The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to a search for a deeper understanding of our role in maintaining the Covenant as caretakers of the Earth and our communal relationship with the Divine.
The reading from the Book of Genesis proclaims the Covenant with Noah.
* [9:1] God reaffirms without change the original blessing and mandate of 1:28. In the Mesopotamian epic Atrahasis, on which the Genesis story is partly modeled, the gods changed their original plan by restricting human population through such means as childhood diseases, birth demons, and mandating celibacy among certain groups of women.
* [9:2–3] Pre-flood creatures, including human beings, are depicted as vegetarians (1:29–30). In view of the human propensity to violence, God changes the original prohibition against eating meat.
* [9:4] Because a living being dies when it loses most of its blood, the ancients regarded blood as the seat of life, and therefore as sacred. Jewish tradition considered the prohibition against eating meat with blood to be binding on all, because it was given by God to Noah, the new ancestor of all humankind; therefore the early Christian Church retained it for a time (Acts 15:20, 29).
* [9:6] The image of God, given to the first man and woman and transmitted to every human being, is the reason that no violent attacks can be made upon human beings. That image is the basis of the dignity of every individual who, in some sense, “represents” God in the world.
* [9:8–17] God makes a covenant with Noah and his descendants and, remarkably, with all the animals who come out of the ark: never again shall the world be destroyed by flood. The sign of this solemn promise is the appearance of a rainbow. (Genesis, CHAPTER 9 | USCCB, n.d.)
Psalm 102 is a prayer to the Eternal King for Help.
* [Psalm 102] A lament, one of the Penitential Psalms. The psalmist, experiencing psychological and bodily disintegration (Ps 102:4–12), cries out to God (Ps 102:1–3). In the Temple precincts where God has promised to be present, the psalmist recalls God’s venerable promises to save the poor (Ps 102:13–23). The final part (Ps 102:24–28) restates the original complaint and prayer, and emphasizes God’s eternity. (Psalms, PSALM 102 | USCCB, n.d.)
In the Gospel of Mark, Peter’s Declaration about Jesus precedes Jesus Foretelling His Death and Resurrection.
* [8:27–30] This episode is the turning point in Mark’s account of Jesus in his public ministry. Popular opinions concur in regarding him as a prophet. The disciples by contrast believe him to be the Messiah. Jesus acknowledges this identification but prohibits them from making his messianic office known to avoid confusing it with ambiguous contemporary ideas on the nature of that office. See further the notes on Mt 16:13–20.
* [8:31] Son of Man: an enigmatic title. It is used in Dn 7:13–14 as a symbol of “the saints of the Most High,” the faithful Israelites who receive the everlasting kingdom from the Ancient One (God). They are represented by a human figure that contrasts with the various beasts who represent the previous kingdoms of the earth. In the Jewish apocryphal books of 1 Enoch and 4 Ezra the “Son of Man” is not, as in Daniel, a group, but a unique figure of extraordinary spiritual endowments, who will be revealed as the one through whom the everlasting kingdom decreed by God will be established. It is possible though doubtful that this individualization of the Son of Man figure had been made in Jesus’ time, and therefore his use of the title in that sense is questionable. Of itself, this expression means simply a human being, or, indefinitely, someone, and there are evidences of this use in pre-Christian times. Its use in the New Testament is probably due to Jesus’ speaking of himself in that way, “a human being,” and the later church’s taking this in the sense of the Jewish apocrypha and applying it to him with that meaning. Rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes: the supreme council called the Sanhedrin was made up of seventy-one members of these three groups and presided over by the high priest. It exercised authority over the Jews in religious matters. See note on Mt 8:20. (Mark, CHAPTER 8 | USCCB, n.d.)
Edward Morse comments that Jesus was also quick to show Peter that he may have expressed the right opinion, but his foundation for understanding why he was correct was surely lacking.
Like Peter, we sometimes get ahead of our skis, making pronouncements about things that may not be the product of a complete understanding. Jesus’ response to Peter might have seemed harsh to Peter’s ears (after all, who likes to be called Satan – especially by the Lord himself?!?), but Peter and Jesus had a relationship that kept them going down the road together. Peter kept pondering, learning, and growing in understanding in such a way that he would later live up to his name as the Rock, even though he would also fall short and deny his Lord along the way. Understanding takes time, and we need to be patient with ourselves and others.
Let us follow Peter’s example when we have a difficult time in our faith. Step back and live with the tension, looking in faith for answers that we may not yet have the capacity to understand. And while we wait, be sure to remember the dignity with which we are all clothed by God. Thanks be to God. (Morse, 2025)
Don Schwager quotes “Peter confesses that Jesus is God's Anointed Son and Savior of all,” by Cyril of Alexandria (376-444 AD).
"You see the skillfulness of the question. He [Jesus] did not at once say, 'Who do you say that I am?' He refers to the rumor of those that were outside their company. Then, having rejected it and shown it unsound, he might bring them back to the true opinion. It happened that way. When the disciples had said, 'Some, John the Baptist, and others, Elijah, and others, that some prophet of those in old time has risen up,' he said to them, 'But you, who do you say that I am?' Oh! how full of meaning is that word you! He separates them from all others, that they may also avoid the opinions of others. In this way, they will not conceive an unworthy idea about him or entertain confused and wavering thoughts. Then they will not also imagine that John had risen again, or one of the prophets. 'You,' he says, 'who have been chosen,' who by my decree have been called to the apostleship, who are the witnesses of my miracles. Who do you say that I am?'"(excerpt from COMMENTARY ON LUKE, HOMILY 49) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on Genesis 9:1-13 comments that one thing we know from the story of Noah is that God has not abandoned us. On the contrary, he has bound himself to us. He has made a covenant with us, not on the basis of human strength, but on the basis of his unchanging devotion to us.
Let’s lean into that friendship today by spending time with our heavenly Father and praising him for his goodness and mercy. May we always place our hope not in ourselves but in the constancy of his love for us!
“Lord God, thank you for your unwavering love for me and for all of humanity” (Meditation on Genesis 9:1-13, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler comments on the Genesis passage where God makes a covenant with Noah and his sons. “God’s Bow” is the sign of the Promise not to destroy the earth by flood. Friar Jude notes the connection of Jesus mission to the “Son of Man” in Daniel 7 and the Songs of the Suffering Servant in Isaiah in Jesus rebuke of Peter’s expectations.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces co founders of the Wild Church Network, Victoria Loorz and Valerie Luna Serrels who are passionate about helping people reconnect to the sacred wildness of the earth and recognize how it connects us to the story.
This kinship is at the core of wild church. Kinship is recognizing that our beloved community includes the whole, alive, interconnected world…. It is falling in love again with the world, considering the well-being of all the sacred others in our decisions. It is taking on the suffering of our beloveds and engaging in their healing. It is an embodiment of a Hebrew concept known as tikkun olam, which means “repairing the world”—the whole world.
As we learn the language of leaves and the banter of berries and then share these little moments of poetic wisdom with one another, we are re-storying our place. We are creating new stories that can guide us into a new and yet ancient way of being human…. Re-storying our relationship with Earth as sacred kin provides a spiritual and emotional foundation of belonging we need to support all the layers of work ahead of us. [1] (Rohr, n.d.)
We ponder with gratitude the world in which we live out our mission and implore the Spirit to enrich our vision of Who we say Christ is.
References
Genesis, CHAPTER 9 | USCCB. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved February 20, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/genesis/9?1
Mark, CHAPTER 8 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved February 20, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/mark/8?27
Meditation on Genesis 9:1-13. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved February 20, 2025, from https://wau.org/meditations/2025/02/20/1206989/
Morse, E. (2025, February 20). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Retrieved February 20, 2025, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/022025.html
Psalms, PSALM 102 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings. Retrieved February 20, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/102?16
Rohr, R. (n.d.). The Earth Story. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved February 20, 2025, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/the-earth-story/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved February 20, 2025, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2025&date=feb20
