Lesson – Genesis viii. 15‒22; ix. 1‒6
Dom Prosper Guéranger:
And God spoke to Noah, saying: “Go out of the ark, you and your wife, your sons, and the wives of your sons with you. All living things that are with you of all flesh, as well in fowls as in beasts, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, bring out with you, and go upon the earth: increase and multiply upon it.” So Noah 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 Noah built an altar to the Lord: and taking of all cattle and fowls that were clean, offered holocausts on 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, seed time and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, night and day, will not cease.” And God blessed Noah and his sons. And He said to them: “Increase and multiply, and fill the earth. And let the fear and dread of you be on all the beasts of the earth, and on all the fowls of the air, and all that move on the earth: all the fishes of the sea are delivered into your hand. And every thing that moves and lives will be meat for you: even as the green herbs have I delivered them all to you: Saving that flesh with blood you must 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. Whoever will shed man’s blood, his blood will be shed: for man was made to the image of God.”Thanks be to God.
Dom Prosper Guéranger:
O God of Infinite Justice! We have sinned. We have abused the life you have given us. And when we read in your Scriptures how your anger chastised the sinners of former days, we are forced to acknowledge that we have deserved to be treated in like manner. We have the happiness to be Christians and Children of your Church. The light of Faith and the power of your Grace have brought us once more into your friendship. But how can we forget that we were once your enemies? And are we so deeply rooted in virtue that we can promise ourselves perseverance in it to the end? Pierce, O Lord! pierce my flesh with your fear! (Psalm cxviii. 120). Man’s heart is hard, and unless it fears your Sovereign Majesty, it may again offend you. We are penetrated with fear when we remember that you buried the world and destroy mankind by the waters of the Deluge, for we learn by this how your patience and long-suffering may be changed into inexorable anger. You are just, O Lord, and who will presume to take scandal or to murmur when your wrath is kindled against sinners? We have defied your justice, we have braved your anger, for though you have told us that you will never more destroy sinners by a Deluge of water, yet do we know that you have created, in your hatred for sin, a fire which will eternally prey on them that depart this life without being first reconciled with your offended Majesty.
O wonderful dignity of our human nature! We cannot be indifferent towards that Infinite Being that created us. We must be His friends or His enemies! It could not have been otherwise. He gave us understanding and free will: we know what is good and what is evil, and we must choose the one or the other. We cannot remain neutral. If we choose good, God turns towards us and loves us. If evil, we separate from Him who is our Sovereign Good. But, whereas He bears most tender mercy towards this frail creature whom He created out of pure love, and because He wills that all men should be saved, He waits with patience for the sinner to return to Him and, in countless ways, draws his heart to repentance. But, woe to him that obeys not the divine call when that call is the last! Then justice takes place of mercy, and revelation tells us how fearful a thing it is to fall into the hands of the living God (Hebrews x. 31). Let us then flee from the wrath to come (Matthew iii. 7) by making our peace with the God we have offended. If we be already restored to grace, let us walk in His fear until love will have grown strong enough in our hearts to make us run the way of the commandments (Psalm cxviii. 32).
