What Better Time to Remember?

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 . . .
so shall my word be . . . it shall not return to me void,
but shall achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
Isaiah 55, 10-11

Sr. Barbara O’Dea, DW

I’ve read this word of God hundreds of times over the years. It never fails to give me hope. This year it amazed me. I discovered it in a whole new light. The story remains the same, the context changes, and that makes all the difference.

Listen to the prophet Isaiah speaking to the People of God, captives in Exile in Babylon, their Promised Land conquered, their Temple destroyed. The situation seems hopeless. Isaiah speaks to stir up their faith, a faith strong enough to give birth to hope and courage.  My word will achieve the end for which I sent it. A message of comfort in the midst of their tragic plight, God will have the last word.

Centuries later Jesus speaks to a large crowd. Once again, the situation was dire. The Roman empire occupied the land. Its religious leaders, Pharisees and Sadducees, were staunch champions of the observance of the law. Over the years, to the ten commandments God gave to Moses, another 500+ laws had been added. In such a legalistic system, the spirit was stifled. Jesus tells them a story, the parable of the Sower and the Seed. The sower is God who entrusts rich seed to his people with the expectation of an abundant harvest. The seed, Jesus tells us, is the word of God and they are the soil. The interaction is between the seed and the soil. They must yield rich fruit. God calls the people to see deeply, hear with a listening heart and understand the gift given. God’s word will transform their lives.

Fast forward to 2020. It is time for us to hear the story of the seed and the soil in the context of our times. In our world disasters are multiple and global in scope. Millions of refugees wander the face of the earth seeking a safe place to live. Closer to home, millions of immigrants wait at our very borders seeking asylum. Ever so slowly, conscious awareness of the evils that pervade our culture grow - racism, growing poverty in a rich country, young Dreamers and children of immigrants living under the constant threat of separation from their families and deportation. A culture of lies erodes our moral values. The very planet we call home is threatened by ecological disasters from pole to pole. Suddenly, a tiny virus becomes a pandemic and quarantines us all.

Today, the Spirit of God calls us to action. We are challenged to become the rich soil where the word of God can sink deep roots. Mission impossible? Look around you. Children collect tons of food to feed the hungry, teenagers and young adults develop a social conscience that turns into a call to action. People in medical professions risk their lives so that others might live. Scientists work day and night to find a vaccine. Signs of a new solidarity are all around us. In the midst of it all God’s seed is growing.

The yield, a transformation of consciousness, we have begun to see, and hear and understand God’s Word and to say ‘yes’ to a conversion of heart.  The call, to join with others to use the gifts God has given us. The fruit, growing solidarity: gifts cultivated and shared. We are called to be co-creators of a new world order. What better time to remember? God will have the last word.  

My word shall not return to me void, it shall achieve the purpose for which I sent it.