Daily Readings - Sun Feb 18 2024

⁸And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying,⁹And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you;¹⁰And with every living creature that is with you, of the fowl, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you; from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth.¹¹And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth.¹²And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations:¹³I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth.¹⁴And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud:¹⁵And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.

1 Peter

Chapter 3

¹⁸For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:¹⁹By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;²⁰Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.²¹The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:²²Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him.

Mark

Chapter 1

¹²And immediately the Spirit driveth him into the wilderness.¹³And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him.¹⁴Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,¹⁵And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe 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.