Isaiah uses an illustration from nature to speak about the efficacy of God's word. His little parable provides us with a very apt examination of consciousness in these first days of Lent. The earth needs the water provided by rain and snow in order to be fertile and to produce what we need to live on. We hear the word of God every time we come to Mass. We may reflect whether, like the rain and the snow, the word of God makes our spiritual life fruitful and productive. Just as the earth needs water, so we need the word of God to bring the fruits of the Holy Spirit to maturity in our lives.

We are constantly interacting and communicating with other people according to our state and style of life. It has been said that if we do not communicate the Holy Spirit to others, we simply do not communicate. That sounds a high ideal, but it is possible to achieve it in many ordinary ways. St Paul has taught us that the Holy Spirit brings us love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, trustfulness, gentleness and self-control. The Psalmist encourages us to look to God so that we may be radiant with joy.