is the demon that tells us that we are, the center of the universe, that our lives are more important than those of others.

Unbridled sexuality is the demon of obsession, addiction and lust. Its urge is to bracket everything else, sacred commitment, moral ideal and personal consequences for a single furtive pleasure.

Paranoia is the demon of bitterness, anger and jealousy. It makes us believe that life has cheated us, that the celebration is always about others and never about us. This demon fills us with the urge to be cynical, cold, distrustful and cursing.

Finally, the last demon in this family tells us that joylessness is maturity, that cynicism is wisdom, and that bitterness is justice. This is the demon that keeps us from entering the room of celebration and joining the dance.

All of these demons are inside every one of us. To stare them in the face is to enter the desert.
A scary thing, yes. But the scriptures assure us that if we muster the courage to face them, God will send angels to minister to us.