Daily Readings - Sun Feb 18 2024

⁸Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him:⁹"I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you¹⁰and with every living creature that was with you-the birds, the livestock and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you-every living creature on earth.¹¹I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be cut off by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth."¹²And God said, "This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come:¹³I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth.¹⁴Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds,¹⁵I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life.

1 Peter

Chapter 3

¹⁸For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit,¹⁹through whom also he went and preached to the spirits in prison²⁰who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water,²¹and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also--not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ,²²who has gone into heaven and is at God's right hand--with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him.

Mark

Chapter 1

¹²At once the Spirit sent him out into the desert,¹³and he was in the desert forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him.¹⁴After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God.¹⁵"The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!"

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.