Some Divine Descriptions

The journey of individuals to relate to the Divine can be guided by reflection on the texts which tell of the experience and understanding of those who came before us. The Roman Catholic Lectionary today takes us to the creation of the Covenant between Noah and God after the flood. Divine Providence gifts Noah with the ability to access all the wild life he will need for food. Some rules are understood about the practice of killing and eating game. The reasons for particular “rules” in Scripture are often debated by learned scholars. The relationship with the Divine has parameters through which the finite and the infinite can relate. Obedience to the Provident and Powerful One seems to be the path to bring this unequal relationship to its most intimate. The Gospel of Mark shows the very human Peter in a difficult dialogue with Jesus. His journey toward intimacy with the Divine has taken him to the assertion that he has chosen to abandon his prior life and he chooses to life following Jesus who he understands as the Messiah, the promised restoration of the full Covenant to Israel. He knows of the deep attraction he feels to the person of Jesus and the image of great love, compassion, power and Presence coming to death as a criminal is unimaginable to Peter. The struggle has not changed and the questions are eternal. We ponder and are left in the awe expressed by the psalmist.