Genesis 9:18-23

“And the sons of Noe who came out of the ark, were Sem, Cham, and Japheth: and Cham is the father of Chanaan. These three are the sons of Noe: and from these was all mankind spread over the whole earth. And Noe, a husbandman, began to till the ground, and planted a vineyard, and drinking of the wine was made drunk, and was uncovered in his tent. Which when Cham the father of Chanaan had seen, to wit, that his father’s nakedness was uncovered, he told it to his two brethren without. But Sem and Japheth put a cloak upon their shoulders, and going backward, covered the nakedness of their father: and their faces were turned away, and they saw not their father’s nakedness.”

The three sons come from the ark, and attention is immediately drawn to the person of Ham, who fathered Canaan, who is mentioned five times in this passage and in the one following. From the line of Ham come Israel’s greatest enemies: (Genesis 10:6-20), including Babylon, Egypt, Canaan, and Egypt, an indication that one is stepping into dark territory in the narrative: “For though I should walk in the midst of the shadow of death, I will fear no evils, for thou art with me” (Psalm 22:4). When someone brings forth the enemies of Israel, it is a look into what is contrary to love, with some moral depravity being the foundation of an entire people: “You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you will do” (John 8:44). Noah is then described as a husbandman, a tiller of the soil, for hard work done with joy is a sweet offering to God, who does not desire to see you labor so much as flourish in the trade you were made for: “Let every man abide in the same calling in which he was called” (1 Corinthians 7:20), that you may put your heart into your work and improve the world: “They shall strengthen the state of the world, and their prayer shall be in the work of their craft, applying their soul, and searching in the law of the most High” (Ecclesiasticus 38:39), even if it is the smallest corner of the divine vineyard. Noah then gets drunk on the wine, it being years since he had drunk wine, due to the time it would take for the grapes to mature. Therefore, in what had been a moderate pleasure: “Sober drinking is health to soul and body” (Ecclesiasticus 31:37), the amount he was used to overwhelms him, and he falls into sleep. In this is a type of Jesus, who labored in life, remaining quietly in Nazareth, loving those around Him: “Use your endeavour to be quiet, and that you do your business, and work with your own hands, as we commanded you” (1 Thessalonians 4:11), before drinking the cup of the suffering of love, letting love intoxicate Him even to the shameful death of the cross: “My Father, if it be possible, let this chalice pass from me” (Matthew 26:39). What follows is of particular insidiousness. Seeing the incapacity of his father, Ham “looks upon his father’s nakedness,” which is a Jewish idiom for laying with your father’s wife: “Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy father, or the nakedness of thy mother: she is thy mother, thou shalt not uncover her nakedness. Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy father’s wife: for it is the nakedness of thy father” (Leviticus 18:7-8). Rather than gross perversion, this was rather a reach for power, for in pagan mythologies, gods prove their power as leader of the pantheon by having sexual relations with the previous leader’s wives, which is seen later in Israel’s history: “And Achitophel said to Absalom: “Go in to the concubines of thy father whom he hath left to keep the house: that when all Israel shall hear that thou hast disgraced thy father, their hands may be strengthened with thee.’ So they spread a tent for Absalom on the top of the house, and he went in to his father’s concubines before all Israel” (2 Kings 16:21-22). It’s an attempt to usurp the birthright of Shem, the firstborn, by way of sexual assault. From this union, entirely depraved and deprived of love, comes Canaan, and thus is he mentioned several times in these passages and why he is so highlighted. Thus, Ham boasts to his brothers about this perverted conquest, who then cover their poor, violated mother without looking upon her. Now, the lessons here are many, but two that relate to love will be touched upon here. The first is a look into a grotesque use of the gift of free will, in which God seems absent: “And I saw, when he had opened the sixth seal… and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair” (Apocalypse 6:12), but even when the darkest nights wrap around you, the ones you love, or the world, it is a call to always believe in love, to trust in the merciful love of God even when He seems painfully absent: “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46), for those that bear the brutality of human violence need the consolation and help of those that love, even if it can amount to no more than the covering of a blanket, or simply being present: “And they sat with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no man spoke to him a word: for they saw that his grief was very great” (Job 2:13). “You are the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14), Theophila, and people need the light of love to brighten their darkness, or at least keep it from overwhelming them: “Let not the tempest of water drown me, nor the deep swallow me up: and let not the pit shut her mouth upon me” (Psalm 68:16). The second lesson is, in looking backwards and covering “the nakedness of their father,” Shem and Japheth demonstrate the Christian attitude to seeing the faults of others. To look on the ugliness of another’s soul is to take the ugly into yourself, whereas Wisdom teaches: “The learning of a man is known by patience: and his glory is to pass over wrongs” (Proverbs 19:11); and to cover the sight of another’s fault with a compliment of their character or a beautiful attribute of theirs is to cultivate the beautiful, for which your soul was made: “For the rest, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever modest, whatsoever just, whatsoever holy, whatsoever lovely, whatsoever of good fame, if there be any virtue, if any praise of discipline, think on these things” (Philippians 4:8). Finally, trust in the gift of the Lord. Just as Ham was blessed by God, yet reached for more by doing a grave evil, so too does God desire to fill your soul with love and clothe you in beauty: “For he hath satisfied the empty soul, and hath filled the hungry soul with good things” (Psalm 106:9); “Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after justice: for they shall have their fill” (Matthew 5:6); “He hath filled the hungry with good things” (Luke 1:53), but to refuse your portion for something else, at the very least, twists your soul in a way that it is not supposed to bend: “Neither shall he approach to minister to him: If he be blind, if he be lame, if he have a little, or a great, or a crooked nose, if his foot, or if his hand be broken, if he be crookbacked, or blear eyed, or have a pearl in his eye, or a continual scab, or a dry scurf in his body, or a rupture” (Leviticus 21:18-20), draws you away from the one thing necessary: “If thou pursue after thou shalt not overtake: and if thou run before thou shalt not escape” (Ecclesiasticus 11:10), or, worst of all, tempts you into action that is sinful: “Be not delighted in the paths of the wicked, neither let the way of evil men please thee. Flee from it, pass not by it: go aside and forsake it” (Proverbs 4:14-15).

Genesis 9:8-17

“Thus also said God to Noe, and to his sons with him, ‘Behold I will establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you: and with every living soul that is with you, as well in all birds as in cattle and beasts of the earth, that are come forth out of the ark, and in all the beasts of the earth. I will establish my covenant with you, and all flesh shall be no more destroyed with the waters of a flood, neither shall there be from henceforth a flood to waste the earth.’ And God said: ‘This is the sign of the covenant which I give between me and you, and to every living soul that is with you, for perpetual generations. I will set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be the sign of a covenant between me, and between the earth. And when I shall cover the sky with clouds, my bow shall appear in the clouds: and I will remember my covenant with you, and with every living soul that beareth flesh: and there shall no more be waters of a flood to destroy all flesh. And the bow shall be in the clouds, and I shall see it, and shall remember the everlasting covenant, that was made between God and every living soul of all flesh which is upon the earth.’ And God said to Noe: ‘This shall be the sign of the covenant which I have established between me and all flesh upon the earth.’”

God then establishes a covenant with Noah, washing away all sin out of love, but wanting Noah to never be afraid, and be comfortable in his journey with God: “My breasts,” the love of God and neighbor in the heart, “are as a tower since I am become in his presence as one finding peace” (Canticle 8:10), God guarantees that the flood will not come again, for fear is a horrible binding upon the hands that keeps one from living a full Christian life: “Fear not, for I am with thee: turn not aside for I am thy God: I have strengthened thee, and have helped thee, and the right hand of my just one hath upheld thee” (Isaias 41:10). It is a covenant that God will not crush the earth with wrath, but rather looks after each creature with love and care: “Behold the birds of the air, for they neither sow, nor do they reap, nor gather into barns: and your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are not you of much more value than they?” (Matthew 6:26), with the eventual misfortunes of life being designed to provide opportunities for conversion: “And there went out another horse that was red: and to him that sat thereon, it was given that he should take peace from the earth” (Apocalypse 6:4), growth: “We glory also in tribulations, knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience trial; and trial hope; and hope confoundeth not: because the love of God is poured forth into our hearts, by the Holy Ghost, who is given to us” (Romans 5:3-5), or for the salvation of souls: “Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up those things that are wanting of the sufferings of Christ, in my flesh, for his body, which is the church” (Colossians 1:24). Thus the covenant is put in place between God and all His creatures, that there may be peace between God, man, and creation, for there is to be a covenant of love between God and man, that then elevates creation to being reminders of the Beloved and therefore enjoyed: “Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad, let the sea be moved, and the fulness thereof: the fields and all things that are in them shall be joyful” (Psalm 95:11-12). While the covenant between God and man here is imperfect and doesn’t go to the extraordinary depth of the new covenant: “’Take ye, and eat. This is my body.’ And taking the chalice, he gave thanks, and gave to them, saying: ‘Drink ye all of this. For this is my blood of the new testament, which shall be shed for many unto remission of sins’” (Matthew 26:26-28), it still shows God’s faithfulness and a glimpse into what He will call His people into later. The symbol of the covenant here is the rainbow, which gains its beauty from the sun shining upon the clouds, and so too does the rainbow of the variety of saints gain its magnificence from the love of God, taking a great variety of colors based on the different ways in which love is expressed: “And he that sat, was to the sight like the jasper and the sardine stone; and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald” (Apocalypse 4:3). The term for the rainbow is the same term used for a hunting or military bow: “He hath bent his bow as an enemy, he hath fixed his right hand as an adversary: and he hath killed all that was fair to behold in the tabernacle of the daughter of Sion, he hath poured out his indignation like fire” (Lamentations 2:4), and it is retired, that He may draw man more by His beauty: “Bless the Lord, O my soul: O Lord my God, thou art exceedingly great. Thou hast put on praise and beauty: and art clothed with light as with a garment” (Psalm 103:1-2), rather than intimidating by His power, with this attribute now being something on which you can rely rather than fear: “Thine, O Lord, is magnificence, and power, and glory, and victory: and to thee is praise: for all that is in heaven, and in earth, is thine: thine is the kingdom, O Lord, and thou art above all princes” (1 Paralipomenon 29:11). The Noahic covenant is then set to remain as long as the earth remains, that while “The Lord is the God to whom revenge belongeth” (Psalm 93:1), you may look to Him instead as your Father, your Beloved, and your Spirit of Love, realizing that He will rise up for you rather than against you: “The Lord of armies is with us: the God of Jacob is our protector” (Psalm 45:8).

Genesis 9:1-7

“And God blessed Noe and his sons. And he said to them: ’Increase and multiply, and fill the earth. And let the fear and dread of you be upon all the beasts of the earth, and upon all the fowls of the air, and all that move upon the earth: all the fishes of the sea are delivered into your hand. And every thing that moveth and liveth shall be meat for you: even as the green herbs have I delivered them all to you: saving that flesh with blood you shall not eat. For I will require the blood of your lives at the hand of every beast, and at the hand of man, at the hand of every man, and of his brother, will I require the life of man Whosoever shall shed man’s blood, his blood shall be shed: for man was made to the image of God. But increase you and multiply, and go upon the earth, and fill it.’”

God then renews the implicit covenantal relationship that He had with Adam, and makes an explicit covenant with Noah, blessing Noah and his children with fecundity, for barrenness was seen as a curse, but having visible expressions of the fruit of love is a tremendous grace: “As arrows in the hand of the mighty, so the children of them that have been shaken. Blessed is the man that hath filled his desire with them; he shall not be confounded when he shall speak to his enemies in the gate” (Psalm 126:4-5). Fear and dread falls upon the animals of the earth, because man is not supposed to be subject to them: “Rule over the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the air, and tall living creatures that move upon the earth” (Genesis 1:28), but where this was in harmony in Eden, because of the violence of man displayed from the Fall to the flood this covenant reaches down to man’s present state, that he may not despair of walking with God: “The Lord is gracious and merciful: patient and plenteous in mercy” (Psalm 144:8). Harmony with God, which yields harmony with oneself, others, and nature, is not supposed to bring down one’s affairs with the rest of creation, but rather elevating them to a more sublime place: “Love one another, as I have loved you, that you also love one another” (John 13:34). The diet of plants and fruits is then supplanted with meat, as long as it is drained of blood, which is considered the life of the creature: “If any man whosoever of the house of Israel, and of the strangers that sojourn among them, eat blood, I will set my face against his soul, and will cut him off from among his people: because the life of the flesh is in the blood” (Leviticus 17:10-11), and where pagan religions would drink animal blood to gain their power, man’s power is in his heart and the strength of his love, which cannot be given by an animal, whereas to drink the Precious Blood of Christ is to receive His life, His everything, into oneself, like a heart that is feeble receiving strength from the heart and blood of another: “And taking the chalice, he gave thanks, and gave to them, saying: ‘Drink ye all of this. For this is my blood of the new testament, which shall be shed for many unto remission of sins’” (Matthew 26:27-28). All life is beautiful and a gift, and the Lord here is giving exhortations to protect the dignity of life, which is seen in the commandment against murder, for when animals kill, this is purely out of instinct, but for a man to kill is a willful action against a member of the family of the human race, a movement against the fraternal bond of personhood: “Loving one another with the love of brotherhood” (Romans 12:10). However, even in the gross absence of love, with the coldness of murder being set upon the heart, God institutes a precept of fear to keep one from slaying his brother, that his blood will be requited, with this being a look into the resurrection, that those who commit grave acts against love would find themselves given the fruits of their actions: “What hast thou done? The voice of thy brother’s blood crieth to me from the earth. Now, therefore, cursed shalt thou be upon the earth, which hath opened her mouth and received the blood of thy brother at thy hand” (Genesis 4:11) in this life, in the life to come, or both. However, because one murder could often lead to nasty feuds that left many dead, the observation of proportion was instituted, that justice may be done without running over into malice: “Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot” (Exodus 21:24), which keeps violence from spilling over from one man’s act against love becoming a familial or societal break in the bond of love. The commandment to love gives life, physical in the case of married couples, and spiritual in the case of all, not to take away, and thus it is reiterated after the prohibition to murder that Noah and his children were to fill the earth, and while life is the beautiful flower that comes from love, love in turn is its honey that makes it sweet and worth living.

Genesis 8:13-22

“Therefore in the six hundredth and first year, the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were lessened upon the earth, and Noe opening the covering of the ark, looked, and saw that the face of the earth was dried. In the second month, the seven and twentieth day of the month, the earth was dried. And God spoke to Noe, saying; ‘Go out of the ark, thou and thy wife, thy sons, and the wives of thy sons with thee. All living things that are with thee of all flesh, as well in fowls as in beasts, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, bring out with thee, and go ye upon the earth: increase and multiply upon it.’ So Noe went out, he and his sons: his wife, and the wives of his sons with him. And all living things, and cattle, and creeping things that creep upon the earth, according to their kinds, went out of the ark. And Noe built an altar unto the Lord: and taking of all cattle and fowls that were clean, offered holocausts upon the altar. And the Lord smelled a sweet savour, and said: ‘I will no more curse the earth for the sake of man: for the imagination and thought of man’s heart are prone to evil from his youth: therefore I will no more destroy every living soul as I have done. All the days of the earth, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, night and day, shall not cease.’”

Noah had been in the ark for over ten months when he opens a window, like a skylight, and sees the face of the earth dried. The world has a new beginning, and rather than a societal constricting against righteousness, there is instead a look into Christian freedom by the sheer vastness of what Noah is then free to do: “Stand fast, and be not held again under the yoke of bondage” (Galatians 5:1). Having been freed from the constriction of sin, you are free to love as you will. St. Augustine says, “Love God and do whatever you please: for the soul trained in love to God will do nothing to offend the One who is Beloved,” and it can be almost overwhelming to love God as you see fit, like the whole world belongs to you: “For all things are yours, whether it be Paul, or Apollo, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; for all are yours; and you are Christ’s; and Christ is God’s” (1 Corinthians 3:22-23). This freedom is beautiful, not hindered by human wickedness, but rather having a pure, beautiful countenance: “Thou art all fair, O my love, and there is not a spot in thee” (Canticle 4:7). God then encourages Noah to disembark, God’s voice for the person seeking His love not being stern or forceful, but encouraging, drawing them deeper into His Heart: “Come apart into a desert place, and rest a little” (Mark 6:31). God does not want him closed up in on himself in the ark, but experiencing the full wonder of all that He had created, to life live fully and joyfully: “I am come that they may have life, and may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10), and so He invites Noah out the door alongside the animals to “be fruitful and multiply,” a renewal of the blessing given to man and animals before the Fall: “Increase and multiply, and fill the earth” (Genesis 1:28). Where Adam and Eve had served as the pinnacle of visible creation in Eden, Noah comes from the ark as a type of leaven for the bread of the world, for a life of love in justice, righteousness, and goodness, especially when multiplied, is the happy life. While the gift of life is an extraordinary good, when it is used poorly it loses its luster, being instead muddied and darkened, thus does Wisdom say: “It is better to die without children, than to leave ungodly children” (Ecclesiasticus 16:4). To bear children, spiritual or familial, that love in truth and righteousness is the true reward of life: “As arrows in the hand of the mighty, so the children of them that have been shaken” (Psalm 126:4). Joyfully and into new life all the creatures depart from the ark, just as you are called out of being in a crowded and stifled soul, surrounded by bestial actions and the odors thereof, into the freedom of a life of love: “Buried with him in baptism, in whom also you are risen again by the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him up from the dead” (Colossians 2:12). Noah then immediately directs his attention God-ward, just as Jesus, upon arriving in Jerusalem, immediately goes to the temple: “And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the money changers, and the chairs of them that sold doves” (Matthew 21:12), but where Jesus purified the temple, Noah offers worship and thanksgiving to God with clean animals. The sacrifice of these animals sends up a sweet odor to God, which is not from the sacrifice of the animals themselves, but from the grateful heart of Noah: “To do mercy and judgement, pleaseth the Lord more than victims” (Proverbs 21:3), which is why Noah uses clean animals, because the clean animals represent upright actions, which, when animated by love, are the beauty of the soul, whereas what is unclean represents what is unjust, sinful actions, which yield an unpleasant aroma. It is thus that the Bridegroom extols the bride that walks in this uprightness of heart: “Who is she that goeth up by the desert, as a pillar of smoke of aromatical spices, of myrrh, and frankincense, and of all the powders of the perfumer?” (Canticle 3:6). A humble heart that is sincerely grateful for all that it receives is deeply pleasing to God and man: “In all things give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you all” (1 Thessalonians 5:18), and Noah gives this to God. Finally, while some talk of punishment can be of benefit for the one bent on sin: “The rod and reproof give wisdom: but the child that is left to his own will bringeth his mother to shame” (Proverbs 29:15), obstinately lingering on it, rather than departing from it as an outgrown garment to dive into the love of God is too severe a beating and makes the heart shrivel: “I am smitten as grass, and my heart is withered” (Psalm 101:5). Thus, having passed through the baptismal waters into love and new life, correction is no longer for fear of punishment, represented by God saying He will flood the earth no more, but rather correction becomes the pruning shears God uses to make your soul more beautiful and shine all the more vibrantly, like a rose bush being trimmed: “He that loveth correction, loveth knowledge: but he that hateth reproof is foolish” (Proverbs 12:1); “Every [branch] that beareth fruit, he will purge it, that it may bring forth more fruit” (John 15:2). Therefore, do not fear God’s wrath, you who are born into new life, but offer the sweet sacrifice of a beautiful life to God, that He may shower you with love and affection and lift you up out of any fear into the fullness of divine love: “Fear is not in love: but perfect love casteth out fear, because fear hath pain. And he that feareth, is not perfected in love” (1 John 4:18).

Genesis 8:6-12

“And after that forty days were passed, Noe, opening the window of the ark which he had made, sent forth a raven: which went forth and did not return, till the waters were dried up upon the earth. He sent forth also a dove after him, to see if the waters had now ceased upon the face of the earth. But she, not finding where her foot might rest, returned to him into the ark: for the waters were upon the whole earth: and he put forth his hand, and caught her, and brought her into the ark. And having waited yet seven other days, he again sent forth the dove out of the ark. And she came to him in the evening, carrying a bough of an olive tree, with green leaves, in her mouth. Noe therefore understood that the waters were ceased upon the earth. And he stayed yet other seven days: and he sent forth the dove, which returned not any more unto him.”

Noah first sends out a raven, which is an unclean animal: “Of birds these are they which you must not eat, and which are to be avoided by you… All that is of the raven kind, according to their likeness” (Leviticus 11:13-15), which represents those who are washed in the laver of baptism, but remain in the black, ragged garments of an unclean life: “Now whoever shall be defiled with the leprosy, and is separated by the judgment of the priest, shall have his clothes hanging loose” (Leviticus 13:45), or that go forth from Catholic teaching and pervert holy truth and the name of Christian with desires of the world and falsehood: “This people honoureth me with their lips: but their heart is far from me. And in vain do they worship me, teaching doctrines and commandments of men” (Matthew 15:8-9). These are those that claim to love God in word, but in deed renounce Him, for love is not merely words said but in a life of love: “My little children, let us not love in word, nor in tongue, but in deed, and in truth” (1 John 3:18). Therefore, the raven is the one that, knowing the mercy of Christ and the radiance of the Catholic Church for a short time, then departs from this love in favor of its own pleasures: “He that received the seed upon stony ground, is he that heareth the word, and immediately receiveth it with joy. Yet hath he not root in himself, but is only for a time” (Matthew 13:20-21). It is said that Scipio Nasica was hesitant to destroy Carthage in the Punic Wars, because he thought that without the threat of external conflict, Rome would lose its vigilance, and thereby collapse in on itself in luxury and vice, and this too can be the raven, the one who flies to the arms of Christ in the storm of the flood, but when it is resolved, flying out from the security of the ark of the Church and not returning. Thus is the threat of the devil made into a good, that you may not fall into laxity due to the need to keep yourself from his snares: “Be sober and watch: because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, goeth about seeking whom he may devour. Whom resist ye, strong in faith” (1 Peter 5:8-9), which in turn drives you ever deeper into the love and security found in God: “Our God is our refuge and strength: a helper in troubles, which have found us exceedingly” (Psalm 45:2). After this, Noah sends a dove, which has many meanings, but in contrast with the raven, it is the one that after receiving the grace of baptism, consistently returns to the sacraments, for not finding a place in which her heart can rest, returns to the Beloved in His truth and the life of grace, reaching spiritual maturity in the sacrament of confirmation, at which time the oil of chrism is given, and they receive the full expression of the Holy Spirit, now strengthened to live a mature life of love: “They were only baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid their hands upon them, and they received the Holy Ghost” (Acts 8:16-17), then being strong enough to go out into the apostolate. The dove can also represent Christ Himself, who departed from His fledgling Church in His death before returning for a time, then leaving for heaven in His ascension before returning into the hearts of His people by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, which is signified by the olive branch: “But you are not in the flesh, but in the spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you” (Romans 8:9). An olive branch is also a symbol of peace, and the spousal bond that is the state of grace is the greatest sign of peace between you and Christ, that the Father so desires peace between you and Him that He offers His Son as your spouse, just as kings of old would marry their children to those of other rulers that peace may exist between them: “And the kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon, and he made affinity with Pharoa the king of Egypt: for he took his daughter, and brought her into the city of David” (3 Kings 3:1). Finally, the dove is sent out and does not return, which does not indicate that one outgrows the sacraments, for they are the life of your soul until you are in heaven, but rather a sending out, that being strengthened in truth and receiving Christ’s love, you may go out into the harsh sun of the vineyard, to labor in love to bring His love to others, thus does the bride say: “I am black but beautiful, O ye daughters of Jerusalem… Do not consider me that I am brown, because the sun hath altered my colour” (Canticle 1:4-5), because much labor has altered the white beauty of spiritual birth. Just as a baby grows into a matured and wrinkled, yet still beautiful appearance, you too are called out of enjoyment of the Beloved to labor in His vineyards: “Go you also into my vineyard, and I will give you what shall be just” (Matthew 20:4), but you must always strengthen yourself on His love, and return to His sacraments, that He may wash any dirt you kicked up onto your feet: “He that is washed, needeth not but to wash his feet, but is clean wholly” (John 13:10), and renew your bond of love on a daily basis: “Come to me, all you that labor, and are burdened, and I will refresh you” (Matthew 11:28).

Genesis 8:1-5

“And God remembered Noe, and all the living creatures, and all the cattle which were with him in the ark, and brought a wind upon the earth, and the waters were abated. The fountains also of the deep, and the flood gates of heaven were shut up, and the rain from heaven was restrained. And the waters returned from off the earth going and coming: and they began to be abated after a hundred and fifty days. And the ark rested in the seventh month, the seven and twentieth day of the month, upon the mountains of Armenia. And the waters were going and decreasing until the tenth month: for in the tenth month, the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains appeared.”

God did not forget Noah, for He says through the prophet: “Can a woman forget her infant, so as not to have pity on the son of her womb? And if she should forget, yet will not I forget thee” (Isaias 49:15), but here the covenantal bond that they had forged begins showing its effects, that is, God’s faithfulness. The wind that was upon the earth is interpreted as “spirit,” because a literal wind having the power to drain waters would render the oceans dry, therefore this is a look into the flood narrative as a mirror of Genesis 1, a recreation story: “And the spirit of God moved over the waters” (Genesis 1:2). As the waters recede gradually, as this is God’s usual way of operating: “By little and little I will drive them out from before thee, till thou be increased, and dost possess the land” (Exodus 23:30), dry land appears: “Let the waters that are under the heaven, be gathered together into one place: and let the dry land appear” (Genesis 1:9), a place upon which Noah and his family are to walk and live. With all the villains of divine love removed, Noah and the others are free to walk in this way of the Lord without constraint, breathing fresh air and restored to a place of holy leisure. This is symbolic, Theophila, of the removal of sin by grace, for your soul, once polluted with what was passing or even sinful, kept your mind small, warped, and tied to the ground, is now loosed and free to love and consider the highest things, those pertaining to God: “Our soul hath been delivered as a sparrow out of the snare of the fowlers. The snare is broken, and we are delivered” (Psalm 123:7), and the Lord has freed you to seek love and knowledge of Him. This is typified by the parable of the mustard seed, for the Gospel message has spread into such richness of philosophy, theology, devotions, and methods of prayer that it is the tree into which you can fly: “The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field. Which is the least indeed of all seeds; but when it is grown up, it is greater than all herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come, and dwell in the branches thereof” (Matthew 13:31-32). This is what is indicated by the name “Armenia,” which means “high land,” for rather than settling your boat on the earth, you can be carried to the heights of the mountains of thought in what the Church teaches, and surpass even this by a loving connection with Jesus. Now, all suffering comes to an end, Theophila, and on occasion it is used to cleanse the palate of the soul from things it once found tasteful, for in glimpsing its end through affliction, it realizes the triviality of what it had fastened itself upon: “Forsake childishness, and live, and walk by the ways of prudence” (Proverbs 9:6), instead walking upon the fresh ground of a love well cultivated: “The way of life, to him that observeth correction: but he that forsaketh reproofs goeth astray” (Proverbs 10:17). Thus are the ends affliction typified by the ceasing of the waters, with their effect not necessarily shining through immediately, but as the water of their aches fade, the beauty of their carving comes through: “The joints of thy thigh are like jewels, that are made by the hand of a skilful workman” (Canticle 7:1). There is then a poetic significance to the one hundred fifty days in which the ark was on the waters, and the revealing of the mountains and abating of the waters, for this mirrors the events of the events of the flood itself, allowing the poetic nature of the Scriptures to come through to the eye that looks: “I will sing to the Lord as long as I live: I will sing to my God while I have my being” (Psalm 103:33). While the numbering can sound repetitive and choppy, these sections can be read with an eye towards a sort of movement down into the depths by the flood and an ascending back to normalcy as the ark returns and Noah exits, which are mirrored with beautiful precision. With this can be seen the poetic ordering of God through one’s life, His movements towards you that He may draw you into His love, realizing all of one’s life is a love poem directed to God.

Genesis 7:19-24

“And the waters prevailed beyond measure upon the earth: and all the high mountains under the whole heaven were covered. The water was fifteen cubits higher than the mountains which it covered. And all flesh was destroyed that moved upon the earth, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of beasts, and of all creeping things that creep upon the earth: and all men. And all things wherein there is the breath of life on the earth, died. And he destroyed all the substance that was upon the earth, from man even to beast, and the creeping things and fowls of the air: and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noe only remained, and they that were with him in the ark. And the waters prevailed upon the earth a hundred and fifty days.”

The waters of the flood in Genesis are a prefiguring of baptism, displaying qualities of obliteration, washing, and recreation. The baptismal waters themselves are both an application and symbol of God’s mercy, showing that in baptism, or in the restoration in the sacrament of reconciliation, God’s infinite mercy crushes sin and Satan in the deluge of merciful love, washes you of whatever filth you picked up: “And I will pour upon you clean water, and you shall be cleansed from all your filthiness” (Ezechiel 36:25), and sends you out shining and radiant with the presence of His love: “If then any be in Christ a new creature, the old things are passed away, behold all things are made new” (2 Corinthians 5:17); “How beautiful art thou, my love, how beautiful art thou!” (Canticle 4:1). This is the meaning of the wiping out of all life on earth, for the sinful men, which represent mortal sins; the unclean beasts, which are venial sins; and the clean animals, which denote trifles that are not spiritual as well as imperfections: “For all that is not of faith is sin” (Romans 14:23), all of these are set aside by one stroke of God’s loving hand: “And I will turn my hand to thee, and I will clean purge away thy dross, and I will take away all thy tin” (Isaias 1:25). The flood waters then rose fifteen cubits above the mountains, a very specific detail. The mountains, in Sacred Scripture, are meeting places with God, “And all mount Sinai was on a smoke: because the Lord was come down upon it in fire, and the smoke arose from it as out of a furnace: and all the mount was terrible” (Exodus 19:18). The number fifteen itself represents the Ascending Psalms, in the Vulgate they are Psalms 119-133. Thus, the waters rising fifteen cubits above the mountains indicate that no matter how deeply you encounter God’s merciful love: “To thee have I lifted up my eyes, who dwellest in heaven” (Psalm 122:1), no matter how high you climb in love and knowledge, you can always ascend higher: “Come and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob, and he will teach us his ways, and we will walk in his paths” (Isaias 2:3). God desires to draw you ever deeper into His unfathomable love, to leave behind all stain at the base of the mountain, and lift you up on the heights of His merciful love, leaving behind even the heights of the mind’s reaches to where the heart alone can reach, which is the ark. In encountering this merciful love, the heart is lifted up with songs of praise: “Sing joyfully to God, all the earth: serve ye the Lord with gladness” (Psalm 99:2), desiring to love Him through all of one’s days: “For better is one day in thy courts above thousands” (Psalm 83:11); “I will sing to the Lord as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being” (Psalm 103:33). This is why the flood waters remain for one hundred fifty days, because the merciful love of God is brought to mind in singing the Psalms, with the number specifying their entirety, and St. Hildegard mentions that praying the Divine Office, “Sing ye to God, sing a psalm to his name” (Psalm 67:5), is alone enough to bring one into the heights of the spiritual life: “So shall my word be, which shall go forth from my mouth: it shall not return to me void, but it shall do whatsoever I please, and shall prosper in the things for which I sent it. For you shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall sing praise before you, and all the trees of the country shall clap their hands” (Isaias 55:11-12). Therefore, Theophila, look for God’s merciful love in the Psalms, and let them draw you into a loving encounter with God, keeping “all these words in [your] heart” (Luke 2:51), that you may “rejoice in the Lord always; again, I say, rejoice” (Philippians 4:4), by “speaking to yourselves in psalms, and hymns, and spiritual canticles, singing and making melody in your hearts to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:19), for the merciful love of God is open to you, that you may drink always from this abundant stream: “Praise ye the God of gods: for his mercy endureth for ever. Praise ye the Lord of lords: for his mercy endureth for ever” (Psalm 135:2-3).

Genesis 7:13-18

“In the selfsame day Noe, and Sem, and Cham, and Japheth his sons: his wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, went into the ark: they and every beast according to its kind, and all the cattle in their kind, and every thing that moveth upon the earth according to its kind, and every fowl according to its kind, all birds, and all that fly, went in to Noe into the ark, two and two of all flesh, wherein was the breath of life. And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the Lord shut him in on the outside. And the flood was forty days upon the earth, and the waters increased, and lifted up the ark on high from the earth. For they overflowed exceedingly: and filled all on the face of the earth: and the ark was carried upon the waters.”

Noah and his family then enter the ark, eight souls going into the ark, which are the same number of days for an octave celebration. These celebrations are seen at Christmas and Easter, days of incredible rejoicing, for they are days for celebrating the fact that God descended to mankind’s helplessness in the Incarnation: “Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, that shall be to all the people” (Luke 2:10), and rose again that love may conquer sin and death: “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy victory? O death, where is thy sting?” (1 Corinthians 15:55). In this it can be seen that the ark can also be representative of your own heart, wrapped up in rejoicing: “This is the day which the Lord hath made: let us be glad and rejoice therein” (Psalm 117:24); “Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I say, rejoice” (Philippians 4:4), and bringing into your affections all of created being, for you are not called to push anything out of your heart, but to let all things bring your mind to your Beloved, who fills your heart with delight: “Who is this that cometh up from the desert, flowing with delights, leaning upon her beloved?” (Canticle 8:5); “I remembered God, and was delighted” (Psalm 76:4). Because all things are embodied love, all can bring your heart to a Trinitarian place, as you look on the object of affection and let this same affection rise in you, thereby making this interaction an image of God. Thus, there is a call to bring all people and nature into your heart, that you may never be distant from love, living in the harmony of love with all things: “Fire, hail, snow, ice, stormy winds, which fulfil his word: mountains and all hills, fruitful trees and all cedars: beasts and all cattle, serpents and feathered fowls: kings of the earth and all people… praise the name of the Lord: for his name alone is exalted” (Psalm 148:8-13). When God closes the ark, it shows two mysteries: The first is that God provides what cannot be attained by one’s own efforts, yet is necessary: “Seek ye therefore first the kingdom of God, and his justice, and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33), the second is that God did not want Noah to see the destruction of man and beasts that was to take place through the flood. This second point is a call to pull your mind away from Hell and Purgatory and instead think on the Divine Bridegroom, for those who love do not go to either of these places: “Every one that loveth, is born of God, and knoweth God” (1 John 4:7), and you will save souls from Hell and free those in Purgatory by being drawn further into the love of your Beloved: “Draw me: we will run after thee to the odour of thy ointments” (Canticle 1:3). To have pleasure at the thought of souls in Hell is contrary to love, for “As I live, saith the Lord God, I desire not the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way, and live” (Ezechiel 33:11), and thoughts of these places can easily disrupt your peace: “Let not your heart be troubled” (John 14:1); “When the dead is at rest, let his remembrance rest, and comfort him in the departing of his spirit” (Ecclesiasticus 38:24). Indulgenced prayers for the souls in Purgatory is a marvelous act of merciful love, but needs not deep reflection, and it is better to desire that other souls know the infinite love of God than worry about them going to Hell. Now, there is great importance attached to the number forty, for it is a mark of completion throughout the Scriptures. Moses, Elijah, and Jesus all fasted for forty days, but there is a detail in this period that shows what good fasting is. God is not calling you to afflict yourself, for He says in Isaiah: “Is not this rather the fast that I have chosen? Loose the bands of wickedness, undo the bundles that oppress, let them that are broken go free, and break asunder every burden. Deal thy bread to the hungry, and bring the needy and the harbourless into thy house: when thou shalt see one naked, cover him, and despise not thy own flesh” (Isaias 58:6-7). It is rather a putting down of all that is not love, “For all that is not of faith is sin” (Romans 14:23), and picking up rejoicing in God and talking about Him: “By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise always to God” (Hebrews 13:15); “The sacrifice of praise shall glorify me: and there is the way by which I will shew him the salvation of God” (Psalm 49:23) and feasting on mercy and love. This is the mystery of the intertwining of the forty days, which marks a period of fasting, with the image of water, which denotes merciful love. Thus, in fasting on things of earth, which is represented by the destruction of all life, and drinking of God’s infinite mercy and love: “To him that thirsteth, I will give of the fountain of the water of life, freely” (Apocalypse 21:6), your heart and mind are lifted up on high, and are carried through life by this same love.

Genesis 7:7-12

“And Noe went in and his sons, his wife and the wives of his sons with him into the ark, because of the waters of the flood. And of beasts clean and unclean, and of fowls, and of every thing that moveth upon the earth, two and two went in to Noe into the ark, male and female, as the Lord had commanded Noe. And after the seven days were passed, the waters of the flood overflowed the earth. In the six hundredth year of the life of Noe, in the second month, in the seventeenth day of the month, all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the flood gates of heaven were opened: and the rain fell upon the earth forty days and forty nights.”

Noah then goes in with his household, gathered with the animals, into the ark, which becomes, in a sense, a new Eden. It is the paradise in which life dwells as the earth is washed by a recreative deluge, with man and beast in harmony. Noah is a figure of Christ, for it is He that gathers the peoples that will enter into the other side of the flood of this life, and He brings His beloved family with Him through the sanctuary of the Cross: “For the Spirit himself giveth testimony to our spirit, that we are the sons of God” (Romans 8:16). In you then is the call to bring into harmony by your love of God a harmony between God, man, and beast, that your love of God may overwhelm all reservations, fears, and shame within you: “Fear is not in love: but perfect love casteth out fear, because fear hath pain. And he that feareth, is not perfected in love” (1 John 4:18), which brings your harmony with God. Concerning yourself, when your entire being is oriented to the love of God, loving your Jesus and wanting to make Him loved in the earth, your entire fabric is thus woven of one thread: “Thou shalt not wear a garment that is woven of two sorts” (Leviticus 19:19); while temptations will still arise, because you know for what you are made you can dismiss them as chaff: “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation; for when he hath been proved, he shall receive the crown of life, which God hath promised to them that love him” (James 1:12). Finally, all nature is brought into harmony with you, because all things made by God are beautiful, embodied love that exist to remind you of His love and show you something about Him: “For every creature according to its kind was fashioned again as from the beginning, obeying thy commandments, that thy children might be kept without hurt” (Wisdom 19:6). They waited seven days before waters from the ocean began to rise and rains began to fall, flooding the earth gradually, that those that were not called into the ark may have ample time to repent of their wickedness and cry out to the Lord: “And they cried to the Lord in their tribulation: and he delivered them out of their distresses” (Psalm 106:6), grasping salvation by a dying breath upon seeing the disaster rising around them. It is with tears that the Most Holy Trinity rained these waters down, offering ample time for the call to conversion, never desiring that any of His little ones be separated from Him. Now, the rains fell for forty days and forty nights, which is indicative of a period of fasting, such as is seen with Moses, Elijah, and Jesus, each time preceding a great act or encounter of God. Thus, there is encouragement here, that for every storm, time of aridity, or time of being without, there is a great movement of the Lord to be done at its conclusion, be this ever so subtle: “Behold my beloved speaketh to me: ‘Arise, make haste, my love, my dove, my beautiful one, and come. For winter is now past, the rain is over and gone’” (Canticle 2:11).

Genesis 7:1-6

“And the Lord said to him: ‘Go in thou and all thy house into the ark: for thee I have seen just before me in this generation. Of all clean beasts take seven and seven, the male and the female. But of the beasts that are unclean two and two, the male and the female. Of the fowls also of the air seven and seven, the male and the female: that seed may be saved upon the face of the whole earth. For yet a while, and after seven days, I will rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and I will destroy every substance that I have made, from the face of the earth.’ And Noe did all things which the Lord had commanded him. And he was six hundred years old, when the waters of the flood overflowed the earth.”

God then calls Noah into the ark, which has a two-fold meaning here: The first is that He calls all into His Catholic Church, longing that they be harbored by her sacraments, her teachings, her love, that they may be safe amongst the great flood waters of this life: “Great was the noise of the waters” (Psalm 76:18). All are called to be beautiful expressions of His love within her walls, for “it is not the will of your Father, who is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish” (Matthew 18:14). The second meaning is that you are called into your soul from your earthly walk, that you may keep the house of yourself safe within the confines of a well-tempered mind. To bring the strength and attention you previously spent on things of the world to the affairs of God is to enter the ark, that you may not be drowned in vice and passion, but may rather float atop temptation in the ark of love. Now, why did God ask Noah to bring seven pairs of clean animals, and two pairs of unclean animals? The literal interpretation is that there would be enough clean animals to offer for sacrifice without going extinct, showing that God always upholds you and your duties when you make time for worship, prayer, and service in His name: “Honour the Lord with thy substance, and give him of the first of all thy fruits; and thy barns shall be filled with abundance, and thy presses shall run over with wine” (Proverbs 3:9-10), but there is a spiritual interpretation that is found when you explore the numbers. The number seven is a prime number, symbolizing undividedness, and is itself a number of fullness, encapsulating the days of the week as well as the seven Christian virtues. This is important, because a pure, or clean, life is one that is undivided, aimed entirely toward the festive service of God: “Religion clean and undefiled before God and Father, is this: to visit he fatherless and widows in their tribulation: and to keep one’s self unspotted from this world” (James 1:27). It also carries more meaning, “all with twins, and there is none barren among them” (Song 6:5), for everything becomes an act of love, rather than being flat and empty with vain activity: “And when I turned myself to all the works which my hands had wrought, and to the labours wherein I had laboured in vain, I saw in all things vanity, and vexation of mind, and that nothing was lasting under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 2:11). The number two, though also a prime number, is more symbolic of division, and represents a divided heart that harbors affections for the world as well as for God. While both have a place in the ark, showing that a seat at the heavenly table is there for those who only lightly turn to Him, here is displayed which He prefers. God then says that there will be rain for forty days and nights, the number forty representing a period of testing, for Moses, Elijah, and Jesus all fasted for forty days, and the Israelites spent forty years in the deserts of Egypt. Such experiences make for drastic shifts in worldview, for what is unnecessary or wrong gets drowned beneath the weight of hardship, and can draw the one enduring it to realize how unimportant many of the things that were once held dear truly are. This is one of the many reasons why people suffer, so that they can realize that there are more important things than the what the world advertises, and not stake their entire being on it. So too does asceticism not need to afflict, “Trust not thyself to a rugged way, lest thou set a stumblingblock to thy soul” (Ecclesiasticus 32:25), but merely set aside what isn’t love: “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me” (Luke 9:23). Finally, it says that Noah was six hundred years old when he entered the ark, while it says that he was five hundred when he had his children, after which God appeared to him to command him to build the ark. Thus, there is a passage of one hundred years that God allowed for his work, as well as for those on earth to come to the way of righteousness. This shows that God will give you enough time and grace in your life both to reach the heights of sanctity, the degree of love, set aside for you: “The lines are fallen unto me in goodly places: for my inheritance is goodly to me” (Psalm 15:6), as well as to finish the work for the kingdom that you are called to do: “For every man that eateth and drinketh, and seeth good of his labour, this is the gift of God” (Ecclesiastes 3:13).

Genesis 6:17-22

“’Behold I will bring the waters of a great flood upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, under heaven. All things that are in the earth shall be consumed. And I will establish my covenant with thee, and thou shalt enter into the ark, thou and thy sons, and thy wife, and the wives of thy sons with thee. And of every living creature of all flesh, thou shalt bring two of a sort into the ark, that they may live with thee: of the male sex, and the female. Of fowls according to their kind, and of beasts in their kind, and of every thing that creepeth on the earth according to its kind; two of every sort shall go in with thee, that they may live. Thou shalt take unto thee of all food that may be eaten, and thou shalt lay it up with thee: and it shall be food for thee and them.’ And Noe did all things which God commanded him.”

The intimation of the upcoming flood to Noe gives a great inclination to the one beginning in the spiritual life, that trials await, but the little one is safely held and guarded. This is seen in the flight into Egypt, for Jesus, not even walking, is persecuted and is brought by Mary and Joseph into a foreign land: “Arise, and take the child and his mother, and fly into Egypt: and be there until I shall tell thee. For it will come to pass that Herod will seek the child to destroy him” (Matthew 2:13). Without the motherly love of Mary or the stout protection of St. Joseph, these trials would overwhelm, but both are present to you and caring for you when flood waters descend upon you. God then tells Noe that He will establish His covenant with him, with the Hebrew phrase indicating a renewal of an established covenant rather than a bringing about of something new. This shows that God has a covenantal relationship with His creation, beginning with Adam, which is akin to the covenant of marriage: “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ also loved the church, and delivered himself up for it” (Ephesians 5:25); “Return, O ye revolting children, saith the Lord: for I am your husband” (Jeremias 3:14). Therefore, even when all of mankind has fallen away, Adam and his children broke the covenant established with the first man, “For all have sinned, and do need the glory of God” (Romans 3:23), God does not waver: “If we believe not, he continueth faithful, he can not deny himself” (2 Timothy 2:13). Therefore, God seeks out the goodness of humanity in Noe and brings that forward to do His work; likewise, He looks for everything beautiful in you that He has planted and seeks to bring it to fulness: “Every best gift, and every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no change, nor shadow of alteration” (James 1:17). The entry of the ark of Noe’s family shows that the first priority of love of neighbor is to love one’s household. To bring one’s entire family into the festive service of God is a beautiful thing: “Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity” (Psalm 132:1), and carry outright commandments: “Honour thy father and thy mother” (Exodus 20:12); “Nevertheless let every one of you in particular love his wife as himself” (Ephesians 5:33); “Behold the inheritance of the Lord are children: the reward, the fruit of the womb” (Psalm 126:3). When the domestic church is cared for and settled, then one’s mission can turn elsewhere: “If a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?” (1 Timothy 3:5), but it is important to realize that the hearts nearest you most depend on your love, and therefore it is your duty to give it to them: “But if any man have not care of his own, and especially of those of his house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel” (1 Timothy 5:8). Therefore, Noe gathers his family into the sanctuary of the ark, again being a figure of the Catholic Church, for true love of one’s family is bringing each member as close as possible to God, when the Lord commands him to bring at least two of every living creature, that their species may remain. In this is signified man’s place as the caretaker of creation, but also that the beauty of God’s creation should not be spurned when you enter into the festive service of God. It is a common heresy to declare what is material something imperfect or even outright evil, whereas it is said throughout Scripture: “How great are thy works, O Lord? Thou hast made all things in wisdom: the earth is filled with thy riches” (Psalm 103:24). Rather, gather the world, the people in it and all that fills it into your heart, for how can you lovingly intercede for the world if you do not love it? “I desire therefore, first of all, that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all men” (1 Timothy 2:1). Finally, there is the mystery of the animals of the earth living in harmony inside the ark. St. Ephrem says that there was a miracle that took place that made all the animals docile for a time as they resided in the ark, and so too is the Catholic Church filled with those whose natures may have once been vicious, but are brought into a magnificent place of love and harmony with each other: “I am black but beautiful, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, as the tents of Cedar, as the curtains of Solomon” (Song 1:4). It is a wonder to look upon all those in the Mass with you, seeing the different and in many instances strange ways through which God expresses His love. Each face carries a story that can only be fully told and comprehended in eternity, but each tells its unique story of the love of God. No matter what nationality or what nature or what qualities may be seen in the person next to you in the pew, “you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28).

Genesis 6:14-16

“Make thee an ark of timber planks: thou shalt make little rooms in the ark, and thou shalt pitch it within and without. And thus shalt thou make it: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits: the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits. Thou shalt make a window in the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish the top of it: and the door of the ark thou shalt set in the side: with lower, middle chambers, and third stories shalt thou make it.”

The ark is a representation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. He hides you in His Heart through the rains and waters of this life, “Deep calleth on deep, at the noise of thy flood-gates. All thy heights and thy billows have passed over me” (Psalm 41:8). It is His love that will carry you to the other side of the flood safely, and the more you draw yourself into His loving Heart, the more secure you will be: “Abide in my love” (John 15:9). The ark is made of wood, for His Heart was most plainly revealed upon the cross, which shows that He would endure anything for the sake of winning your own heart. It contains many little rooms within, for though God loves you as if you were the only person in the world, “One is my dove, my perfect one is but one” (Song 6:8), in His magnificence He can extend this same love to all, loving each person perfectly and hiding all His faithful in the confines of His Most Sacred Heart, that they may be immersed together in His love. In this the ark is also representative of the Church, which harbors all those who breast the waves of life with love and rise above the storms of death into eternal life, and do it together, united in love: “For as in one body we have many members, but all the members have not the same office: so we being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another” (Romans 12:4-5). The pitch, which one translation calls bitumen, is laid within and without, and in addition to holding the ark together, would have overpowered the smell of animal waste with its own strong fragrance. So too does the Sacred Heart, within and without covered in love, overwhelm that which is imperfect, broken, and weak in you with love: “I am black but beautiful, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, as the tents of Cedar, as the curtains of Solomon” (Song 1:4); for though you are black and barbaric as the tribes of Cedar in your fallen humanity, you are beautiful in love and in the ways you express love that God has given you. Now, though a literal heart is longer than it is wide, and wider than it is thick, just as the ark, the numbers have a particular significance. It is three hundred cubits long, which St. Jerome indicates is the number symbolizing the letter Hebrew letter Thau, which was in the form of a cross: “And the Lord said to him: Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem: and mark Thau upon the foreheads of the men that sigh, and mourn for all the abominations that are committed in the midst thereof” (Ezechiel 9:4). In this, when you look at Jesus hanging on the cross, He calls you to realize that He did that for you, for love of you, that He may be yours and you be His, and He would do anything for love of you. This in turn leads to repentance for anything that is contrary to His love, thus the fifty cubits, which is the number of David’s Psalm of penance: “Have mercy on me, O God, according to thy great mercy. And according to the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my iniquity” (Psalm 50:3). Thus, in seeing the love of Jesus for you and leaving behind what is contrary to love of Him, you immerse yourself in the life of the Trinity by following His way of loving, which is obedience to the commandments of God; thus the thirty cubits, which is three, representing the Trinity, multiplied by ten for the Ten Commandments. Thus you live the life of love and are carried with tenderness to the mountain of God, which is a figure both of heavenly contemplation and heaven itself: “And the ark rested in the seventh month, the seven and twentieth day of the month, upon the mountains of Armenia” (Genesis 8:4). The window in the ark represents the lance’s piercing wound in the Heart of Christ: “One of the soldiers with a spear opened his side, and immediately there came out blood and water” (John 19:34), for it is the opening through which you enter mystically into Jesus. From His Heart came the sacraments, and in your life at this moment are particularly representative of the blood of the Eucharist and the water of confession. Ah, Theophila, you need not high contemplation, ecstasy, or mystical experience to drink love from the Heart of your Savior, you need only faith in the magnificent love poured out upon you in receiving Holy Communion, for in this Jesus gives Himself entirely to you in love. All of creation is wrapped in this loving Heart, for He holds all things as precious and beautiful, and thus the door of His Heart is open to all: “Go ye into the whole world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15). Finally, the three stories are like unto the three stories of the temple built by Solomon, the place of worship for Israel-Judah: “The floor that was underneath, was five cubits in breadth, and the middle floor was six cubits in breadth, and the third floor was seven cubits in breadth” (3 Kings 6:6), whereas God’s dwelling place in the New Covenant is in the hearts of His faithful, united to His own Heart: “But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true adorers shall adore the Father in spirit and in truth. For the Father also seeketh such to adore him. God is a spirit; and they that adore him, must adore him in spirit and in truth” (John 4:23-24).

Genesis 6:9-13

“These are the generations of Noe: Noe was a just and perfect man in his generations, he walked with God. And he begot three sons, Sem, Cham, and Japheth. And the earth was corrupted before God, and was filled with iniquity. And when God had seen that the earth was corrupted (for all flesh had corrupted its way upon the earth,) He said to Noe: The end of all flesh is come before me, the earth is filled with iniquity through them, and I will destroy them with the earth.”

To walk according to the natural moral law, that of goodness and virtue, is to walk with God as Noe did here. There are many that, before the coming of Christ, walked in virtue and goodness; the Old Testament saints and figures such as Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle attest to this. To these it is granted the grace to finally discover to what, or to whom, this goodness is oriented: “The hour cometh, wherein all that are in the graves shall hear the voice of the Son of God. And they that have done good things, shall come forth unto the resurrection of life; but they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of judgement” (John 5:28-29). One meaning of Logos, which St. John uses for the “Word” in His gospel, is right reason, and those who live according to this and reach out for what they were unable to grasp will be granted the resurrection of life, as Jesus came to them in the harrowing of hell to unveil the gospel message to them. To you, however, dearest Theophila, is granted something much greater than this, for the Christian mystery is not simply attaining heaven and avoiding hell, but something much more beautiful: A relationship of love between you and your God, an immersion in the Trinity that opens the love of Abba unto you like unto Christ in the Holy Spirit: “Your life is hid with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3). This is why waiting until the end of life for baptism is, aside from being foolish, makes life less wonderful and filled with love, for in this great sacrament the heavens open and love is poured out upon the one that has entered the life of the Trinity: “And Jesus,” whose life you share, “being baptized, forthwith came out of the water: and lo, the heavens were opened to him: and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove, and coming upon him. And behold a voice from heaven, saying: This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:16-17). The sons of Noe were discussed above, and so turn your eye to the poor state of man in this scene. There is no pile of gems as precious as a single human soul, nothing as beautiful or deserving of reverence, and each was defiled with the sickness of sin. It is an important lesson to realize that when someone sins, it calls for great pity, for sin comes from a wounded heart, one that needs love, and so the great sinner is one in unspeakable pain: “There is no peace in my bones, because of my sins. For my iniquities are gone over my head: and as a heavy burden are become heavy upon me. My sores are putrified and corrupted, because of my foolishness. I am become miserable” (Psalm 37:4-7). Thus, when the world is filled with iniquity, it is corrupted, for like a garment rent, a body filled with sickness, or a home covered in rot, mold, and garbage, so too is the culture or individual plagued with sin. God communicates the work He is about to do to Noe, and in this is seen a mystery that has two types. The mystery is that the Christian walk entails a complete death to self, with the human goodness that has always been present in one’s nature being utterly transformed as all that once was falls away and something new and beautiful arises. Any natural goodness, such as a natural fortitude or prudence, will be transformed in love, taking shape in an entirely new and more beautiful manner. All of this is typified by the Israelites who came from Egypt not making it into the Promised Land, but those that were born in the journey in the desert, and by Christ’s agony in the garden, for He saw in this moment the demands of love, and that it would make Him into something unrecognizable in the end. It is a long, painful process, but Abba, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, Mary, and the saints are all at holding your hand as you are transformed in love: “My Father, if it be possible, let this chalice pass from me. Nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt” (Matthew 26:39); “Behold threescore valiant ones of the most valiant of Israel, surrounding the bed of Solomon,” which is the place prepared for you in heaven, “all holding swords, and most expert in war: every man’s sword upon his thigh, because of fears in the night” (Song 3:7-8). Therefore, when the rains come and beat upon your house, Jesus is there: “Be of good heart: it is I, fear ye not” (Matthew 14:27; “Fear not, for I am with thee” Isaias 41:10, loving you through all that life brings forward, understanding intimately your every ache, sorrow, and trial, having endured it to be one with you. In addition, there is no flood without the rainbow, there is no cross without the resurrection, and there is no trial in your life where great grace will not come in tow. Always believe in love. Therefore, God’s message to Noe is also to you, that whatever is contrary to God’s love in you will be rinsed away by the rain, which can represent love, truth, trial, and any combination thereof, but He will uphold you with His loving arms: “He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather together the lambs with his arm, and shall take them up in his bosom” (Isaias 40:11).

Genesis 6:5-8

“And God seeing that the wickedness of men was great on the earth, and that all the thought of their heart was bent upon evil at all times, it repented him that he had made man on the earth. And being touched inwardly with sorrow of heart, he said: ‘I will destroy man, whom I have created, from the face of the earth, from man even to beasts, from the creeping thing even to the fowls of the air, for it repenteth me that I have made them.’ But Noe found grace before the Lord.”

Man was not made for sin, for it is a deformed expression of love, which is his most fundamental need. Just as the need for food and drink is deformed by consuming things that are contrary to good health, so too is the need for love deformed by acting in a way that is sinful. The actions of all on the earth aside from Noah were far from the love and goodness that should be written in the heart, with the influence of one sinful person on another dragging each farther away, so that the divine Lover could not reach any heart with His gentleness. Parents allow their children to walk, but when they begin to move into danger, the parent runs to their aid and picks them up, removing them from what threatens them and carrying them at least for a time. Humanity had reached a point of such depravity that God took action to show His displeasure with sin, which in turn does instill fear in later generations, which is necessary when the draws of love fail, that good behavior might be instituted. This is done with the hope that this good behavior blooms into understanding and genuine love and goodness, and to preserve what was good in humanity from the reach of sin, thus the singling out of Noah. Furthermore, though God reaches out to all His people, those with whom He walks He protects from those who would lure them away from Him like a wedge between lovers: “I have loved thee, and I will give men for thee, and people for thy life” (Isaias 43:4). In addition, the elimination of creatures shows their purpose: Without anyone to appreciate the beautiful art He had made, God saw no use for the art itself. Truly they are magnificence sculptures from the hand of the true Artist, made to lead your mind to God, with their charm or qualities being gifts that give you insight into His love. However, leaving the literal, it is important to remember that Israel’s history is your history, and this glimpse of man’s fall from original innocence to the state in which God is sorry for making them shows your descent from birth to a place of sin. When mortal sin is present, the natural goodness of a person is rent like a garment, injured to the point that God has pity on the person for the complete lack of true love that is in them. Even venial sin covers the soul with bruises, disfiguring the beauty of the face upon which the Lord longs to look: “Shew me thy face, let thy voice sound in my ears: for thy voice is sweet, and thy face comely” (Song 2:14). Thus, before baptism or a conversion that brings one to confession, there is a thread of natural goodness, represented by Noe, for there is nothing that is utterly bad, even when fallen in sin. What weighs on your nature, what drags you beneath both Christian and human dignity, God wants to wipe out: “I have trampled on them in my indignation, and have trodden them down in my wrath” (Isaias 63:3), for He is a passionate lover, not wanting anything to harm the love between you and Him. There is infinite compassion for the places in your heart that are too wounded to reach into His love: “The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because the Lord hath anointed me: he hath sent me to preach to the meek, to heal the contrite of heart, and to preach a release to the captives, and deliverance to them that are shut up” (Isaias 61:1), and He wants to wipe out all heartbreak and sin in an endless ocean of love: “He will turn again, and have mercy on us: he will put away our iniquities: and he will cast all our sins into the bottom of the sea” (Micheas 7:19).

Genesis 6:1-4

“And after that men began to be multiplied upon the earth, and daughters were born to them, the sons of God seeing the daughters of men, that they were fair, took them to themselves wives of all which they chose. And God said: ‘My spirit shall not remain in man for ever, because he is flesh, and his days shall be a hundred and twenty years.’ Now giants were upon the earth in those days. For after the sons of God went in to the daughters of men, and they brought forth children, these are the mighty men of old, men of renown.”

Those of the line of Seth, the sons of God due to their attentiveness to God’s ways, began to decline into the ways of Cain’s line, here indicated by the daughters of God. There was a rampant practice of polygamy, here said, “wives of all they chose.” This shows that in a departure from the imparted word of God, it is easy for the mind to decline back to the world and the delights thereof: “Behold the days come, saith the Lord, and I will send forth a famine into the land… of hearing the word of the Lord… they shall go about seeking the word of the Lord, and shall not find it. In that day the fair virgins, and the young men shall faint for thirst” (Amos 8:11-13). This is a thirst for love and wisdom, both of which are abundant in the words of Jesus: “His throat most sweet, and he is all lovely” (Song 5:16). Thus, in the people leaving the paths of God and looking to earthly pleasures, they mingle with the ways of their wives and fall away from pure love: “her feet go down into death, and her steps go in as far as hell. They walk not by the path of life, her steps are wandering, and unaccountable” (Proverbs 5:5-6). God then puts His limit on human life, which has two timeframes: The first is that He would give the people on earth one hundred and twenty years to cease their ways, as well as shortening the lifespan of mankind. In the first, His merciful patience is exhibited, for “The Lord… dealeth patiently for your sake, not willing that nay should parish, but that all should return to penance” (2 Peter 3:9). He longs for those lost to sin to notice His movements, that they may be brought to Him and receive His love. As for the human lifespan, this is done by degrees, for the limitation does not fully set in place until the end of the Pentateuch: “Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died” (Deuteronomy 34:7). This shows the gradual way that God acts, letting things come into their own in the same way that a tree grows: “By little and little I will drive them out from before thee, till thou be increased, and dost possess the land” (Exodus 23:30). As human life slowly shortened, so does love slowly grow, with the lifespan you are given being sufficient to reach a place where love abounds and sanctifies you: “For this is the will of God, your sanctification” (1 Thessalonians 4:3). The giants, those of great worldly renown and stature, reigned in this time, with their extraordinary bodies allowing them to rule the earth. This is a precursor to those who, investing entirely in bodily things and rewards of this life seem to rule and run the earth: “And the devil led him into a high mountain, and shewed him all the kindgoms of the world in a moment of time; and he said to him: To thee will I give all this power, and the glory of them; for to me they are delivered, and to whom I will, I give them” (Luke 4:5-6). However, love is not conquered by such people: “All things are delivered to me by my Father” (Matthew 11:27); “Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it” (Song 8:7) and those that are small in the eyes of the world but mighty in love are the ones that are truly strong: “Blessed are the meek: for they shall possess the land” (Matthew 5:4); “But I would have you to be wise in good, and simple in evil” (Romans 16:19). Therefore, no matter what beast arises, it will always fall before the mighty, unmovable love of God: “And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet, who wrought signs before him, wherewith he seduced them who received the character of the beast, and who adored his image. These two were cast alive into the pool of fire, burning with brimstone” (Apocalypse 19:20). Be mighty in love, o loved by Love, be weak in all else, for love supplies the strength for what is necessary for love, and it is the one thing necessary: “He said to me: ‘My grace is sufficient for thee: for power is made perfect in infirmity.’ Gladly therefore will I glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may dwell in me” (2 Corinthians 12:9); “I can do all things in him who strengtheneth me” (Philippians 4:13).

Genesis 5:21-31

“And Henoch lived sixty-five years, and begot Mathusala. And Henoch walked with God: and lived after he begot Mathusala, three hundred years, and begot sons and daughters. And all the days of Henoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. And he walked with  God, and was seen no more: because God took him. And Mathusala lived after he begot Lamech, seven hundred and eighty-two years, and begot sons and daughters. All the days of Mathusala were nine hundred and sixty-nine years, and he died. And Lamech lived a hundred and eighty-two years, and begot a son. And he called his name Noe, saying: ‘This same shall comfort us from the works and labours of our hands on the eart, which the Lord hath cursed. And Lamech lived after he begot Noe, five hundred and ninety-five years, and begot sons and daughters. And all the days of Lamech came to seven hundred and seventy-seven years, and he died. And Noe, when he was five hundred years old, begot Sem, Cham, and Japeth.”

“Henoch” means “trained,” or “disciplined,” because the art of love is one that requires training and discipline. Love requires the brushstrokes of the Divine Artist, who paints the portrait of you with sublime precision and care: “The joints of thy thighs are like jewels, that are mad by the hand of a skilful workman” (Song 7:1). He was taken up to heaven without experiencing death by a singular grace, having walked with the Lord with love. There are two lessons here: First, that to walk deeply in the love of God is to depart entirely from worldly cares: “No man, being a soldier to God, entangleth himself with secular business; that he may please him to whom he hath engaged himself” (2 Timothy 2:4), that you may be entirely engrossed in His love: “Eat, O friends, and drink, and be inebriated, my dearly beloved” (Song 5:1); “The king hath brought me into his storerooms” (Song 1:3), that is, a deep savoring of the mysteries of the faith, which require much time, effort, and attentiveness to pursue. When you open your heart to such a life, the Lord will carry you towards it, for He is the Divine Lover and craves to be alone with you, that He may give you Himself as you give yourself to Him: “My beloved to me, and I to him who feedeth among the lilies” (Song 2:16). The second lesson is that it shows how God cares for your spiritual life. Because you walk with Him, He will carry you to Himself when the time is right, when you have expressed your love as fully as needed on earth, and not a moment later, for He does not desire that you decline in your frailty back to passing things. “Mathusala” means “when he is dead it shall be sent,” which looks forward to the descent of the Holy Spirit. Christ’s death overcame sin, and His ascension unlocked the heavens, that the Spirit of love could descend into your soul. He is the love in your heart, which was given to you from a love that overcame death. While it was mentioned before that “Lamech” means “for humiliation,” for love can be so overwhelming that a sort of madness ensues, with people of the world being so repulsed that they spit and taunt you, it can also mean “strong man.” While this also applies to the descendent of Cain, it more importantly applies to the expression of Christ in you. He loves the frail and the feeble, that they may be strong in love, and protects the bond of love with great fortifications: “Thy neck is as the tower of David, which is built with bulwarks: a thousand bucklers hang upon it, all the armour of valiant men” (Song 4:4). While Jesus was of no great stature, He was almighty in love. Finally, “Noe” means “rest,” for where your heart had thirsted for love, it finds its rest in Divine Love, which does not waver, move, or change, but remains shining on you more surely than sunlight. To such unwavering merciful love you can always run, trusting that the mercy of God will be the same, infinite and loving, as it had been before: “Give praise to the Lord, for is good: for his mercy endureth for ever” (Psalm 117:1). He was prophesied to bring comfort to the earth, as what was sinful was destroyed in the flood, that a germ of the love of God may remain and spread. It is a precursor to the Lord, who may through one lens ruin your life by removing from you all that you once held important, but gives to you in turn Himself, His love, and His life, that you may possess all three. The Sacred Heart is in your little hands, for He has trusted you with it, trusting that you will love it and let His love spread: “go ye upon the earth: increase and multiply upon it” (Genesis 8:17). This rest of knowing the Lord’s heart yields three fruits, indicated by Sem, Cham, and Japeth. First, “Sem” means “knowledge of the whole of creation,” for God’s light allows a proper understanding and appreciation of all things, for when you allow yourself to find God in creation: “We shall say much, and yet shall want words: but the sum of words is, He is all” (Ecclesiasticus 43:29). It also makes the pursuit of wisdom properly set, for a proper understanding of God and His ways allows the beauty of truth to come forward: “For wisdom is better than all the most precious things: and whatsoever may be desired cannot be compared to it” (Proverbs 8:11). Thus, the visible and invisible things of life become open to you, showing you their beauty and singing to their Maker: “All ye works of the Lord, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever” (Daniel 3:57). “Cham” means “hot,” and “to be protected by a wall,” for your blazing love will be guarded by your Lover, “The Lord is my firmament, my refuge, and my deliverer… My protector and the horn of my salvation, and my support” (Psalm 17:3). Thus, letting your heart rest in God brings you into His jealous, loving protection, that He may never lose you. Finally, “Japheth” means “formless expansion,” for though you will not perceive the growth of love, it will do so without your realizing it. Love grows like a tree, without any perception until you realize that the roots have run deep, the trunk is solid against all winds and storms, and the branches reach out in a plethora of little ways. It also indicates you growing, for by pursuing God and growing in His ways, you become fully yourself, expanding from the little one that emerges into the state of grace to something beautiful: “The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field. Which is the least indeed of all seeds; but when it is grown up, it is greater than all herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come, and dwell in the branches thereof” (Matthew 13:31-32). Therefore, the fruits of letting your heart rest on Jesus is the wisdom of love, the consuming fire that makes up love and the protection of it, and a gradual growth that has no limit, for love is measureless and can always increase.

Genesis 5:6-20

“Seth also lived a hundred and five years, and begot Enos. And Seth lived after he begot Enos, eight hundred and seven years, and begot sons and daughters. And all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years, and he died. And Enos lived ninety years, and begot Cainan. After whose birth he lived eight hundred and fifteen years, and begot sons and daughters. And all the days of Enos were nine hundred and five years, and he died. And Cainan lived seventy years, and begot Malaleel. And Cainan lived after he begot Malaleel, eight hundred and forty years, and begot sons and daughters. And all the days of Cainan were nine hundred and ten years, and he died. And Malaleel lived sixty-five years, and begot Jared. And Malaleel lived after he begot Jared, eight hundred and thirty years, and begot sons and daughters. And all the days of Malaleel were eight hundred and ninety-five years, and he died. And Jared lived a hundred and sixty-two years, and begot Henoch. And Jared lived after he begot Henoch, eight hundred years, and begot sons and daughters. And all the days of Jared were nine hundred and sixty-two years, and he died.”

The line of Adam through Seth shows the heavenly rewards of God, where the line of Cain, those who turn from God, shows the destruction that sin leads to. The heavenly rewards are indicated by name, with the extraordinarily long lives of the patriarchs being precursors to the eternal life that those who walk in love will receive. “Seth,” as mentioned earlier, means “resurrection,” for when the soul is removed from the body and goes to God, it is so overwhelmed with love that it desires to share this love in every possible way, including with the body with which it used to be linked. That this may be so, you are promised the resurrection, that love may be expressed through your entire person, body and soul. Seth’s son is Enos, which means “weak and social man,” for all fallen people are weak, but the beauty of the Church is that in community, those weaknesses are made up for by the communion of persons: “For as the body is one, and hath many members; and all the members of the body, whereas they are many, yet are one body, so also is Christ” (1 Corinthians 12:12). “It is not good for man to be alone” (Genesis 2:18), for your weaknesses are many. But in community you are strong: “And if a man prevail against one, two shall withstand him: a threefold cord is not easily broken” (Ecclesiastes 4:12), and you have a place in the body of Christ, that your love may be complemented by the love of others, making up one body of love. Enos had Cainan, which means “acquirer,” or “to make a nest.” You have acquired love, for Love has found you, and in His Church you make your nest: “For the sparrow hath found herself a house, and the turtle a nest for herself where she may lay her young ones: thy altars, O Lord of hosts, my king and my God” (Psalm 83:4). You may let your heart rest, for it has found love, and you don’t need to work to please Him, for in Him, “Thou art my beloved [child]; in thee I am well pleased” (Luke 3:22). The Father said this to Jesus upon His baptism, before He had done any of His great work. So too is the Father pleased with you and loves you, not counting your work but simply is in love with you. “Malaleel” then means “Praise of God,” for in finding the love of God, He desires to open your heart to continual praise: “A hymn, O God, becometh thee in Sion” (Psalm 64:2). When your heart is perpetually rejoicing in love, this is extremely pleasing to God: “A cheerful and good heart is always feasting” (Ecclesiasticus 30:27). He loves you, and longs to see you happy, so when your heart is bubbling with joy, He smiles with joy at your joy. “Jared” means “descent,” specifically from a mountain, because when you descend from the mountain of contemplation to God’s people, you bring God’s love with you. Or it can mean that no matter the depths to which you have sunk, God’s love will follow you, that He may take you by the hand and draw you back to Himself: “If I ascent into heaven, thou art there: if I descend into hell, thou art present” (Psalm 138:8). Thirdly, it can mean that Christ descended from His place on High to take on human nature for you. He lived the life He lived for you, that He might free you from the bondage that once held you and show you the magnificence of His love. He made all things, became Incarnate, suffered, died, and rose again, just to hear you say you love Him. For this, He descended to you.

Genesis 4:25-5:5

“Adam also knew his wife again: and she brought forth a son, and called his name Seth, saying: God hath given me another seed, for Abel whom Cain slew. But to Seth also was born a son, whom he called Enos; this man began to call upon the name of the Lord. This is the book of the generation of Adam. In the day that God created man, he made him to the likeness of God. He created them male and female; and blessed them: and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created. And Adam lived a hundred and thirty years, and begot a son to his own image and likeness, and called his name Seth. And the days of Adam, after he begot Seth, were eight hundred years: and he begot sons and daughters. And all the time that Adam lived came to nine hundred and thirty years, and he died.”

Adam knew Eve, and brought forth Seth, whose name means “resurrection,” and his son Enosh means “man.” Thus, the man of resurrection, or Jesus, is seen here. Consider here that for every moment of Cain, when you turn from the Lord to something that is contrary to Him, there is an opportunity to bear a spiritual Seth, a resurrection of your spirit. Every act of repentance, even from the most minute imperfections, is an act of love, and taking these to confession invokes a celebration. The story of the Prodigal Son is not reserved simply to the moment of your conversion to the Lord, but to your every conversion. When you turn to Jesus and run to Him in confession, each time you bring rejoicing to His heart, for here He shows you the unfathomable depths of His merciful love for you, then sends you out that you may be radiant with love. “The Lord hath done great things for us: we are become joyful” (Psalm 125:3). Enos, then “began to call upon the name of the Lord,” not that Adam, Abel, and Seth didn’t, but Enos brought greater zeal and joy to it. Since worship of God was what divided Cain from his family and lead to the death of Abel, it is understandable that it would have a certain cloud that came with returning to it. However, zealous souls that long for the ways of the Lord ignore the moroseness of the world and bring the fire of His love to the earth: “I am come to cast fire on the earth: and what will I, but that it be kindled?” (Luke 12:49). This rekindling is always needed in the Church. She yearns for great saints, those who will love Jesus alone and all else for His sake and be willing to follow Him to the end: “In this is my Father glorified; that you bring forth very much fruit, and become my disciples” (John 15:8), “But he that shall persevere to the end, he shall be saved” (Matthew 24:13). The author Moses then shifts the focus to a genealogy, like he did of Cain, but where Cain’s line, by the seventh generation, falls into evils such as bigamy and killing, the seventh in the line of Seth is the holy Henoch, who was caught up to heaven. This shows the two ways of love, divine and earthly: the latter is self-interested, reckless, and perverted, whereas the former leads the follower thereof directly to heaven, fearing neither death nor purgation, but dying of love. Therefore, a summary of the creation account is given of Adam, that He was made between earthly substance and the image of God, receiving the impress of spirit and matter, being a bodily being made for love, and therefore called to a life of love. The first two human beings did, begetting Seth, letting the result of their love come to life just as the Trinity brought forth Adam and Eve as a result of divine love. It is said of Adam’s extraordinarily long life that it was because the earth needed to be filled, which points to the sense of urgency that must be had in the quest for divine love: “Who knoweth whether thou art not therefore come to the kingdom, that thou mightest be ready in such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14). Love does not wait for others to work, love does not recline that what is in motion may play out, it sets itself to bear much fruit: “Give me children, otherwise I shall die” (Genesis 30:1) and embrace the Beloved: “His left hand under my head, and his right hand shall embrace me” (Song 8:3). No matter the years that may be given you, use them to fill the earth with the fruits of love. Cover the earth in prayer and your community in affection, that love and grace may be in all, with you as a vessel of them both.

Genesis 4:16-24

“And Cain went out from the face of the Lord, and dwelt as a fugitive on the earth, at the east side of Eden. And Cain knew his wife, and she conceived, and brought forth Henoch: and he built a city, and called the name thereof by the name of his son Henoch. And Henoch begot Irad, and Irad begot Maviael, and Maviael begot Mathusael, and Mathusael begot Lamech: who took two wives: the name of the one was Ada, and the name of the other Sella. And Ada brought forth Jabel: who was the father of such as dwell in tents, and of herdsmen. And his brother’s name was Jubal; he was the father of them that play upon the harp and the organs. Sella also brought forth Tubalcain, who was a hammerer and artificer in every work of brass and iron. And the sister of Tubalcain was Noema. And Lamech said to his wifes Ada and Sella: ‘Hear my voice, ye wives of Lamech, hearken to my speech: for I have slain a man to the wounding of myself, and a stripling to my own bruising. Sevenfold vengeance shall be taken for Cain: but for Lamech seventy times sevenfold.’”

Exiled from Eden and from his family, Cain shows man’s estate when he is far from God and others. Rather than dwelling in the paradise of godly things, Cain goes away from those that loved him to be a fugitive, already being away from God and His merciful love. He then had relations with his wife, and proceeded to build a city for his son Henoch. Abel had no such earthly accomplishment, for his city was that of God, and he passed through the world without staking himself upon it. There is here an interesting note, that while the human achievements of man improve, there is a decline into moral depravity, with Lamech eclipsing the ways of Cain. This is not to say that what people do is bad, that technology and such things are evil, but that when you rejoice in these things, your soul is filled with them rather than with the pure love of God. What exists on earth is to make you and others fall more madly in love. The names of Cain’s descendants is of great note, as the names in Scripture are, because they give a glimpse into life without the love of God: “Henoch” means “trained/disciplined,” for “All things are hard” (Ecclesiastes 1:8), but the support of love makes a burden light, whereas without this support, it is meaningless toil. “Irad” means “fugitive,” for a life of sin is a life of fleeing from God, living as a fugitive rather than as one loved. “Maviael” means “wiped out by God,” for the person who spurns God will find all that they set their heart on wiped out, coming to an eternal life without love themselves. “Mathusael” means “man of God,” for in the Old Testament, God declared: “I am the Lord thy God, a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon their children unto the third and fourth generation, to them that hate me” (Deuteronomy 5:9). It shows that, when one has endured much as a result of being exiled from God and listens to their nature, which so longs to be loved by God, it is eager to turn back and run to Him. However, Jesus exhorts: “Neither will I condemn thee. Go and now sin no more” (John 8:11), and it is of graver consequence to encounter the love of the Lord and then turn from Him. It is a lesser evil to spurn a lover than to commit adultery against them. Thus, Genesis proceeds to Lamech, whose name means “For humiliation,” for the shamefulness of sin is humiliating, something so far beneath human dignity to commit. Lamech takes two wives, which is noted for its notoriety. Marriage is finding one that completes the other, that by the joining thereof something complete may come about, which is consummated in intimacy and has the fruit of children, which are living representations of the oneness of the parents. The exclusiveness of marriage also shows the love of God, for He does not give one less and another more, but loves each person as a spouse, giving them His entire attention, love, time, concern, that they may know how perfectly loved they are. He does not turn His eyes from you to look at someone else, He exists for you, and you don’t need to concern yourself with how others do things, but focus on the infinite love of God for you. The children of Lamech show more progress in human development, bringing forth comfortable travel, more encompassing work, music, and craft work. Where it could be reasonably said that these things were ends in themselves for the descendants of Cain, it is the way of Christianity to take the good, true, and beautiful of the world and become more splendid themselves: “They asked of the Egyptians vessels of silver and gold, and very much raiment. And the Lord gave favour to the people in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they lent unto them: and they stripped the Egyptians” (Exodus 12:34-35). What is an end for those whose reward is in this present life helps the mind of the Christian go to God, for in travel there are pilgrimages and the sights of nature, in greater work there is building up the kingdom, music gives beauty to divine praise, and craft work brings beautiful art that brings the mind and heart to God. In Hebrew tradition, Lamech killed Cain by accident before striking a youth who caused the accident in such a way that it slew him. Thus Lamech, consumed by guilt, not knowing that he could turn to God for mercy, runs to his wives to pour out the guilt of his heart. If Cain would be avenged sevenfold, then one who killed Lamech for his deeds would be avenged with an endless revenge, thus the numbers of completion multiplied. Ah, but how little mercy he can receive from women! They may have been terrified, and certainly did not understand the depths of his heart as God did. Thus, it is said: “Open not thy heart to every man” (Ecclesiasticus 8:19), but to let God Himself consume your heart, keeping it for Him as His private garden: “My sister, my spouse, is a garden enclosed” (Song 4:12).

Genesis 4:11-15

“’Now, therefore, cursed shalt thou be upon the earth, which hath opened her mouth and received the blood of thy brother at thy hand. When thou shalt till it, it shall not yield to thee its fruit: a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be upon the earth.’ And Cain said to the Lord: ‘My iniquity is greater than that I may deserve pardon. Behold thou dost cast me out this day from the face of the earth, and I shall be hidden from thy face, and I shall be a vagabond and fugitive on the earth: every one, therefore, that findeth me, shall kill me.’ And the Lord said to him: ‘No, it shall not be so: but whosoever shall kill Cain, shall be punished sevenfold.’ And the Lord set a mark upon Cain, that whosoever found him should not kill him.”

All people seek the happiness of love, with the perfect expression of it being in God alone. To sin grievously is to alienate oneself entirely from God, and God here shows the consequences of sin: Without the love of God, life becomes a meaningless wandering upon the earth. No work remains: “And when I turned myself to all the works which my hands had wrought, and to the labours wherein I had laboured in vain, I saw in all things vanity, and vexation of mind, and that nothing was lasting under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 2:11), nothing is of worth when it does not carry love with it. A wandering from temporal matter to temporal matter is a life of exile, a sentence to which Cain is condemned. His punishment, however, is not one of pure condemnation, moving him into some state of total abandonment. His life becomes an example, that both he should learn from his grave mistake, and others should see and realize the consequences of acting against one’s fellow man. God uses even the greatest injustices to bring a good forward, even if it cannot be seen immediately. So Cain laments, and in his sin sees all people as sinful as himself, thinking that they will turn on him and slaughter him for his misdeeds. It shows that without the love of God, who lends His eyes to His people that they may see the beauty of their neighbor as He sees them, the view of one’s neighbor becomes skewed. Because Cain does not know mercy, and did not open his heart to receive it, he cannot fathom others acting mercifully towards him, and declares that his life is meaningless and filled with fear, because nothing is with him. So does the earth become a prison for the one that turns from God, with fleeting pleasures being the only thing to keep it from being crushing, but a happy transport to the heavenly homeland for the one that sees Him in all things and filled with his love. The Lord then proceeds to give Cain a “mark.” The common opinion is that this is a type of trembling and horrified countenance. The Lord does not strike down Cain, but uses him as the aforementioned example, and prefiguring what sin does to a soul. Actions against love paralyze the conscience, making it tremble with discomfort, and draw out reactions akin to smelling something rancid. Love gives a sweet fragrance: “Spikenard, and saffron, sweet cane and cinnamon, with all the trees of Libanus, myrrh and aloes with all the chief perfumes” (Song 4:14), and is a healing balm upon the soul. To flee from the merciful face of Jesus is to warp, exile, and fill with horror, but He looks to come to all, that He may restore what has been broken to the beauty it is called to. Finally, people would not come after Cain, given his condition, out of the pity he didn’t realize they had. Thinking that all would turn upon him for his actions, the human capacity to love instead is drawn to compassion for the lowly and broken. Thus, Cain shows you the state of a soul in mortal sin, warped, paralyzed, filled with horror, and it is your sacred duty to love that person. They just want to be loved in the way that God loves, and this is the commandment of the Lord: “A new commandment I give unto you: That you love one another ,as I have loved you, that you also love one another” (John 14:34).