When
we look at all the people in the world today and all the actions that
those people are capable of doing and choosing to do, it is very easy
to get into a mindset of seeing things as being either black or
white. That is, we tend to see people as being either totally good
or totally evil based on just few of their actions. We label a
person as evil because they did a bad thing, but we forget that they
did some very good things in their lives as well. It can go the
other way too as seemingly good people are capable of deceiving
others and causing great pain. In moral theology we say all people
are good in the eyes of God since He created us all. However, people
are also capable of choosing what is wrong.
Objects
and things in this world are often labeled as either good or evil
based on the things they are used for or what they do. The truth is,
objects are neither good nor bad; they simply exist, and how we use
them determines whether our actions are morally good or bad. For
instance, the internet is often thought of as bad because it is so
often used for morally bad purposes, such as: viewing inappropriate
imagery, hacking into other people’s person information and
finances, and stocking people. But the internet is also capable of
being a great tool for learning and passing on formation. Not only
is research made much easier, we are also able to pass on news and
information on various topics. Many leaders in the Church, including
myself, have found the internet to be very helpful in evangelizing
people who may never have otherwise entered a church building or
called to ask questions.
Fire
is another example of an object in this world that can be used both
for good and for bad. Fire has a very obvious destructive nature
about it. It can level entire cities and clear acres upon acres of
land. The loss of human life as a result of fires is also
substantial. We all know that fires can serve a useful purpose as
well. For centuries, it was with fires that humans heated their
homes and cooked. Wild fires also serve an important role in the
environment: they clear out old underbrush and windfalls and allow
new plants to grow without being choked out. I’ve even read that
there are plants whose seeds won’t germinate unless they are first
exposed to intense heat. Those plants actually depend on an
occasional fire to help the species survive.
Our
readings today take our same discussion and apply it to water. Much
like fire, it can bring both destruction and life. A flood, like the
one described in the story of Noah, can take countless lives and wipe
away many buildings and structures. Hurricanes can cause storm
surges and earthquakes can cause tsunamis that are often described as
a wall of water the rips large rocks, trees, and even buildings from
their foundations. Yet obviously we cannot live without water. It
keeps our bodies going and allows us to grow our own food. Even
after a flood, the mud that is left behind can be great fertilizer
for crops. The benefits of water are clearly great.
The
readings take things a step further and point out that not only are
there physical benefits to water, as I pointed out, but spiritual as
well. We start out with our first reading from Genesis. The Great
Flood is over, Noah has open the arch and let out all the animals,
and he and his sons have set up an altar to give thanks to God. What
we heard were God’s words to Noah and his sons. You may recall
that the reason for the flood in the first place was because God saw
all the sin that was happening in the world and wished to end it.
The flood waters washed away all the evil of the world. Now God is
ready to set up a special covenant with Noah and his family. A
covenant is like a contract or agreement: Noah agrees to worship God
alone, and God agrees not to flood the earth again. To symbolize
this covenant, God gives us the rainbow in the sky. God is showing
Noah and his family, and all of us, that despite the terrible
destruction of the flood, some wonderful things have come about
because of it. Sin has been washed away and this clears the way for
God to set up a new covenant.
The
powerful image of the flood water washing away the sins of the world
is a prefiguring of our own Christian baptism when the baptismal
waters washed away all our sins. St. Peter talks about this in his
first letter today. Christ Jesus wished to take away our sins. He
accomplished this through His suffering and death on the Cross.
Though His body dies, He rose again to new life: just as God raised
Noah and his family from the flood and just as we are raised to new
life in baptism. Death is not the end, but the beginning of new
life.
And
what does this new life lead us to? We see an example of that in our
Gospel reading. We are told that “The Spirit drove Jesus out into
the desert”. This is referring to the Holy Spirit. In the verses
preceding that quote, Jesus was baptized in the Jordan by John. The
first thing that the Spirit does for Jesus is He sends Him out into
the desert. There He is tempted by the devil. After this, He begins
His public ministry by preaching and choosing His disciples. His
time in the desert is a time of preparation for His ministry. It was
difficult. He is tempted by the Satan. Matthew and Luke describe in
their account that Jesus fasted during these forty days. Yet we can
also see in this a time of prayer in which our Savior readies Himself
to start His ministry. All this begins with baptism and the Spirit
driving Him out to the desert.
Our
baptism does glorious things for us in our spiritual life. Our sins
are washed away. Our old way of life is in a sense destroyed in the
“flood waters” of baptism. We rise again, like Christ, to new
life. From there the Spirit drives us to a spiritual desert, where
we prepare for what God calls us to do. Lent is like a desert. Let
us use this Lent to make ourselves ready to go where God wishes to
lead us.
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