March 27, 2015

My Journey to God

Desert Prayer

—desert monastery of St. George, near Jerusalem

In the desert, morning sun
enters through our windows
and lifts us to prayer
that rises above shadow.

Afternoon sun coming
from the other direction
leaves us in shadows
that make us look within

for the light we
can summon only if
we give ourselves
to the kind of prayer that
transforms us into flame

as we feel desert heat
drop and descend to cold
that will settle in our hearts
unless the fire burns
within at the center.

By Norbert Krapf
 

(Norbert Krapf , a member of St. Mary Parish in Indianapolis, is a poet, author and former Indiana Poet Laureate. He wrote the poem based on St. George monastery in the desert near Jerusalem.) †

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