Thursday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time
(Genesis 9:1-13; Mark 8:27-33)
Today’s reading from Genesis details God’s first covenant
with humans although all creation is mentioned as covenant partners. There will be others: the Abrahamic Covenant,
the Mosaic Covenant, and the New Covenant of Jesus. All covenants deepen the relationship between
God and human beings.
The Noahic Covenant echoes God’s high regard for human beings
in Genesis 1. Humans are made in His
image so that if any beast or other human takes a human’s life, the killer will
have to reckon with God. In the same vein,
humans can kill any animal for food if the animal’s blood is drained before
consumption.
Despite human betrayal of the divine image, we should see
ourselves as privileged. However, responsibilities
are attached to the honors. We must care
about the earth which is the Lord’s. We
must guard against pollution and the elimination of the varied species. In the end, keeping all God’s covenants will
afford us not just a likeness of God but a participation in His divine nature.
