Today’s first reading from Genesis similarly represents a biblically momentous event marked by the number 40: “At the end of forty days Noah opened the hatch he had made in the ark, and he sent out a raven, to see if the waters had lessened on the earth” (Genesis 8:6-7). God remade the world in the Great Deluge, washing away the evil and sin that had so marred the beauty and goodness of His creation. The symbolism is unmistakable here—the bird released by Noah is evocative of the Spirit of God hovering over the dark waters (cf. Genesis 1:2) at the beginning of creation and bringing order out of chaos. Once the “sacred cleansing” of the world has been accomplished, itself a type of the Sacrament of Baptism, it is profoundly important that we take notice of Noah’s very first act once he stood on solid ground. He built an altar to the Lord and worshipped God, offering a sacrifice of thanksgiving (cf. Genesis 8:20). Noah emphatically shows us what a right relationship with God should look like when we receive the gift of divine restoration and stand on the firm ground of recovery—praise, gratitude, and sacrificial love!
The Fathers of Mercy website offers this meditation about the biblical significance of the number 40 that I find strikingly descriptive of our journey in Christ-centered recovery: “It brings to mind such qualities as repentance, newness, preparation (say, for an important work or task), self-examination, transformation, task fulfillment, escape from bondage or slavery (such as to sin), nourishment and growth (for example, in the spiritual life), and, finally, personal fulfillment, such as with redemption and salvation, and ultimately, new generation and new life.” Considered in this way, it is by no means a stretch to suggest that our personal “salvation history” in recovery is representative of God’s manifestly decisive presence and intervention in our lives. Indeed, the daily walk of conversion in recovery is nothing short of a “perpetual biblical number 40 event,” regardless of whether our recovery is 40 seconds, 40 minutes, 40 hours, 40 days, 40 weeks, 40 months, or 40 years old!
Reflection Questions
- How do the various significant “biblical number-40 events” recounted above speak to you in your recovery? Give examples of how God is manifestly and decisively present in your life.
- Consider the meditation quoted above from the Fathers of Mercy website. How does their reflection help you understand your own conversion in recovery? Are you able to offer praise, gratitude, and sacrificial love on the solid ground of recovery?
Daily Mass Readings
First Reading: Genesis 8:6-13, 20-22
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 116:12-13, 14-15, 18-19
Gospel: Mark 8:22-26
Reflection by Pete S.