Daily Readings - Sun Feb 18 2024

⁸To Noah and to his sons with him, God also said this⁹"Behold, I will establish my covenant with you, and with your offspring after you¹⁰and with every living soul that is with you: as much with the birds as with the cattle and all the animals of the earth that have gone forth from the ark, and with all the wild beasts of the earth¹¹I will establish my covenant with you, and no longer will all that is flesh be put to death by the waters of a great flood, and, henceforth, there will not be a great flood to utterly destroy the earth.¹²And God said: "This is the sign of the pact that I grant between me and you, and to every living soul that is with you, for perpetual generations¹³I will place my arc in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the pact between myself and the earth¹⁴And when I obscure the sky with clouds, my arc will appear in the clouds¹⁵And I will remember my covenant with you, and with every living soul that enlivens flesh. And there will no longer be waters from a great flood to wipe away all that is flesh

1 Peter

Chapter 3

¹⁸For Christ also died once for our sins, the Just One on behalf of the unjust, so that he might offer us to God, having died, certainly, in the flesh, but having been enlivened by the Spirit¹⁹And in the Spirit, he preached to those who were in prison, going to those soul²⁰who had been unbelieving in past times, while they waited for the patience of God, as in the days of Noah, when the ark was being built. In that ark, a few, that is, eight souls, were saved by water²¹And now you also are saved, in a similar manner, by baptism, not by the testimony of sordid flesh, but by the examination of a good conscience in God, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ²²He is at the right hand of God, devouring death, so that we may be made heirs to eternal life. And since he has journeyed to heaven, the Angels and powers and virtues are subject to him

Mark

Chapter 1

¹²And immediately the Spirit prompted him into the desert¹³And he was in the desert for forty days and forty nights. And he was tempted by Satan. And he was with the wild animals, and the Angels ministered to him¹⁴Then, after John was handed over, Jesus went into Galilee, preaching the Gospel of the kingdom of God¹⁵and saying: "For the time has been fulfilled and the kingdom of God has drawn near. Repent and believe in the Gospel.

Sermon

In today's readings, we journey through the narrative of God's covenant, salvation, and the call to repentance. The first reading from Genesis recounts God's promise to Noah, establishing a covenant symbolized by the rainbow, a sign of mercy and divine commitment. This covenant represents God's promise to never again destroy the earth with a flood, offering hope and renewal. The second reading from 1 Peter bridges this ancient covenant with the new covenant through Christ. It highlights how Christ's death and resurrection offer salvation, drawing a parallel between the flood and baptism. Just as Noah's ark saved a few, baptism saves us, transforming water from a symbol of destruction to one of salvation. Christ's triumph over death and His role in granting eternal life underscore the fulfillment of God's plan. In the Gospel, Mark describes Jesus' temptation in the wilderness and the beginning of His ministry. After withstanding temptation, Jesus calls us to repentance and faith, embodying the fulfillment of God's covenant. This call to repentance invites us to reflect on our lives, trusting in God's promises and responding with faith. Just as Jesus faced temptation, we too can find strength in our struggles, trusting in God's grace. In our daily lives, we are called to live out our baptismal commitment, trusting in God's covenant and responding to His call. Let us embrace the transformation offered through Christ, facing our challenges with faith and repentance, and living as witnesses to God's enduring love.