Word to the Wise
Tuesday, February 15, 2011 - Tuesday in the 6th Week in Ordinary Time
[Gen 6:5-8; 7:1-5, 10 and Mark 8:14-21]When the Lord saw how great was man's wickedness on earth, and how no desire that his heart conceived was ever anything but evil, he regretted that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was rieved. [Genesis]
These words begin the story of Noah and the Ark! In America, among a certain generation, even if one were not a bible reader, one would be familiar with the famous comedy routine of Bill Cosby and his question in response to God's command: "What's an Ark?" As it is, this is one of the stories in the Bible that has attracted the most attention of scholars, scientists, artists, even musicians. There was a Broadway musical, "Two by Two," about it! A certain generation will remember a particular summer campfire song! Yes, the idea of a great big ship with Noah and his family and a male and female sample of every living creature has a fascinating appeal. What one doesn't always hear is the reason why Noah built the ark!
The story of a great flood was not unique to ancient Hebrew culture. It was part of the life of the Middle East (e.g., the Gilgamesh Epic). The biblical authors found it helpful to explain that great flood in terms of God's relationship to human beings! The mess created by the fall of Adam and Eve got messier and became so bad that God wanted to start all over again - but not quite. At least Noah and his family would be saved along with a "starter group" from all other living creatures. (Of course, the story doesn't say anything about the plants. Somehow they take care of themselves!) Nowadays, every time there is a record flood, the story of Noah will make an appearance.
The opportunity to "start all over again" with God is attractive when we've made a mess of life! As we will see in the remainder of the story tomorrow, God promises that complete destruction will no longer be part of the divine plan. The problem, as I see it, is that maybe God has no such plan, but we humans seem to find ways to be completely destructive. Starting all over again after a great natural disaster makes for inspiring story-telling, but we know that as in all things human, it can get morally messy! Tomorrow's promise will offer us a ray of hope! AMEN
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