Reflection for Pentecost, May 23

The desert monks recognized that the utter indifference an uncaring desert modeled for them could be an aid in the spiritual life. These men and women were countercultural renegades from the imperial culture of ancient Rome, having turned their backs on the values of a twisted society in which the highest worth was given to consumerism, militarism and the careful cultivation of one’s reputation. They went to the desert to learn not to care about what was unimportant, so as to begin to care about what really mattered. –Belden C. Lane, “Caring and not caring” in Christian Century, May 18, 2010.