a raven or a dove?
"At the end of forty days Noah opened the hatch he had made in the ark, and he sent out a raven." —Genesis 8:6-7
If you are surrounded by the waters of destruction, you can be like the raven Noah sent out from the ark. You can fly back and forth over the waters (see Gn 8:7). However, you'll only wear yourself out and may get lost.
Instead, you can be like the dove Noah sent out. Even if the waters of destruction are still covering everything, you can at least return to the ark (see Gn 8:9). In the ark of the Church, you will be protected and be part of the new creation.
Possibly the waters of destruction are not covering everything in your life. You may find a few olive leaves above the waters. Pluck an olive leaf as a sign of hope, but return to the ark of the Church (see Gn 8:11).
Possibly the waters of destruction have receded in your life (see Gn 8:13). You can fly with the Holy Spirit. You can witness for Jesus (Acts 1:8), make disciples of all nations, and lead them to be baptized into the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Mt 28:19). You can go forth from the ark of the Church to lead people back into the Church of the new creation.
Be a dove; follow the dove of the Spirit as He works through the Church.
Prayer: Father, send the Holy Spirit to teach me how to live faithfully and powerfully in a world of sin, death, abortion, hatred, and violence.
Promise: "His sight was restored and he could see everything clearly." —Mk 8:25
Praise: Jacob broke free from being a cultural Catholic to being a Spirit-led Catholic.
Reference: (For a related teaching, order our tape The Church in God's Plan on audio AV 67-3 or video V-67.)
Rescript: †Reverend Joseph R. Binzer, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, July27, 2010
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