The Liturgy today highlights the effectiveness of God’s Word in our lives. “My word shall not return to me void, but shall do my will, achieving the end for which I sent it.” So God speaks to us through the prophet Isaiah. Jesus used the parable of the sower to teach about the importance of our cooperation for the Word of God to be effective in our faith, hope, and love. It makes each of us think: What kind of “soil” am I?
The Hebrew word for “Word” is dabar. It has the sense of power and creativity and effectiveness built into the Word itself. A good example of this is on the first page of the Bible. God said, “Let there be light, and there was light.” This same kind of effectiveness happens on each day of creation. This sense of dabar is the reason why the Word of God is proclaimed in the Eucharistic assembly. It is up to each of us to realize how God’s Word affects us and has an effect in us.
How does the Word of God have an effect in your life? What new seedling does God seem to want to plant within you?