Word to the Wise
Wednesday, February 16, 2011 - Wednesday in the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time
[Genesis 8:6-13, 20-22 and Mark 8:23-26]Never again will I doom the earth because of man since the desires of man's heart are evil from the start; nor will I ever again strike down all living beings, as I have done. As long as the earth lasts, seedtime and harvest, cold and heart, summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.
One of my all-time favorite PEANUTS cartoons shows Lucy and her little brother, Linus, standing at a plate glass window looking out a a downpour. Lucy remarks about the heavy rain and wonders out loud what would happen if it rained 40 days and 40 nights again! Linus replies that it can't happen. She frowns at him and says, "And why NOT?" Linus replies that God promised never again to destroy the world by flood and the rainbow was the sign of the promise. He adds the citation from Genesis! Lucy replies, "You have no idea what a burden you have taken from my shoulders!" Linus answers, "Sound theology has a way of doing that!"
God's promise is "sound theology." God makes the first of many covenants with humanity. It is the first of many because human beings consistently broke and break that covenant! The covenant with Noah is simply the first of the "starting all over again" events. Abraham and Moses and many of the prophets also speak of a "new covenant." Finally God creates a "new and everlasting covenant" in Jesus Christ. The story of Noah simply reminds us of how bad things can get - to the point that the creator regrets the creation! We can be as sentimental as we want about rainbows, but a rainbow can remind us that God is faithful even if we are less than faithful! AMEN
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