“’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).