Every day of Lent, Bishop Edward Malesic writes a Scripture reflection for the faithful. Follow the bishop on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Click HERE for the readings.
Northeast Ohio has its share of bad weather. However, we’ve had nothing as bad as Noah who is mentioned in two of our readings!
After the great flood, God made a covenant with Noah and the world. The waters of a flood would never again destroy the entire world. God would not use this form of natural disaster to wash away sinful humanity again. After all, we seem to be doing a good job at destroying the world ourselves without God’s help.
There is a deeper meaning here. God desires to save, not destroy. God desires to give life, not death.
The Second Reading from the First Letter of Saint Peter says that the water of baptism is a reminder of the flood. It is a reminder that God wants to pull us out of the waters of destruction to the new life of grace with him. Just as God rescued Noah and his family, God desires to rescue us. When Jesus came, he made the waters of the sacrament of baptism pregnant with his saving, life giving presence.
When we were baptized, God put an end to our past life without Him. He destroyed our original sin — a sin, not of our own making, that kept us from him. If we were baptized as adults, he also destroyed our past life of sinfulness by his mercy.
When we were baptized, God drew us closer to Him as adopted sons and daughters. He put us into His family, together with Jesus, his only begotten Son. And, coming out of the waters of baptism, we were placed in the safety of the boat of His Church, with Jesus as the captain, leading us to the safe shores of the Kingdom.
Every day, we need to renew our commitment to stay the course with Christ. We should not abandon ship or be tricked into falling overboard. Jesus gives us the way to find safe passage with him: “Repent and believe in the Gospel.” If we admit our sins, he will forgive us. If we believe in him, he will fill us with new life.
In a few weeks, at our celebration of Easter, we will renew our baptismal promises, when we promise to reject sin and Satan, and believe in God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as proclaimed by the Church and confessed in its creeds.
Will we simply say the words with our lips, “I do” when we are asked, “Do you reject Satan and all his works? . . . Do you believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of Heaven and Earth?” Or will our response come from the heart and our “I do” shake the world with the fervor of its resolve?
Take the time to thank God for your baptismal call to follow Jesus in the ark of the Church. And remember, God desires your salvation, and never your destruction.
Happy Lent everyone and have a blessed week.