The Wilderness

In the wild
We join hands
With the sacred, the tempted, the defiled.

All become one
In the desert dance
Under the penetrating sun.

In this place of wilderness
To which we are led
We partake in Communion
As manna
Becomes our daily bread.

Hagar, Moses, and Jesus, too
We all join in the Baptist’s
Honey and locust view
To rediscover
That which is real and true.

The vast desert
Becomes our greatest Rabbi,
Our silent priest
As we turn our gaze
From the darkness of the night
To the East
As dawn’s rays give birth to new light.

So when our hearts
Are dry and parched,
We gently prod our arid minds
And allow our souls to be set aflame
As we gather around the Burning Bush
To relearn God’s holy name.

And as we dance around the fire,
We join hands in the wilderness
With the prophets, the contemplatives, and friars.

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This poem also appears in the August 2022 issue of U.S. Catholic (Vol. 87, No. 8, page 22). Click here to subscribe to the magazine.