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.
One of the toughest jobs in
television is to be the weatherman or weatherwoman. Sometimes we love them and sometimes we hate
them. School children hang their hopes
on every word of the weatherman when he predicts snow, hoping for a school
cancellation. Store managers stock
shelves on the word that a storm will cause power-outages. People plan vacations and get-aways only
after checking the extended forecast.
I’ve become friends with our local weatherman and he says he gets angry
emails and even threats when the weather turns out different from his
forecast. One child refused to go to
school one morning saying, “The weatherman said it would snow!” A weatherman’s words can cause joy or sorrow,
they can give hope or despair, they can produce excitement or calm.
Today’s readings tell us that
each of us carries the mantle of the weatherman; in a spiritual sense, our
words can make it rain and snow. Listen
to Isaiah, who says: “Just as from the heavens the rain and snow come down and
do not return there till they have watered the earth…So shall my word be that
goes forth from my mouth…achieving the end for which I sent it.” God’s grace, his mercy, is like rain and snow
falling from heaven that produce goodness and growth, that give joy and
healing, to all the earth. And in the
gospel Jesus tells his disciples how to unleash this torrent of grace: by
prayer, like the “Our Father.” When we pray
for someone, we wear the mantle of the weatherman, and our words of prayer can
cause the rain to fall, which brings joy, peace, hope and mercy.
For a moment, think of someone
who could use a little spiritual sunshine, or maybe a child who desperately
wants another snowday! Did you know a
simple prayer for them can cause their spiritual weather pattern to
change? A friend of mine sent someone a
note of encouragement and included John Donne’s powerful poem “Death be not
proud.” Do you think that not brought a
warm southern breeze to scatter the dark and cold clouds hanging over that
man’s heart? You betcha. Every week we send acknowledgements to
grieving families that a Mass is offered for their deceased loved ones. The graces from those Masses can change the
weather patterns even in Purgatory! One
person who died set aside $10,000 in his will for Masses after he died: he was
hoping for a few snowdays in Purgatory!
But don’t limit the heavenly rain and snow only to fall on those you
love, but also pray for your enemies.
Every weatherman knows that when he forecasts a sunny day, that sun will
shine for everyone. It will even warm
the faces of those who send him angry emails.
Praised be Jesus Christ!
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