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| “Noah's Ark Cycle: 1. Building of the Ark” by Kaspar Memberger the Elder, 1588 |
Reading 1: Genesis 6:5-8;
7:1-5, 10
When the LORD saw how great
was man’s wickedness on earth,
and how no desire that his
heart conceived
was ever anything but evil,
he regretted that he had made
man on the earth,
and his heart was grieved.
So the LORD said:
“I will wipe out from the
earth the men whom I have created,
and not only the men,
but also the beasts and the
creeping things and the birds of the air,
for I am sorry that I made
them.”
But Noah found favor with the
LORD.
Then the LORD said to Noah:
“Go into the ark, you and all
your household,
for you alone in this age
have I found to be truly just.
Of every clean animal, take
with you seven pairs,
a male and its mate;
and of the unclean animals,
one pair,
a male and its mate;
likewise, of every clean bird
of the air, seven pairs,
a male and a female,
and of all the unclean birds,
one pair,
a male and a female.
Thus you will keep their
issue alive over all the earth.
Seven days from now I will
bring rain down on the earth
for forty days and forty
nights,
and so I will wipe out from
the surface of the earth
every moving creature that I
have made.”
Noah did just as the LORD had
commanded him.
As soon as the seven days
were over,
the waters of the flood came
upon the earth.
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Commentary on Gn 6:5-8; 7:1-5, 10
This selection is the condensed
version of God’s commands to Noah in preparation for the great flood. The
coming catastrophe is God’s punishment for the sins of mankind. The passage is
full of numerological symbolism: seven is the number of completeness, forty the
period of a generation. The story itself almost certainly relates a real event.
There are numerous mentions of a great flood in other ancient near-eastern
texts, although no specific archaeological proofs have been found.
CCC: Gen 6:5 401
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 29:1a and
2, 3ac-4, 3b and 9c-10
R. (11b) The Lord will bless his people with peace.
Give to the LORD, you sons of
God,
give to the LORD glory and
praise,
Give to the LORD the glory
due his name;
adore the LORD in holy
attire.
R. The Lord will bless his
people with peace.
The voice of the LORD is over
the waters,
the LORD, over vast waters.
The voice of the LORD is
mighty;
the voice of the LORD is
majestic.
R. The Lord will bless his
people with peace.
The God of glory thunders,
and in his temple all say,
"Glory!"
The LORD is enthroned above
the flood;
the LORD is enthroned as king
forever.
R. The Lord will bless his
people with peace.
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Commentary on Ps 29:1a and 2, 3ac-4, 3b and 9c-10
Psalm 29 is a hymn extolling the
power of God. In these strophes the immense power of God in nature is
described. His majesty encompasses the earth (“enthroned above the flood”)
and his kingship is established over all the earth, forever. This psalm
selection focuses our attention on the baptismal font as it addresses water,
the symbol and source of life, in two of the three strophes.
CCC: Ps 29:2 2143
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Gospel:
The disciples had forgotten
to bring bread,
and they had only one loaf
with them in the boat.
Jesus enjoined them, “Watch
out,
guard against the leaven of
the Pharisees
and the leaven of Herod.”
They concluded among
themselves that
it was because they had no
bread.
When he became aware of this
he said to them,
“Why do you conclude that it
is because you have no bread?
Do you not yet understand or
comprehend?
Are your hearts hardened?
Do you have eyes and not see,
ears and not hear?
And do you not remember,
when I broke the five loaves
for the five thousand,
how many wicker baskets full
of fragments you picked up?”
They answered him, “Twelve.”
“When I broke the seven
loaves for the four thousand,
how many full baskets of
fragments did you pick up?”
They answered him, “Seven.”
He said to them, “Do you
still not understand?”
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Commentary on Mk 8:14-21
Following his departure from
Dalmanutha (which he left because the Pharisees were demanding signs like those
he performed by feeding the multitudes), while still in the boat in which they
had left, the disciples begin to worry about not having brought provisions.
Jesus uses this time to warn them about being affected by the rebellious
attitude of the Pharisees and Herod toward him. The leaven of the Pharisees and
Herod probably refers to their inability to accept Jesus as who he is, the
Messiah. The Pharisees and Herodians take the message of hatred and spread it
though all the people like yeast in bread dough.
As is expected of the disciples in
St. Mark’s Gospel, they do not understand, and the Lord must go further. His
explanation makes subtle use of Hebrew numerology, with 12 being symbolic of
the 12 tribes of Israel, and 7 being the perfect number or symbolic of
completeness. These numbers become the representation of the Lord’s mission to
fulfill the Law and Prophets, the complete revelation of God and His Kingdom.
CCC: Mk 8:19 1329
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Reflection:
We can envision him gazing
out over the waters, not really paying attention to the practical concerns of
the disciples who had set sail with almost no provisions. They only had only one loaf of bread between
them not enough for thirteen men for more than one meal. Jesus, now stirred out of his reverie by
their discussion, and hearing only something about bread, responds still
thinking about the faithless religious leaders they have just left.
"Watch out, guard against the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of
Herod." His response probably surprised them as he had not been
participating in the discussion about the lack of provisions. It’s no wonder that they did not understand
his reference immediately. He was, of
course, speaking about the understanding of God proclaimed by these
groups. They only could see the God who
destroyed the earth with a flood because the people were evil. They could not understand the Messiah, coming
to reveal a different understanding of the Creator. And what they spread, the form of worship
they required that focused on ritual not on the spirit, was like a poison to
the people – bad leaven!
Their confusion over his
statement stimulates him to explain further using the symbolism of Hebrew
numerology to explain his mission to them.
He concludes with a question that would have been a teaching moment wherever
St. Mark’s Gospel was read: “Do you still not understand?”
For those of us
who have the advantage of having been taught the message and meaning of Christ,
this episode seems to be simplistic. We
are to avoid practicing our faith for others to observe as the Pharisees
did. We are to invite others to
experience God in Christ and to become a leaven for the communities in which we
find ourselves, spreading the Gospel through our actions and words. This was the message received from St. Mark
today and while it is easy enough to understand, it is difficult to live. Today we pray once again for the strength to
be that example to others and live the faith of a loving Jesus who feeds us
with his body.
Pax
[1]
The picture is “Noah's Ark Cycle: 1. Building of the Ark” by Kaspar Memberger
the Elder, 1588.
[3]
The readings are taken from the New American Bible, with the exception of the
psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for
English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is
for private use only.
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