Brother Carlo Carretto finds the solitude of the Sahara an inspiration to prayer – that kind of personal and intense communication with God that makes each day an act of faith. Few have the advantage of such splendid isolation, but the author insists that each of us would benefit by ‘creating a desert’ in our lives to which we can withdraw to pray.
Carretto quotes a proverb of his desert neighbours, the nomadic Tuaregs: “place the tents far apart, draw near with your hearts’ and suggests that this type of physical aloneness is even more important for those caught up in the bustle of today’s urban society. He writes: ‘Do not be afraid that your momentary withdrawal will be detrimental to the community – and do not be afraid that an increase in your personal love for God will in any way diminish your love for your neighbor. On the contrary, it will enrich it.’