I appreciate how the Old and New Testament are so entwined as it teaches us and guides us closer to God.

I had a glimpse of this todaywhile praying the Divine Office this Saturday (Week III). The second antiphon exclaims: “Extol the greatness of our God.”  The Canticle is preceded by this quote from the New Testament, “How often I have longed to gather your children as a hen gathers her brood under her wing” (Matthew 23:37). Jesus said this as he sat on a mountain top looking over the city of Jerusalem. He spent three years of active ministry preaching the Good News making God present and yet still met resistance. I then read the first three verses of the Canticle from Deuteronomy

“Give ear, O heavens, while I speak; let the earth hearken to the words of my mouth! May my instruction soak in like the rain, and my discourse permeate like the dew, like a downpour upon the grass, like a shower upon the crops: For I will sing the Lord’s renown, Oh, proclaim the greatness of our God!” (Deuteronomy 32:1-3).

I wonder if Jesus, the Word of God,  prayed this often while traversing the Middle East, perhaps shortly after his lament on the mountaintop.

It should be our prayer too. We should pray for the desire that the words we read or hear in scripture soak in our hearts like the rain; that the prayers we recite permeate like the dew, the rosaries we pray are like a shower upon the field of our soul, inundating us with consolation, strength, and reassurance. The agricultural symbols are fitting. Our soul is nutrient rich soil that seeks eternal life with the Father. The Word of God and prayer are pathways to get there, our seed, sun, and rain. Allow the His words to soak. permeate and shower your heart and soul.