These Forty Days

These forty days
The neverending feeling of a desert
Now, I don’t know about you, but it is sometimes hard for me to get behind the image of a desert during Lent
I come from a small town in the Panhandle of Texas
It is dry there
Hot often
There isn’t ever much rain
The wind blows constantly
In fact, windburn is a true thing that I experience regularly
The land is flat, and you can see 360 degrees for miles and miles
To me, the desert can often feel like home
Don’t get me wrong, though, I don’t want to downplay this image of Lent
However, I just like to see Lent with a different image
And that image, my brothers and sisters, is the Ark

Noah and the flood
We have all heard the story before
Noah built an Ark at the instruction of the Lord
He filled it with animals
Gathered his family together and shut the doors
Noah and his family lived in that Ark for a while until the waters rescinded
Then they began sending out birds
The family landed and emerged on dry ground with a promise from God that he would never flood the world again
That is where our first reading today picks up
Just a ride in a boat with animals
That is how I sometimes picture Lent

However, when we think more in-depth about this boat ride
You and I both know that it isn’t just some leisurely ride
There are two things that are often overlooked about that boat ride of Noah
Two things that would make me regret ever going
The noise
And the smell
Can you image
Now, the boats back then aren’t the Carnival cruises we see today
No, those boats are made of wood, and their design… basic
And just imagine the pens and the stalls that had to be made for so many animals
Animals, mind you that are not just your simple house cat
But animals that make noises day and night
Seems like it would be enough to drive a person… well, maybe a little crazy
And with all those animals comes food
And with that food and those wet conditions come a particular type of smell that I imagine is not pleasant
Maybe that boat ride wasn’t so great all those years ago
In fact, there is only one way to describe that Ark of a boat after such a long journey
Dirty

Sometimes, our lives can be like that as well
On the outside, things just look like we are taking a joyful boat ride through Lent
But on the inside, our very soul is dirty and needs to be cleaned

My brothers and sisters… if you haven’t figured it out by now
The dirty inside of that boat represents the sin in our own lives
And like a boat filled with animals
Sin can often make the interior of our lives noisy or unclean
This is the real reason why using Noah as the image of Lent is so interesting
Because Noah and his family emerged from that boat and were themselves clean by sacrificing to God

The sacrament of Reconciliation is how we imitate Noah and his family
Through reconciliation, we are made clean again, and the sins of our lives are washed free
We are no longer hampered down by the dirty noisiness of a boat
But rather come out a new… washed in the blood of our savior, Jesus Christ

When was the last time we went to confession?
I imagine that the answers vary
And that is a good thing because going to confession is an interior decision
A recognition that one’s interior needs to be washed clean
My brothers and sisters, Lent is a great opportunity to visit the Sacrament of Reconciliation and participate in confession.
Not only because it is a time of renewal in the Church
But also because the readings during Mass provide us with examples of people who went through this cleansing
Excepted God’s forgiveness
And were better for it

It takes a lot of bravery for a family like Noah’s to
Build a boat
Collect animals
Get in the boat
And maintain it through all those storms
Coming out on the other end basking in the grace of God

Participating in the sacrament of Reconciliation takes the same type of bravery
Plan out the time
Reflect on your sins
Get in the confessional
Tell God you are sorry for your sins
But, emerge on the other end basking in the grace of God

Noah and us… not so different
In fact united
United in hope for the grace and mercy of God