PRAYING IN THE RAIN

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is,  “Praying In The Rain.”

Hopefully, all of us have seen the movie, “Singing In The Rain.”

There’s Gene Kelly dancing and singing on the street - on the sidewalk - going up and down the curb - swinging his umbrella -filled with joy and song.

And the rain kept falling - the singer kept singing - the dancer kept dancing.

TODAY’S FIRST READING

Today’s first reading - pictures rain and snow coming down from the heavens - watering the earth - making it fertile and fruitful. Then Isaiah pictures a farmer sowing seed, then he pictures the wheat that rises and then becomes bread - then he pictures people eating that bread.

We just had a lot of rain - did you take the time to lookout  the window be amazed at the rain? When was the last time you stood with your face to the rain and let your tongue lick the rain - or is that only summer rain or only when I become like  a little child?  I sometimes wonder if Isaiah or Jesus stuck their tongue out into the rain. However, it doesn’t rain that often I Jerusalem.

We just had some snow on Saturday. I didn’t have the 4:30 Saturday Mass - but I had confessions.  It was snowing on my way out here to St. John Neuman’s at 3:30. I walked out of the confession - out into the lobby and two women were sitting there on that smidge of a couch - and seeing the snow outside covering everthing in the hour I was in the confession I said, “Wow look at that snow” and one said, “But isn’t it beautiful?”

I stopped and really looked out the big windows and said, “Wow you’re right. It is beautiful.”

Then Isaiah the prophet says what the rain and the snow is like: it’s like God’s word falling down from the heavens.  Then I Isaiah says, “It shall not return to me void, but shall do my will, achieving the end for which I sent it.”

Hearing the word of God - letting it fall down on my ears - and enter my ears, can be a powerful experience.

Hear the word of the Lord.

And by the way, can you see words flying around this church - going into the micrphones and coming out the speakers.  Can you see them falling like rain and snow?

TODAY’S GOSPEL

Today’s Gospel talks about praying - that it not be babble. It’s not many words that are only a show.

Today’s Gospel is a chance to talk to God our Father - to praise him - to pray to do his will on earth as it is in heaven - to ask for daily bread - to ask for forgiveness and to forgive in return - to get help in temptations.

Today’s Gospel is a plea to be able to pray.

So I entitled my homily, “Praying in the Rain.”

When it rains and when it snows - to go outside and let it hit our face, our tongues, our ears and our hands.

To pray that the words we hear at Mass enter our ears, our minds, our lives - that these words will become part of us - that we can become fertile ass the breadd of life - the bread of life - that that bread become Jesus.

CONCLUSION

Let it rain. Let it snow. Let the sun shine. Let the earth grow. Let the green return: leaves, grass, flowers and the fields.  Let’s long to see the leaves and the grass and the flowers dancing in the breath.

Let all bring all into communion with God - into the great dance - the [perichoresis] - the Trinity - unified together - our God.