Memorial of Saints Cyril, Monk, and Methodius, Bishop

When the LORD saw how great was man’s wickedness on earth, and how no desire that his heart conceived was ever anything but evil, he regretted that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was grieved. So the LORD said: “I will wipe out from the earth the men whom I have created, and not only the men, but also the beasts and the creeping things and the birds of the air, for I am sorry that I made them.” But Noah found favor with the LORD. Then the LORD said to Noah: “Go into the ark, you and all your household, for you alone in this age have I found to be truly just.”

Sadly, we all have sinful inclinations. We let God down far more often than He wants or we would like. We have weaknesses in our lives. Blind spots where we simply fail to see where we are going wrong. All of these failings give God every reason to destroy us. We are not worthy of His Mercy and cannot make up for our sins on our own, but thankfully God has given us an ark. He has given us the Church and it is within her confines that we find salvation from the storms of sin. It is within the Church that we find the food for body, mind, and spirit that keeps us alive in the faith. The sacraments, instituted by Christ, preserve our lives and keep us safe from the drowning doubts, fears, and anxieties of the world. It is upon the cross that we find the ramp that leads us out of wickedness and into holiness. It is Jesus’ sacrifice that keeps us afloat in a sea of sin and leads us safely to the Promised Land. Without Jesus Christ and His Church we would be lost at sea, doomed to die, but with them we are given a chance to reach the heights of heaven and dwell there with God forever and ever.

How can we overcome our sinful inclinations? How can we become truly just people? Do we thank God for giving us His Beloved Son’s Church as our ark to the afterlife?

O Lord, lead us to the ark of your Church and to truly just lives.

Amen.