More Than Many Sparrows...and Stars

In his advice to the Apostles as he sends them out to preach, Jesus reminds them (and us) not to be afraid of the unknown, (or the known) for the Father, who cares for the sparrows, on whose heads is a minimal price, will also care for them (and us) who are worth more than many sparrows.  (cf. Mt 10: 32). 
In a recent e-mail from one of my Godsons who is nearing his fourth month of military service in Afghanistan, he described his location for the past three weeks as the dirtiest, dustiest, most forsaken place he's ever seen.  So much so that he's felt an emptiness within, mirroring the barrenness of his surroundings.  The one redeeming feature, however, is that in the complete blackness of the night, the stars are more visible than ever in numbers he has never been able to see until now.  He is in the classic state of "the desert" in which the "emptiness" is really the readiness to receive what God can and will supply to fill the void.  Jesus returned from 40 days in the desert with a clear understanding of who he was and what his mission was.  Years of spiritual dryness, "the desert within," usually result in heroic efforts in faith to follow God's will, as in the case of Mother Teresa.  In these moments of emptiness, we need to remember that we are indeed worth more than many sparrows, or stars, and that the God who created these tiny creatures and cares for them, or the vast immeasurable extent of the universe knows and cares for us.  Our emptiness or desert experience enables us to appreciate this and be open to be filled with God's plentiful gifts.
Bro. Rene
PS.  I apologize for the absence of a slice of daily bread for the last two days and perhaps again on Sunday and Monday, since I'm not sure at this writing what computer access I'll have in the rural parish to which I am going later today on my "Mission Appeal Journey."  We shall see.