Wednesday – Sixth Week – OT1

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Wednesday – Sixth Week – OT1

Readings: Gen 8:6, 13, 20-22; Mk 8:22-26.

1/ Reading I: NAB Genesis 8:6 At the end of forty days Noah opened the hatch he had made in the ark, 13 In the six hundred and first year of Noah’s life, in the first month, on the first day of the month, the water began to dry up on the earth. Noah then removed the covering of the ark and saw that the surface of the ground was drying up. 20 Then Noah built an altar to the LORD, and choosing from every clean animal and every clean bird, he offered holocausts on the altar. 21 When the LORD smelled the sweet odor, he said to himself: “Never again will I doom the earth because of man, since the desires of man’s heart are evil from the start; nor will I ever again strike down all living beings, as I have done. 22 As long as the earth lasts, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.”

2/ Gospel: NAB Mark 8:22 When they arrived at Bethsaida, they brought to him a blind man and begged him to touch him. 23 He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. Putting spittle on his eyes he laid his hands on him and asked, “Do you see anything?” 24 Looking up he replied, “I see people looking like trees and walking.” 25 Then he laid hands on his eyes a second time and he saw clearly; his sight was restored, and he could see everything distinctly. 26 Then he sent him home and said, “Do not even go into the village.”


                                                
I. THEME: The need to be patient.           

            People have a tendency that when they do something they want to see its result right away; it not, they feel discouraged and stop doing it. But every human work needs a minimum time to yield a result; under such time, there shall not be a good result. Moreover, the more challenge of a work is, the waiting time shall be longer. For examples, to graduate from college, a student must need at least sixteen years, from different periods such as: elementary, intermediate, high school and college. After each period, a student must pass an exam to show that he can advance to next period. Similarly in acquiring a life of virtues, a person must be patient with himself and others. He must begin by learning to acquire an easy virtue first, then go on to more difficult virtues before he can easily live a life of virtues.

            Today readings center on the theme which requires people to be patient in all things that they try. In the first reading, after forty days and nights which God let it rain continuously, Noah must wait for the water to subside before he can let out every creature in his ark. In testing this, Noah let out pigeons many times. When he saw that the pigeon returned with an olive branch, he knew the water was subsided and opened the ark to let every creature out. In the Gospel, Jesus healed a blind man through two periods. After the first time, the blind man could only see people walking back and forth like moving trees because he needed time to be familiar with light. After the second time, he could see clearly of everything.

II. ANALYSIS

1/ Reading I: Noah patiently waited for the water to subside.

1.1/ The periods for the Great Flood to subside: The Book of Genesis didn’t tell us how long that Noah must wait before he can open the ark’s window; but at least, he must wait for fourteen days in three times he released his pigeons. Using a pigeon to communicate is a mean for communication of the ancient people. The Book didn’t give us reasons why Noah used pigeons more than crows. May be crows are not reliable as pigeons. Pigeons are often used to carry letters for ancient people because they know very well the path from the sender to the sent. Once they know the path, they shall never get lost though their owner can release them at any point on the earth. Noah used pigeons to see if water is subsided three times:

            (1) The first time: After the releasing of a crow, Noah released a pigeon to see if the water is already subsided. The pigeon returned to him because he couldn’t find a place to stand. He took and brought him inside the ark. Noah knew the water isn’t subsided yet.

            (2) The second time: Noah waited for seven days, then released the pigeon the second time. In the evening, he returned to Noah; and there is a green olive branch in his mouth. Noah knew the water was subsided on the earth.

            (3) The third time: Noah waited for seven more days, then released the pigeon the third time. The pigeon didn’t return to him. Noah knew the water was completely subsided.

            On the first day of the first month on the year of 601 of Noah’s life, the water was already dried on the earth. The first day is also the beginning of the Exodus later (cf. Exo 12:40-42). This fact wants to emphasize that both creation and recreation are from God. He began a new era for his people.

1.2/ The new covenant between God and Noah: According to J tradition, the Great Flood ended with the event in which people were reconnected with God through the offering of a burnt offering.

            (1) On the people’s side: Noah’s family is the representation of the remnant after the Great Flood. He made an altar to worship God. He took some clean animals and birds for the burnt offering and put them on the altar. This is the first time in Scripture that mentioned about the offering of clean animals and the burnt offering for God.

            (2) On God’s side: The author reported God smelled the attractive odor and He said in himself, “Never again will I doom the earth because of man, since the desires of man’s heart are evil from the start; nor will I ever again strike down all living beings, as I have done. As long as the earth lasts, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.” After the Great Flood, though people still commit sins, but they shall be forgiven due to God’s mercy. His compassion is also seen in nature through the fact that he shall not inverse the order of time and of weather again.           

2/ Gospel: Jesus healed a blind through two periods.

2.1/ Characteristics of the miracle: This miracle was reported only by Mark. In all miracles, it is rare that Jesus took a patient out of his place as in today report when Jesus healed a deaf and dumb. Mark didn’t give us reasons why Jesus led him out of the village, may be for the patient’s benefit. The blind, who was in dark many years, is very sensitive to light. Jesus healed him through two periods.

            (1) Jesus 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 upon him, he asked him, “Do you see anything?” And he looked up and said, “I see men; but they look like trees, walking.”

            (2) Then again, he laid his hands upon his eyes; and he looked intently and was restored and saw everything clearly. And he sent him away to his home, saying, “Do not even enter the village.”

2.2/ The patient journey in recognizing the Messiah: If comparing this miracle with the man born blind in the Gospel of John, we find similarity and difference. The similarity is that Jesus used his saliva. The difference is that Jesus put his hand in the blind’s eye in Mark; but he sent the blind to wash his eye at Siloam pool in John.

            John’s report emphasized the progressing of the blind’s faith through different periods. In each period, he proclaimed Jesus by different names according to the fuller truth. The first time when he was asked by his neighbors, he proclaimed the one who healed him as “the one whose name is Jesus.” The second time when he was investigated by rulers, he proclaimed “Jesus must be a prophet.” The third time when he was questioned by the Pharisees, he proclaimed “Jesus must come from God.” Lastly, when he was asked by Jesus, he proclaimed him as “the Messiah.”

           

III. APPLICATION IN LIFE:

            – Time is the enemy of some people. Many are tired of waiting for a result and they terminate their works halfway through; but Jesus taught his disciple: “Who are persevered to the end, they shall be saved.”

            – To guarantee a success, we shouldn’t quickly aim at the goal, but should divide the goal to many small goals for different periods. The patient one, though he is slow, shall reach the goal end.

            – In our relationship with God, we can make it grow by a life of faithful prayer and of living out what he teaches us. In our relationship with others, we also need time to know, to understand, to share, to accept and to help each other to grow daily. 

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