Hope in the Wilderness – Fr Daniel Berrigan, SJ

As we walk through the wilderness of Holy Saturday, can we imagine that we are with the disciples? Alone… afraid… despairing… the broken body of their Lord taken down from the cross and sealed in a tomb. What do we do now? Where is the hope that he taught us about? Are we back in the wilderness again? Is there any way out?

I take comfort in Dan Berrigan’s translation of Isaiah 25:1-5.

Yahweh, You are my God

honor and praise be yours,

Your holy design from of old!

The citadels of the proud

You bring to ground, a rubble.

……………..

You, strength of the hapless,

you, refuge of the poor.

The violent wreak havoc!

their reign—a torrid blast,

a desert, a wind borne plague

But you, you put to silence

boasts of the hard of heart!

Isaiah: Spirit of Courage, Gift of Tears, p. 59

The prophets (both Isaiah and Dan) offer hope in this wilderness we are currently in as a nation. Perhaps this was the hope we were seeking as we gathered to protest the government’s actions and policies in front of the Government Center in Mobile today.

Yahweh you are my God…. In the commentary on this passage, Dan offers sage advice and hope in the midst of the chaos we are experiencing.

The toppling of the idols is not the work of benighted spirits like ourselves, who often as not cannot tell an idol from a burning bush. The toppling is the work of God, who knows, who loves. God, who is truth and love, immeasurable, clears a way in the underbrush, a way through our maze of faltering and waywardness…

Isaiah: Spirit of Courage, Gift of Tears, p. 60

Lead us, Holy Spirit, in the way of peace and love for all of God’s creation and created beings.