Bible Journey

Gen 10 shows us the lineage from Noah down to the groupings of Noah’s sons to which the other nations were inhabited from. Gen 11 shows us lineage from Shem to Abraham. It also shows us how different languages came to be.

Matthew 4 brings us the temptations given to Jesus from Satan. Try as he might, Jesus will not be swayed to worship any other than our Lord, God himself. Jesus also flees to Galilee. Here he preaches to word of the Lord. Spreading the good word, and gathering followers. It is here, where we see how the start of the disciples begins.

"Got washed in the water, washed in the blood.
And now I'm changed
And now I'm stronger
There must be something in the water."    
                          There must be something in the water by Carrie Underwood

Indeed there is something in the water with these 2 readings. In Gen 7-9, God executes his punishment to those on the Earth, for they have fallen into great sin, and have disappointed and upset God. He has Noah gather his wife, sons and their wives, and a pair of every animal and creature on the Earth int the Ark God guided him in making. And then God let the sky loose upon the Earth. For it rained 40 days and 40 nights, flooding the seas and the land, until every inch of the Earth was completely flooded. The Earth remained flooded for 150 days, until God let the waters subside. He cleansed the Earth of all of unclean, and sinful people and creatures. After the Earth dried up, Noah sacrificed and offered up some of the animals to God at an alter he built. God then created a covenant with Noah. “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. ” Gen 8:21. God then told Noah and his family, to populate the Earth & gave them dominion over every creature of the Earth. “Every creature that is alive shall be yours to eat; I give them all to you as I did the green plants. Only flesh with its lifeblood still in it you shall not eat. For your own lifeblood, too, I will demand an accounting from every animal I will demand it, and from man in regard to his fellow man I will demand an accounting for human life.” Gen 9:3-5. To remind God and all those on the Earth of this covenant, God gave us rainbows. “I set my bow in the clouds to serve as a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. When I bring clouds over the earth, and the bow appears in the clouds, I will recall the covenant I have made between me and you and all living beings, so that the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all mortal beings.” Gen 9:13-15. Therefore, rainbows, are actually the sign of the covenant between God, Noah, and all living beings on the Earth.

In Matthew 3, we are introduced to John the Baptist. John the Baptist preached and baptized those that came down to the, “Jordan river as they acknowledged their sins.” Matthew 3:6. John knew that there would be one that was greater than he, and one day, Jesus came down to the river from Galilee to be baptized by John. At first John didn’t want to baptize Jesus, as he knew this was the man, the Son of God. However, Jesus, explained to John that they all have their parts to play in showing others, and making them believe. “After Jesus was baptized, he came up from the water and behold, the heavens were opened [for him] and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove [and] coming upon him. And a voice came from the heavens, saying, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.'” Matthew 3:16-17

Indeed there was something in the water, for God cleansed the Earth of those that sinned with the floods, and brought the Holy Spirit down from the heavens to introduce his Son to those at the river. For Jesus would become our new and everlasting covenant.

“Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.” – Yoda, Star Wars

Today we find ourselves reading about Cain and Able. Brothers, that brought their offerings to God. Jealousy of God’s acceptance of Able’s offering leads his older brother, Cain, to kill Able. Even after God tries to reason with him. “So the Lord said to Cain: ‘Why are you so resentful and crestfallen? If you do well, you can hold up your head; but if not, sin is a demon lurking at the door; his urge is toward you, yet you can be his master.'” Gen 4:6-7. Why do we choose sin? Why don’t we just take a breath, and take a step back to appreciate what we do have? To know that there is a next time & know that we can do better. To prove to God that we are worthy of his love, by following and living by God’s word. We should not act only on our emotions, but on our thoughts, and knowing of what is right and wrong. In following God’s teachings. After all that Cain did, by giving into his jealousy, and falling into sin, Cain found himself face to face with the consequences of his actions. God cast a punishment onto Cain that would indeed make it much harder to grow his crops and to live the life he was accustomed to. The Lord giveth, and he taketh away.

Through chapters 5 & 6, we find the blood line of Adam & Eve, mostly through the line of their son, Seth. Here we find Noah. Yes, the Noah from Noah’s Ark. Noah followed the words of God, and walked with God through life. Through the many years and watching over of Adam & Eve’s descendants, God had become sadden by the way of life of most of the men and women of the Earth. For God had given the men and women rule over the Earth, and of all the creatures living on the planet. They have forgotten the beauty and graces that God had given to them. They no longer followed the words of the Lord, but rather continued along the path of Cain’s actions, and sinned. God, finally, had enough of their disgrace and decided that he was going to eliminate all which he had given his own breath into. All except a few. “I, on my part, am about to bring the flood [waters] on the earth, to destroy everywhere all creatures in which there is the breath of life; everything on earth shall perish. But with you, I will establish my covenant; you and your sons, your wife and your sons’ wives, shall go into the ark. Of all other living creatures you shall bring two into the ark, one male and one female, that you may keep them alive with you.” Gen 6:17-19. If we follow sin, it will lead us down the path to hell, and not lead us to the fruits of heaven. God will be much displeased and there will be consequences for our actions.

In Matthew 2, we are brought back to the son of God, our Messiah, the King of the Jews, Baby Jesus. He is the new covenant, who will take away the sins of the world. Joseph, lead by his dreams from the angels above, protects the Son of God from King Herod. He takes Mary and Jesus from Bethlehem to Egypt, until he is told that King Herod was dead. Joseph, like God, protected and saved the one who was to be the new covenant, as God saved Noah.

We live today in a world of hate, violence, crime, profanity, and faithlessness. As we look around today, we find ourselves surrounded by sin and temptation. We need to heed the words of God, and give our thanks to God for all that we have. Do not be jealous of those around you. Do right, don’t fall into temptation and God will provide. It may not be instantaneous, as are so many things of this world these days. Those are the things of temptation and sin. Protect those around us and help show them the beauties of God’s words and teachings. Will we conquer all sin? No. However, by following and leading an example of his teachings, may we show the world his love for us, and guide them to know God, through Christ our Lord’s teachings.

May God continue to bless our lives, and give us the strength everyday to follow his words, and not fall into temptation and sin. Give all we have to him, and offer up our very best. “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” Lord’s Prayer.

Do you ever lie awake wondering where we came from? Why are things the way they are? Who put us above the animals or plants? We have to go back to the beginning.

“In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless wasteland, and darkness covered the abyss, while a mighty wind swept over the waters.” Gen 1:1-2. “God created man in his image; in the divine image he created him, male and female he created them.” Gen 1:27. It was God that created everything we know, the land, the sky, the seas, the stars, the animals, and humans. Everything. He created it all in 6 days, and rested on the 7th day. He blessed this 7th day, and made it Holy. Sundays are for God. For us to adore and glorify him. To remind us that we are nothing without him. For without his creating us, we would not be. Sundays are indeed, very important days and should be treated as such. However, in today’s constant state of busyness, who has time to rest? Who has time for anything? We all do. We all can find a time to pray with God. To recognize God, and to thank God for all that we have in our lives. Our parish holds 5 masses for the Holy Day of Obligation of Sundays. We have a 5pm mass on Saturday night, an 8am, 9:30am, 11:30am, & 1pm mass on Sundays. We can all find time. Are you willing to find the time for God, your creator?

“the Lord God formed man out of the clay of the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and so man became a living being.” Gen 2:7 “So the Lord God cast a deep sleep on the man, and while he was asleep, he took out one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. The Lord God then built up into a woman the rib that he had taken from the man.” Gen 2:21-22. The Lord God created us in his own image. He wanted us to like him. We are his children, and He is our Father. We are to follow his word and do as He says. He breathed His life into us, and made us alive. We have so much to owe him. So much to be thankful for each and everyday. How blessed are our lives, that God himself, breathed his own breath into our bodies? We are each truly connected to God and each hold the Holy Spirit inside of us. Therefore, we should obey God and all of his words, for he put us here on this earth, and he can return us to dust. Our lives and bodies are not our own, but those of God. And when we disobey God’s words, our souls fall into sin. As the serpent tempts us into more and more sin. It can easily spiral out of control, and we loose sight of the very beginning, that we are made of dust, and that God is the true Father.

“All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet; ‘Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel’, which means, ‘God is with us.'” Matthew 1:22-23. There are consequences to our actions. God doesn’t just turn a blind eye. The Father however, through his Son, Jesus, forgives us through the sacrament of confession. We must do penance, but our souls are forgiven, to amend our lives and ways of doing things. To follow more closely to the words of God.

As we reflect upon the words of God today, remember that our lives are not our own, but those of God. We shall obey his words, and when we fall victim to the words of the serpent, may we ask for forgiveness through Jesus Christ, his Son. May we appreciate all that God has given to us, and know that can all be taken away. For God is the true Father, through which all things, were created.

May God bless you, I pray.