Daily Readings - Wed Feb 19 2025

⁶At the end of forty days Noah opened the window of the ark that he had made⁷and sent forth a raven. It went to and fro until the waters were dried up from the earth.⁸Then he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters had subsided from the face of the ground.⁹But the dove found no place to set her foot, and she returned to him to the ark, for the waters were still on the face of the whole earth. So he put out his hand and took her and brought her into the ark with him.¹⁰He waited another seven days, and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark.¹¹And the dove came back to him in the evening, and behold, in her mouth was a freshly plucked olive leaf. So Noah knew that the waters had subsided from the earth.¹²Then he waited another seven days and sent forth the dove, and she did not return to him anymore.¹³In the six hundred and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried from off the earth. And Noah removed the covering of the ark and looked, and behold, the face of the ground was dry.²⁰Then Noah built an altar to the LORD and took some of every clean animal and some of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar.²¹And when the LORD smelled the pleasing aroma, the LORD said in his heart, "I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the intention of man's heart is evil from his youth. Neither will I ever again strike down every living creature as I have done.²²While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease."

Mark

Chapter 8

²²And they came to Bethsaida. And some people brought to him a blind man and begged him to touch him.²³And he took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village, and when he had spit on his eyes and laid his hands on him, he asked him, "Do you see anything?"²⁴And he looked up and said, "I see men, but they look like trees, walking."²⁵Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again; and he opened his eyes, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly.²⁶And he sent him to his home, saying, "Do not even enter the village."

Sermon

In today's readings, we encounter powerful narratives that invite us to reflect on trust, patience, and the gradual unfolding of God's plan. The first reading from Genesis describes Noah's experience after the flood, where he waits patiently for the waters to recede. Noah's actions—sending out the raven and the dove—demonstrate his trust in God's promise. The dove's return with an olive branch is a symbol of hope and new life, leading Noah to build an altar and offer sacrifices in gratitude. This passage reminds us of the importance of patience and trust in God's timing, even in uncertain circumstances. The Gospel from Mark complements this theme with the story of the blind man healed by Jesus in Bethsaida. The healing is not instantaneous; it happens in stages. Jesus touches the man's eyes twice, and only after the second touch does the man see clearly. This narrative suggests that spiritual growth and healing can be gradual processes. Just as the blind man had to trust Jesus through the process, we too are called to trust in God's plan, even when the results are not immediate or clear. These readings encourage us to embrace patience and trust in our own lives. Like Noah, we may find ourselves in situations where we must wait for clarity or resolution. Like the blind man, we may experience growth in stages, with moments of partial understanding before full clarity comes. Let us learn to trust in God's timing and to remain faithful, even when the journey is slow or uncertain. In doing so, we open ourselves to the hope of new life and the promise of eventual clarity, just as Noah and the blind man experienced.