As often as the rains and storms of our lives occur, we are always welcomed to climb aboard God’s saving graces through these times, be it for one day, forty days or more. Unlike the unrighteous and disobedient who mocked and ridiculed Noah, we can always be assured of being guided to safety as Noah and his family were.

When the rains in our lives are consequences of our sins, they serve as a signal to recoup and cleanse ourselves through confession and penance. God is a god of second chances, and his mercy always exceeds our self-centered thoughts and actions. He may chide us for them, but he’ll never let us drown.

We also need to respond in the right way to the rains in our lives brought on us due to no fault of our own, but by the unrighteous referred to by St. Peter; those who question and mock our faith.

There may well be “forty day” periods in our lives when our contention with the unrighteous is just too much to bear. It can be our share of suffering for the sake of the unrighteous in a small way that Christ suffered by his death on the cross. By showing peaceful and tolerant responses to the unrighteous in our lives, our actions might just rub off on some and lead them closer to God.

Let us pray for those who attempt to influence us with their rains of faithless attitudes and lifestyles, and for God’s “Umbrella” to protect us.

Reflections on Genesis 9:8-15, First Letter of St. Peter 3:18-22, Mark 1:12-15