Tuesday of the First Week of Lent

Let It Soak In

After hearing those two readings today, you might notice something simple: they’re both about words. Isaiah talks about God’s Word coming down like rain and snow. And Jesus gives us words to pray — the Our Father. And during Lent, that matters. Because Lent is about what we’re really allowing to shape us.

Isaiah says that just as rain and snow come down and water the earth and make it fruitful, so shall God’s Word be. It will not return empty. Think about rain for a minute. When it falls on dry ground, it doesn’t force anything. It just keeps soaking in. And over time, things begin to grow. That’s how God’s Word works. It’s not loud. It’s not dramatic. It just keeps soaking in.

But the soil has to be open. If the ground is hard, the water runs off.

And that’s where the Gospel fits in. Jesus gives us the Our Father. I’ve said before that the Our Father is the recipe for prayer. Everything is there — praise, trust, asking, forgiveness, surrender. But if all you do is stand in the kitchen and read a recipe out loud, you don’t get dinner. You actually have to follow it. You mix it. You put it in the oven. You let it cook.

The same is true with the Our Father. If we just say the words because we’ve memorized them, nothing changes. But if we actually pray it — “Give us this day our daily bread.” Do I really trust Him today? “Forgive us our trespasses…” Am I really asking? “As we forgive those…” Am I holding onto something?

That’s where it gets real. Jesus even warns us not to pile up words. It’s not about saying more. It’s about meaning what we say.

Lent isn’t about going through the motions. It’s about letting God’s Word soak into the heart. And prayer softens the heart — forgiveness especially. Resentment makes it hard. Forgiveness opens it.

And when the heart is open, Isaiah promises something: God’s Word does its work. It never returns empty.

So maybe during Lent the Lord is simply asking us to slow down the Our Father. Not to say it faster. Not to say it more often. But to mean it. To let it soak in.

The recipe works. But only if we follow it.

And Lent is the time to start doing that.