Fr. Lawrence Jagdfeld, O.F.M., Administrator
It's snowing outside as I write today. The coincidence between the weather and my praying about the Scriptures rarely happens, but it did this morning. Yet 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. . . (Isaiah 55:10-11a)
After last summer's drought here in Illinois, one would think there would be less complaining about the rain and snow with which we have been visited this winter. Our memories are too short. Friends of mine who are farmers used a picture of their parched fields as a Christmas card this year. They know how important the snowfall of winter is for the following year's crops just as Isaiah seems to know.
We are a people who like immediate results. Push a button or flip a switch. If nothing happens, we exhibit signs of frustration. Everything is supposed to work all the time. If it doesn't, we become surly or anxious or angry or frustrated.
Just as the rain and snow work their effects on the land slowly and over time, so too God's Word, so too prayer. There are no buttons to push in prayer. God's Word takes its time in seeping into our souls. Our prayers are never answered instantaneously. Prayer goes hand in hand with perseverance. We have to let it soak into our hearts, softening them so that God can find a way into our lives. There are no shortcuts in our journey to or with God.