GROWING IN THE UNDERSTANDING OF THE RICHES OF CHRIST

First Sunday of Lent/2024
Reflection by Friar Nicholas Okeke,OP

Theme:Growing in the understanding of the riches of God

The first reading tells of God’s renewal of his covenant with his creatures. After the flood which destroyed men and animals on the face of the earth, from which Noah and his family was spared through his obedience to the word of God instructing him to construct an ark before the flood, God established a covenant with Noah and other creatures not to destroy the world again by flood. The rainbow was set up as a reminder of this covenant. God entered into this covenant with men and creatures out of his infinite mercy. He does not desire the death or destruction of his creatures, but that they be saved from corruption. St. Peter in his Letter reasoned that the coming of Jesus Christ and his sacrificial death was as a result of God’s faithfulness to his covenant. God, not desiring the destruction of his creatures, fashioned a new way, out of his infinite love, to save men and other creatures. “Now it was long ago, when Noah was still building that ark which saved only a small group of eight people ‘by water’, and when God was still waiting patiently, that these spirits refused to believe.” The spirits who refused to believe the word of God when it was uttered by Noah to save them were detained in the underworld prison. Though their bodies were destroyed by the flood, their spirits were given another opportunity to believe the word of God which was preached by Jesus Christ himself for their salvation. 

This act of infinite love of God is also manifested to us in the salvific death of our Lord Jesus Christ. We all are liable to death because of our many sins. But God, in keeping with his covenant with men and all creatures, would not destroy our bodies and punish our unbelief with flood. But sent his only Begotten Son to take a body like ours and suffer death in our place. Hence, Peter compared the water of baptism to the flood which destroyed the unbelievers’ bodies and saved the few believers in Noah’s time. “That water is a type of the baptism which saves you now, and which is not the washing off of physical dirt but a pledge made to God from a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” Just as God imprisoned the disobedient spirits in their unbelief in the netherworld, in order to save them through the preaching of his Son, he has also imprisoned us who are living in our sinfulness and unbelief, in other that we may be justified by the preaching of his Son Jesus Christ as contained in the gospel. “After John had been arrested, Jesus went into Galilee. There he proclaimed the Good News from God. ‘The time has come’ he said ‘and the kingdom of God is close at hand. Repent, and believe the Good News.’” Jesus our Lord gained the right to proclaim the Good News by overcoming Satan and his temptations by which he imprisoned men in sin and death. He also gained the right to preach to the spirits in underworld by defeating death by his sacrificial death. In Jesus Christ is therefore hidden the riches of God mercy and love for us.

Let us pray: Grant us, Lord, to enter with humility of heart the deep mystery of your love made manifest to us in your Son Jesus Christ.