The modern desert gives us a unique opportunity to be alone while surrounded by others.

On public transit, nearly everyone wears headphones. In rush hour traffic, each car becomes its own little cell. In the office, even a cubicle can become a place of reflection. What often feels like isolation because of technology can become an invitation to prayer.

The Desert Fathers of the third and fourth centuries went into the wilderness seeking solitude, silence, fasting, labor, and deeper communion with God. We may not live in the Egyptian desert, but modern life has its own places of solitude. The question is whether we will let them become places of distraction, or places where Christ can speak.

Chi Rho Letters is a weekly Catholic newsletter written to help you find that inner stillness, or hesychia, in the middle of ordinary life.

Each issue offers:

• Scripture reflection
• Catholic headlines
• Sunday readings
• Liturgy of the Hours
• Mass readings for the week
• Opportunities for contemplative reading
• Community prayer Intentions

It is meant to inform you and help you slow down to allow:

• Your commute can become a prayer cell.
• Your desk can become a refuge.
• Your ordinary week can become a place of encounter with God.

Subscribe to the Chi Rho Letters and become part of the Chi Rho Crew!