Retired Archbishop Michael J. Sheehan of Santa Fe, a former rector of Holy Trinity Seminary in Dallas, died June 3 at age 83.

In the Judeo-Christian worldview, the wilderness has always been a place of divine encounter. Think Moses and the burning bush, Elijah on Mount Horeb, Jesus in the desert. Often God leads his people into the wild places in order to reveal himself in a new way and to strengthen them for mission. And He is still doing it today.

At the depth of every human heart is a vocational calling. It is the echo of Christ’s voice speaking to His people where we cannot help but listen and follow after Him. Pope St. John Paul II wrote, “In the hidden recesses of the human heart the grace of a vocation takes the form of a dialogue. It is a dialogue between Christ and an individual, in which a personal invitation is given. Christ calls the person by name and says: ‘Come, follow me.’”