Blurb of “Yoda, the Wilderness and Jesus”
Biblically, the wilderness seemed to be God’s preferred place of meeting. Why? And why are the wise men of myth and legend always found in the wilderness? Journey with Luke Skywalker in The Empire Strikes Back, and explore the parallels between Yoda’s training and Catholic spirituality!
Excerpt from “Yoda, the Wilderness and Jesus”
“… You may be surprised at how many heroes in both myth and biblical stories actually (a) find themselves in some sort of wilderness (b) encounter there the wisdom they need to continue on their journey. In the great Sumerian Epic of Gilgamesh, king Gilgamesh’s quest for immortality takes him into the wilderness to seek out Ziusudra, the only man who can teach him the secret of immortality. In the Lion King, Simba is exiled into the wilderness, where he eventually meets the ghost of Mufasa and has his kingly identity re-invigorated. Then we have the bible stories. It was out alone in the wilderness that the runaway Moses first encounters God, the great I AM in the burning bush. Later it was in the same wilderness that the prophet Elijah hears God’s call through the still small voice. Like the motifs in the great myths, wisdom always seems to be found in the wilderness – and I mean here Wisdom with a capital W – God himself. Not only is the wilderness a place where God is present, it seems biblically to be his preferred meeting place! Hosea 2:14 says “Therefore, I will now allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her.” Pretty intimate language..”