Below is a transcript of the homily delivered on July 12 by the Very Reverend Mark Payne at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church in Milwaukee:

Isaiah really gives us a beautiful image and the image of the snow and the rain coming down and hitting the earth and giving that earth a fruitful existence. 

It waters and it gives life to the earth. It's a great, great image for all of us to see, because if you think of the word of God coming into our lives and really giving us a fruitful life. That's exactly what Jesus is saying today in his parable. But he realizes that we need to be ready to receive that word. And that's what he's going to really promote. And that's what I want to talk about. How do we prepare ourselves to receive that word? Because the word is always going out, whether you listen to it here in church or whether you see it in action, whether you see people helping one another. The word is a lie. When you think about maybe some of the prayers that you read, the word is a lie. You see, the word comes in many different ways. And that's why God is generous with his word. He's throwing out all of the seed, which is the word, and he wants us to catch some of that. But he also realizes and he lets us examine that there are reasons why the word doesn't take root. 

Sometimes we can be overwhelmed with grief or what is going on in our lives. And it can be so overwhelming that we start to question our faith or we start the question where God is. That is real. That happens to people. And Jesus says, we have to watch out because we want that word to take good root. We don't want anxieties and and tribulations to overcome us. And sometimes we can. I've heard stories about people leaving the church. That's the last thing you want to do. You don't want to leave the church. Why would you want to do that? Then where are we going to hear the word? Where are you going to take in that word and let it take root? See, then we're we're we're looking in other places that aren't always the best places to receive that. What we need that nourishment. We receive it here. We receive it in our own prayer lives. But leaving that that, what good is that going to do? Even when he talks about, you know, we we need deep roots in order to grow. We need that word to take root in our hearts and in our in our lives. Without it, I would be lost. But part of what I've always said to you is you need to make time for it. Do you make time to pray? And for some of you, you may be shaking your heads. Yes, father, we do. Excellent. Good. You're doing well and keep doing it. But we need to make that time. I would be lost without my time in the morning. I spend an hour just quietly. I don't read anything. I just settle myself and I say good morning to God. And I give God an opportunity to talk to me and believe me. He talks. There are things that he says and he does encourage me. And part of it is it comes people, ideas, all kinds of things can flood my mind. Sometimes we don't give us an opportunity. We always have the television on or we have some background noise going on that we don't give ourselves the opportunity to allow the word to really sink in. Then I can pray my favorite prayers. Then I can read from my breviary the different songs that I enjoy. You see that all of that nourishes one's life. I've talked about this with the news. You know, the news can be so negative, so negative, so frightening. It can turn our lives upside down. Sometimes we need to turn the news off. We need to watch a little of it. Be aware. I'm not saying you shouldn't be aware, but if we're sitting there watching it, I mean, good Lord, it's on at 4:00 in the morning and it goes until nine o'clock. Have we not heard enough news? 

So what we need is nourishing, nourishing word. 

I have always I try to use spiritual books so that I have an opportunity to really read about saints, about our faith, to really nourish us. So what I'm trying to do for all of you today is do we take time to really allow the word to take root in our lives to sustain us? Because Jesus knows there's going to be distractions out there. He knows that there are going to be different voices calling us sometimes to leave the faith. If we get real negative about the church folks, we can pull people away from it. If we get negative about everything that's going on. We scare one another. 

If we're doing that, what are we doing? 

So we have to think about what are we saying? How are we acting? What are we presenting to other people? Are we nourishing them? Are we uplifting them? Are we encouraging them or are we bringing folks down? You see a pin. We do have an effect. We do have an effect on people. And it is an attitude and how we approach our lives and how we live and how we interact with one another. 

Like I said, you know, you can you can watch the news and be upset about everything and then drive to work. And guess what you're angry about what you watch that the news and it dumps out on all of the coworkers at DMSO it on your family. We have to be careful. And I and even when people come to me, I would say, what are we watching that lifts you up? That really is good. Some of the programs just paged through the television, believe me, I have Kileen def killing destruction. That's what we're watching for entertainment. That's and folks, don't tell me it doesn't have an effect on you. I know it has an effect on us. It has an effect. 

Why would Isaiah say the word of God is like snow and water that comes and waters that the word people's expression of words make a difference. 

So what we are called to is to make sure that we're providing an opportunity for God's word to take root in our hearts so that we have the ability to overcome, to exist in this world and to overcome some of the obstacles that are around us, to meet the challenges that face us, but also to help one another in being an uplifting member of the church, an uplifting member of our faith and helping others see it. So this Sunday, as we hear this parable, spend some time with it. Ask yourself, do I make enough time for God and his word? And how do I do that? And maybe some of the other stuff that we have, we have to clear up, push some of that out. Stop watching some of those programs. I watched one times The Housewives. I don't know if you've ever seen that. I thought, why would anyone watch The Housewives? 

They're fighting with each other and they're tearing each other apart. This is what I would want to watch. Now, if you watch The Housewives now, you have some moment to say, you know, maybe fathers, right. We should change that channel. 

But but really be with it, folks. Think about what we're watching. Think about what we are really taking in. And is it nourishing us or is it tearing us down?