"And I will banish evil beasts from the land, and they will dwell in the desert in hope" (Ez 34:25). What does in the desert mean? In solitude. And what does in solitude mean? Inwardly, in ones consciousness. Its a great solitude: no one else crosses it, no one else is even seen. There let us dwell in hope, because we cannot yet dwell there in fact. For everything outside us wavers with the storms and trials of the world. Its an inner desert, and there let us examine our faith; let us inquire whether there is charity inwardly; let us see if it is only our lips and not our hearts, too, that are saying, "Forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors." If our hearts also say this, if we speak the truth there, where no one else can see, there is the desert where we rest in hope, because all this distress passes away, and what was hope becomes reality, and all we do is rest. Then we will be utterly open to one another, ... and consciousness will not be a solitude because all will be known to one another, and they will not have any hidden thoughts when the Lord will come and will illumine hidden darkness and will reveal the hearts thoughts, and then everyone will have praise from God (1 Cor 4:5). ..."And they will dwell in the desert in hope, and they will have sleep," that is, they will have quiet: with their senses withdrawn from the worlds noise, they will rest there, inwardly, "by the streams" (Ez 34:25). Its as if in that inner desert certain rills of memory flow and spread divine streams from the mind of one used to reflecting on the Scriptures. For what you have read, what you have heard, if you entrusted it pure and flowing and holy to your memory, when you begin to rest in that inner desert, that is, in a good conscience, it trickles from your inmost mind and the memory of the word of God flows, and you begin to rest with others in hope, and you say, "It is true, it is well with me, this is my hope; God promised me this, and he does not lie; I have nothing to worry about." And this sense of security is sleep by the streams: "And they will have sleep by the streams." (Sermon 47, 23; PL 38, 311-12)