“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).