Tuesday in the First Week of Lent, March 8, 2022

Isaiah 55:10-11

Thus says the Lord: Just as from the heavens the rain and snow come down and do not return there till they have watered the earth, making it fertile and fruitful, giving seed to the one who sows and bread to the one who eats, so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; It shall not return to me void, but shall do my will, achieving the end for which I sent it.

In the Gospel reading for today’s Mass, the Lord Jesus tells us how to pray (and how not to pray).  In the First Reading, Almighty God tells us how he answers our prayers.  Jesus tells us not to “babble”, that is, speak empty words.  We are to pray simply and directly: “Give us this day our daily bread.”  Admitting our need for God’s help and asking humbly for it, God will grant us that which will truly benefit us, even when what we ask in our innocence is really not good for us.  We also  ought to take care not to try to control God or what he will give us: we should not give him detailed instructions on how he is to do something.  

Thinking about the words in Isaiah helps us to appreciate what God gives us.  Here, God compares his word to the rain and the snow that descend from the heavens and water the earth, filling up rivers and streams and giving refreshment and health to animals and crops.  Because the rain and snow come down from the heavens, they are seen as truly heavenly gifts.  God compares his word to the gentle rain and snow that fall, not to torrents that cause floods or blizzards.  That is to say, God’s gifts come to us naturally and without fanfare.  We might even take them for granted as we often do clouds and rain.  His gifts are good for us in themselves in the present moment and for what they do in the future, for his word is alive and ever active: “The word of God is living and effectual” (Hebrews 4, 12).  Speaking of his word, Almighty God tells us, “It shall not return to me void, but shall do my will, achieving the end for which I sent it.”  The rain and the snow return to the heavens through evaporation after watering the earth — achieving God’s purpose in sending it.  The word that God sends in answer to our prayers similarly brings us many benefits, some of which we did not think to ask for.  This is how God gives: “good measure and pressed down and shaken together and running over” (Luke 6, 38).  It “returns” to him in the sense that his power to help us never diminishes but is ever present in him to use.  Thus, God gives us our daily bread today and he will give it to us tomorrow.  His willingness to give us what we need should not lull us into complacency, though.  We always need to ask, to receive graciously, and to give thanks for his gift.  This conscious giving, receiving, and thanking strengthens the bonds between us and God.  We know ourselves as dependent on him, and we know him as the most generous and willing provider.

We can ultimately  understand his “word” as his “Word” spoken by his mouth and whom he sent to us.  That he comes down gently to us is confirmed by the Prophet Isaiah in words used in the Mass for the Fourth Sunday of Advent: “Drop down dew, ye heavens, from above, and let the clouds rain the Just One!” (Isaiah 45, 8).  The Father’s Word, made flesh, was obedient to his command, fulfilling the purpose for which he was sent.  He did not return to the Father “void” but with the souls of the just who had died before his coming and who had awaited him.  His coming upon the earth remains “effectual” in that fruit continues to ripen and to be gathered into the barns of heaven.

Let us pray earnestly and simply that his grace will be effectual in us so that we may join in this great harvest.