“At that time Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by
the devil. He fasted for forty days and forty nights. . .” Each Lenten Season the Church places the gospel passage describing Jesus ’forty days in the desert on the first Sunday of this ‘forty day journey.’
Maybe it is prudent to listen to one of the great saints of our Church, St.Anthony of the Desert. Since his death in 356 he has been revered asan early Church saint. Born into a well to do family in Egypt, who were Christians despite the persecutions, St.Anthony was inspired by the gospels to sell everything and follow God’s will; and he did just that. His desire was to remove himself from all distractions, thus living sparingly in a desert cave. He was often tempted by the devil,yet remained steadfast in his solitude and faith. Many came to recognize his extraordinary faith and meager lifestyle; yet they were drawn into his humility, his gentle spirit, and sense of joy within his desert existence. St. Anthony of the Desert lived to be 105 years old. Of his many quotes recorded, one exemplifies his life,and our longing: “The person who abides in solitude and quiet is delivered from fighting three battles: hearing,speech,andsight.Then there remains one battle to fight-the battle of the heart.” As we consider our Lenten resolutions—what we sacrifice, what we commit to, our fasting,acts of charity and generosity,and our openness to receive God’s forgiveness—may the following reflection on St.Anthony of the Desert provide us with the inspiration and path toward a meaningful forty day journey of faith.
Know what you’re doing and why. In order to make any progress on a journey, we need to know where we want to go The same is true in the life of faith.Without an intention in mind, our efforts will likely feel scattered and pointless. As St. Anthony put it, “Whoever hammers a lump of iron first decides what he is going to make of it … Even so we ought to make up our minds what kind of virtue we want to forge or we labour in vain” (Anthony, saying 35). Do the work set out before you. (Anthony, saying 1).The life of faith is showing up; often this simply means doing ‘the thing,’whatever ‘the thing’may be. Stay with it.This is such an important piece of wisdom for our scattered culture.We are so prone to flitting from idea to idea, practice to practice, place to place. But stability is a virtue. If we want to see any progress, we would be wise to choose a path and stick with it, until such timeas we must choose a new one (Anthony, saying 3) Take responsibility for yourself. St. Anthony said that the great human work is “always to take responsibility for his own sins before God” (Anthony, saying 4). Similarly, when a man asked him to pray for him, St.Anthony replied that there was nothing he could do for him if he wasn’t willing to pray for himself (Anthony, saying 16).
We need to be honest with ourselves and with God about who we are and take responsibility for what we do and who we choose to become. Keep your eye on your own plate. No one’s journey is your journey;and your journey is the only one you need to worry about (Anthony, Saying 2.) Not only is this a reminder not to judge others for what they are doing, but it’s also a reminder that there are many paths up a mountain. Just because someone else’s path is different from yours doesn’t mean it’s wrong. Remember that it’s all about love(Anthony, saying 32).As Jesus taught, the whole Law can be summarized as love of God and love of neighbor. As St. Paul taught, nothing we do matters if we do not love. So does St.Anthony tell us that, while the fear of God may be the beginning of all wisdom, the love of God is its end. (from,“StAnthony the Great:Wisdom derived from Humility”) Ageless wisdom of the desert is pertinent and consequential wisdom for us as Christians today. 
God Bless, Fr. Tim 
FYI:When Anthony thought about the depths of the judgments of God, he asked, 'Lord, how is it that some die when they are young, while others drag on to extreme old age? Why are there those who are poor and those who are rich? Why do wicked men prosper and why are the just in need?' He heard a voice answering him, 'Antony, keep your attention on yourself; these thingsare according to the judgment of God,and it is not to your advantage to know anything about them.'