In primitive monasticism, the retreat to the desert is in no way a simple desire for tranquillity, for leisure or for extended contemplation in the sense this is understood in Greek Philosophy.
If a monk buried himself in the desert it was with the desire of fighting the devil in what was considered his usual dwelling place.
The monk was a person possessed by a holy impatience to seek perfection. That is why he goes with all speed to the place where he can expect to find, face and vanquish the spirit of evil so that the spirit of love can possess him and rule where evil ruled before.
It would be naive to believe that this battle was primarily a physical battle fought in the wilderness. It was the wilderness that created the utter solitude that forced the monk to face the demons within.
We have to face the demons that dwell there. No one is free of the seven deadly sins that the demons use to keep their victims earthbound.
The very idea that a person ruled by their demons from within can be united with the Risen Lord is totally unthinkable.
It is for this reason that, once first enthusiasm has evaporated we have to undergo the purification that entails first seeing the demons that separate us from Christ, and then, with God’s help vanquish them!
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