During the time of Noah humanity was steeped in sin and evil and God allowed a great flood to wipe out most of creation, except for those who were chosen to be in the Ark. At the end when the flood died down, God offered a new beginning to Noah. God offered a new beginning for the world. All of creation had a chance for renewal.
Looking at the story with human eyes, it is possible that what is recognized is the tragedy of the event, but with the eyes of faith the opportunity for renewal and a new beginning can be discovered. The gospel of Mark tells us, “You are not thinking as God does, but you are thinking as man.”
Last night I celebrated mass for a 95 year old man. Every year for the past several years I have been invited to celebrate mass there. And in one way or the other I witnessed signs of deterioration in the disposition of the patient. But I refuse to see only the deterioration. Last night I saw the gift of family, of support, of love, of faith, of care and concern.
Yes, life is full of trials and challenges, even of tragedies and defeat, but “thinking as God does” enables us to discover the blessings disguised in these facts of life. I’m not saying that it’s alright to be passive about all the tragedies of life. No. What I’m saying is that in every life situation what our eyes see as humans is but one way of looking at it. Christian faith calls us to consider always the way God looks at it, the way God “thinks” about it. Let us recognize the wonderful possibility of looking with the eyes of God; the boundless possibility of seeing through the tragedy, the trial and challenges, and finding the blessing behind them.
Come and see!
