“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.