Sixth Wednesday of Ordinary Time

Noah built an altar to the LORD, and choosing from every clean animal and every clean bird, he offered burnt offerings on the altar. When the LORD smelled the sweet odor, he said to himself: “Never again will I doom the earth because of man since the desires of man’s heart are evil from the start; nor will I ever again strike down all living beings, as I have done. As long as the earth lasts, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, Summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.”

Noah burns his offerings in thanksgiving for God giving him and his family a chance to continue the race of man and rebuild man’s relationship with God. Although things didn’t turn out perfectly, for our race still had evil desires, God promises to never destroy us like that again. Instead, He prepares a new flood, a spiritual flood of His Love and Mercy in the form of His Beloved Son. Unlike the flood in Noah’s time, the Living Water of Christ will destroy sin and death rather than mankind's bodies. It will be an endless stream of life-giving and cleansing love poured out for us so we might become filled with the Holy Spirit and God’s Saving Grace.

Have we given God praise and thanksgiving for all the wonderful things He has done for us? Are we prepared to let Him flood us with His Love and Mercy? How can we in turn become living fonts of His Grace?

O Lord, make us into living floods of your compassion.

Amen.