Almost exactly six months ago, the weather in Chicago was very different from it is today. I was driving down Lake Shore Drive. The temperature was well below zero. I got to Irving Park, and I turned off and started heading west on Irving Park to the parish where I help out almost daily and certainly on the weekends. 

And as I made the corner turn, right on the right hand side is the old Immaculata High School. At that time there were 600 migrants living in the high school. It was filled to capacity, overflowing. Below zero they were living across Lake Shore Drive as well, intense in that frigid weather. It all happened so quickly but as I turned, I saw a woman coming out the front door, no coat on, no gloves, no hat, no shoes, and no socks. And she was running out of the building and running west on Irving Park. 

And I thought to myself, what in the world? By the time my car caught up to her, she was running down an alley. 

And I began to create a story in my head, what happened? Perhaps all the trauma of being a migrant, perhaps someone was chasing after her, I’ll never know. It was startling. 

And about two minutes later as I continued to drive west on Irving Park, there was a young guy in his late 20s, hat on, earphones on, sunglasses on, jogging in shorts. And at a certain point he stopped, and he looked at his watch and I saw this very pleased look on his face.  

The timing that he was doing was obviously well and he was filled with joy in that frigid weather. And as I continued to drive west, I thought, what in the world? I’m thinking a lot about that, what in the world? What in the world is going on in our community? What in the world is going on in the United States? What in the world is going on in our world? We’re bombarded with so many things, you are and I am. And the advice is found in the gospel 

When we’re overwhelmed with life experiences.  

As Jesus was, as his apostles were, the invitation to go into a deserted place, to go to make time for yourself, to go to make time to pray and to reassess and to reflect and to be nourished by the very presence and the spirit of God in our lives. It’s essential in the spiritual life. It’s essential in your life. It’s essential in my life. 

There’s so much that goes on in this world of ours and at times, we, like Jesus, need to disembark. To go into deserted places, to spend a time alone with ourselves and with our God and to discern, to pray, to reflect, 

Be nourished by the spirit and then come out of those places and be the disciples that we’re called to be.