Take with you words

Ave Maria!  "Take with you words," the prophet Hosea tells us today in our first reading at Mass (Hosea 14:2-10).  What words shall I take with me on my journey throughout this new day?  What will they be like?  Will they build up or tear down?  Will they bring light or cause darkness?  Will they be sweet or bitter?  Will they be kind and loving or mean and sarcastic?  Will they be replete with hope and encouragement or full of dismal foreboding?  Will they be joyful and celebratory or mirthless and unfestive? 

What power there is in words!  And what power is mine in using them!  "Take with you words," the Lord says to me today through his prophet.  Let me first listen to His voice, so full of goodness and love, and then beg His wisdom that I might choose words like His, full of spirit and life. 

May the spoken words of my mouth,

the thoughts of my heart,

win favor in your sight, O Lord!

~Psalm 19:15

Spring Rain

He will come to us like the rain, like spring rain that waters the earth. Hosea 6:3

The Old Testament is full of rich images of how God comes to us and works in our lives. Today's image of the spring rain always shows up in the first reading from Hosea (6:1-6) for the third Saturday of Lent, which appropriately enough comes during March, the time of spring rain. The Hebrew word is "malqôsh". In Biblical times, it preceded and promoted the harvest; without it, the crops would not mature. It was the third and last period of the rainy season which ran from November to April. This gentle rain was crucial for the harvest. Without it, crops and fruits would not survive the long, burning hot stretch of summer, during which there was no moisture except for the dew. If the malqôsh failed or was insufficient, drought or famine would result.

Thank you, dear Lord, for coming to me like the spring rain, for always providing for all my needs and especially for preparing me for the dry times lest I wither and die. Thank You for remembering how frail and weak I am, for being gentle but persistent with me. Only in You can I grow and mature; only in You can I bear fruit that will last. My God, how great is Your goodness to me! For ever will I sing Your praise! Amen.