Metaphorgotten

Feb 14: Memorial of Saints Cyril, Monk, and Methodius, Bishop

Feb 14, 2023

Noah’s Ark is one of those stories we don’t take literally.12

I don’t know if this is the lectionary’s intent, but today’s Gospel is basically explaining the difference between a metaphor and a literal miracle. Or maybe I’m reading too much into it?

Reading 1

Gn 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.

The first thing that struck me was the line “take with you seven pairs.” Waitaminute. I always thought it was one pair of every animal?

Well, it turns out there’s a lot I didn’t know about the Noah story. The USCCB footnotes explain it better than I could— The story of the great flood is commonly regarded as a composite narrative based on separate sources woven together. To the Yahwist source, with some later editorial additions, are usually assigned 6:5–8; 7:1–5, 7–10, 12, 16b, 17b, 22–23; 8:2b–3a, 6–12, 13b, 20–22.3 The other sections are usually attributed to the Priestly writer. There are differences between the two sources: the Priestly source has two pairs of every animal, whereas the Yahwist source has seven pairs of clean animals and two pairs of unclean; the floodwater in the Priestly source is the waters under and over the earth that burst forth, whereas in the Yahwist source the floodwater is the rain lasting forty days and nights. In spite of many obvious discrepancies in these two sources, one should read the story as a coherent narrative. The biblical story ultimately draws upon an ancient Mesopotamian tradition of a great flood, preserved in the Sumerian flood story, the eleventh tablet of the Gilgamesh Epic, and (embedded in a longer creation story) the Atrahasis Epic.

So, yeah, like I said, the Noah’s Ark is a myth. What is the story teaching us?

Obviously, we should be wary of God’s judgement. In the story, everyone is wicked except Noah and his family, so God floods the world.

But it’s also a story of God’s mercy, and offer of forgiveness. God instructed Noah to build the ark slowly. He gave people time to change their minds and hearts. They chose to mock Noah, instead.

God gives us plenty of warning that we’re doing something wrong. Heed those warnings, or we’ll drown in our own sins.

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 29:1a and 2, 3ac-4, 3b and 9c-10

R. 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.

At the time the Psalms were written, “sons of God” referred to angels, members of the heavenly court. But thanks to Jesus, it includes all of us.

Although the Psalms didn’t come with sheet music, context and tradition gives scholars some clue of how they should be musically interpreted. Apparently, the repetition of LORD, when sung, is meant to sound like thunder.

Alleluia

Jn 14:23

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Whoever loves me will keep my word, says the Lord;
and my Father will love him
and we will come to him.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Hey, that thing I just said about us being sons and daughters of God? Here’s your citation.

Gospel

Mk 8:14-21

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?"

This short passage helps with the exegesis of many of Jesus’ saying and parables. He compares Pharisees and Herod to leaven, and the disciples are like, “Oh, you want some bread?”

If it was me, I’d probably roll my eyes, but Jesus is infinitely more patient—

Jesus was simply following up on the confrontation with the Pharisees in yesterday’s reading. If he wanted bread, he could’ve just multiplied the one loaf they had.

So, first of all, this confirms that the multiplication of the loaves and fishes was not The Miracle of Sharing. It was a real, genuine, supernatural miracle.

But it also clarifies that, when Jesus is speaking metaphorically, he explains it. The disciples took him literally, and he corrected them. So, later on, when people freak out at Jesus saying "unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you,"4 and he doesn't correct those people, we know it's not a metaphor.

The Eucharist is the body and blood of Christ.