Censura

Amici, Americani, Compatriotae,
 
Sadly some censorship is necessary, for example, the anti-Semitism of Islamist Louis Farrakhan, or the genocidal racism of Nazism and Fascists. However, Infowars host Alex Jones, conservative activist Milo Yiannopoulos (who is homosexual) and conservative political activist Laura Loomer do not fall into that category. Yet Facebook is indiscriminately banning such people.
 
https://www.chron.com/news/article/Facebook-bans-far-right-leaders-including-13814271.php
 
Now I pay no attention to either Alex Jones or Laura Loomer because I personally think they are both a bit too looney tunes for my tastes. And once in a while I do read what Milo Yiannopoulos writes, but his personal behavior is objectionable. And as for people like Louis Farrakhan, Ilhan Omar and other anti-Semites, I say again there is no room in a free Republic for such people and their hateful ideas. But my sentiments along these lines have gotten me banned before and perhaps will again. So be it. I will continue to support human freedom (that by definition radical Islamists, communists, socialists, Fascists and Nazis oppose) and the dignity of human life from birth to natural death

Iesus non Socialista

Temptation of Jesus

JESUS NOT A SOCIALIST

Amici, Amerciani, Compatriotae,

Today at Mass for the First Sunday of Lent the priest at my parish spoke about the Temptation of the Jesus as recorded in Luke 4:1-13. He brought forth three salient points:

STONES INTO BREAD

The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone.’”

Jesus isn't a baker. He isn't a socialist who will manipulate you by giving you want you want in exchange for your obedience. He is the Savior of the world and if you voluntarily accept Him as the Bread of Life, then He will save you from your sins.

KINGDOMS OF THE WORLD

Then he took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a single instant. The devil said to him, “I shall give to you all this power and their glory; for it has been handed over to me, and I may give it to whomever I wish. All this will be yours, if you worship me.” Jesus said to him in reply, “It is written: ‘You shall worship the Lord, your God, and him alone shall you serve.’”

Jesus isn't a tyrant who by force will command obedience from you. He is the Savior of the world and if you voluntarily accept Him as the Lord your God, then He will save you from your sins.

BE A SPECTACLE

Then he led him to Jerusalem, made him stand on the parapet of the temple, and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written: ‘He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you,’ and:‘With their hands they will support you, lest you dash your foot against a stone.’” Jesus said to him in reply, “It also says, ‘You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.’”

Jesus isn't an entertainer here to dazzle you with spectacles of delight so that you'll do anything just to see another marvel of wonder. He is the Savior of the world and if you voluntarily accept Him as the Lord your God, then He will save you from your sins.

That's what the world wants today: a socialist tyrant entertainer, an Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. And that's not what Jesus gives. Remember this. In John chapter 6 Jesus fed the 5000 with the loaves and fishes. Then He crossed the sea to the other side and crowd followed Him on land. What happened when they finally caught up with Him?

When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?” Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of man will give to you; for on him has God the Father set his seal.”

No more free handouts. You work for what you get. That's what St. Paul said in 2nd Thessalonians 3:10:

For even when we were with you, we gave you this command: If any one will not work, let him not eat.

Jesus demands personal responsibility and individual accountability. He's the Savior of the world, not your baker, not your tyrant, not your entertainer. So buckle up, repent and get to work for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven.
 

Diei Hebdomadis et Menses Anni

DAYS OF THE WEEK AND MONTHS OF THE YEAR

Amici, Americani, Compatriotae,

I have always been fascinated with the origin of the names of the days of the week and months of the year in Lingua Anglica. The picture below provides tables showing the correlation between modern English names and ancient ones in West Germanic (for week days) and Latin (for months). The reason for this post is a comment on The Kalends of March at The American Catholic blog.

Sal Conventus Tui Dei

Salt and Bread

SALT OF THE COVENANT OF YOUR GOD

I likely have heard the things written below about salt sometime before in some homily or sermon but over time I have forgotten it, so it is good to be reminded of these Biblical truths. Yesterday’s Gospel reading for Daily Mass was Mark 19:41-50. The account of salt in verse 50 is duplicated in Matthew 5:13 and Luke 14:34-35. But St. Mark includes a prefatory addition in verse 49 which really struck me:

Everyone will be salted with fire.

I looked this verse up in my several editions of the Latin Vulgate and in my Greek New Testament. The Vulgate edition from around the time of the Council of Trent in the 1500s expands this verse somewhat (numbering it as verse 48):

Omnis enim igne salietur, et omnis victima sale salietur.
For everyone will be salted with fire, and every victim salted with salt.

I did not find this addition – and every victim salted with salt – in my Greek New Testament (where here the text is in verse 49):

πας γαρ πυρι αλισθησεται.
Everyone for fire shall be salted.

So I wondered why the addition appears in the Latin Vulgate form the Council of Trent. The answer is that the version of the Greek New Testament used by the translators at the Council of Trent was the 1550 Stephanus New Testament and it has the addition which modern Greek texts omit:

πας γαρ πυρι αλισθησεται και πασα θυσια αλι αλισθησεται.
Everyone for fire shall be salted and every sacrifice to salt shall be salted.

Then I wondered from where this addition came. A little research showed that it comes from Leviticus 2:13 which Jesus’ disciples, being devout Jews, would have known straightaway:

Quidquid obtuleris sacrificii, sale condies, nec auferes sal foederis Dei tui de sacrificio tuo: in omni oblatione tua offeres sal.
Whatsoever sacrifice thou offerest, thou shalt season it with salt, neither shalt thou take away the salt of the covenant of thy God from thy sacrifice. In all thy oblations thou shalt offer salt.

The sacrifices being spoken of here are cereal or grain offerings. Grain was used to make bread. And who is the Bread of Life but Jesus Christ Himself? He is the Bread we offer at the Holy Sacrifice of the Eucharist – the very Flesh we consume at each Holy Communion. This is a very important thing to understand. This is why St. Ignatius of Antioch said in his letter to the Romans:

I am the wheat of God, and let me be ground by the teeth of the wild beasts, that I may be found the pure bread of Christ.

This is what St. Paul meant when he wrote in Romans 12:1:

Obsecro itaque vos fratres per misericordiam Dei, ut exhibeatis corpora vestra hostiam viventem, sanctam, Deo placentem, rationabile obsequium vestrum.
I beseech you therefore, brethren, through the mercy of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, pleasing unto God, your reasonable service.

Thus, Jesus tells us in Mark 9:49:

Bonum est sal: quod si sal insulsum fuerit, in quo illud condietis? Habete in vobis sal, et pacem habete inter vos.
Salt is good. But if the salt became unsavory; in what will you season it? Have salt in you, and have peace among you.

The reason why Jesus uses this allusion to salt derives from the aforementioned Levitical practice of applying salt to grain offerings. There is an interesting note on this in my NKJV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible that may assist in further understanding the use of salt in grain offerings, and once again this would have been immediately recognizable to the audience to whom Jesus was speaking:

Salt was the finest preservative in antiquity, and it symbolized permanence and preservation. Salt was probably used in the covenant ceremony in which Israel celebrated its unbreakable covenant with God. The salt that accompanied many Israelite sacrifices was used physically in the seasoning of the elements, but it also symbolically contributed to the quality of the covenant relationship between humanity and God. In antiquity, parties who shared salt (here the Lord and the Israelites) were united by mutual obligations. Thus, a letter from Neo-Babylonia refers to a tribe’s covenantal allies as those who “tasted the salt of the Jakin tribe.” Similarly, the Greeks salted their covenantal meals, and in Ezra 4:14 those who tasted the salt (the literal Hebrew) of the Persian king’s palace were bound by loyalty to him.

Since human allies establishing a covenant would commonly share a meal featuring salted meat, it would make sense for the salt in Israelite sacrifices to serve as a reminder of the covenant between God and Israel. Because salt was employed as a preservative, its use in a covenantal context also emphasized the expectation that the covenant would last for a long time, a meaning attached to salt in Babylonian, Persian, Arabic and Greek covenant contexts. Because salt inhibits the leavening action of yeast, which represented rebellion, salt could additionally stand for that which prevented rebellion. An additional explanation for the appropriateness of salt in connection with the covenant is found in its association with agricultural infertility: in a Hittite treaty, the testator pronounces a curse: if the treaty is broken, “May he and his family and his lands, like salt that has no seed, likewise have no progeny.”

St. John Chrysostom, one of 36 Doctors (or Teacher) of the Church, Bishop of Constantinople in the later 4th and early 5th centuries AD, provides commentary in chapter 10 of homily 15 on the Gospel of St. Matthew.

Now then, after giving them due exhortation, He [Jesus] refreshes them again with praises. As thus: the injunctions being high, and far surpassing those in the Old Testament; lest they should be disturbed and confounded, and say, How shall we be able to achieve these things? hear what He says: You are the salt of the earth (Matthew 5:13). Implying, that of absolute necessity He enjoins all this. For not for your own life apart, says He, but for the whole world, shall your account be. For not to two cities, nor to ten or twenty, nor to a single nation am I sending you, as I sent the prophets; but to earth, and sea, and the whole world; and that in evil case. For by saying, You are the salt of the earth, He signified all human nature to have lost its savor, and to be decayed by our sins. For which cause, you see, He requires of them such virtues, as are most necessary and useful for the superintendence of the common sort. For first, the meek, and yielding, and merciful, and righteous, shuts not up his good deeds unto himself only, but also provides that these good fountains should run over for the benefit of others. And he again who is pure in heart, and a peacemaker, and is persecuted for the truth's sake; he again orders his way of life for the common good. Think not then, He says, that you are drawn on to ordinary conflicts, or that for some small matters you are to give account. You are the salt of the earth.

What then? Did they restore the decayed? By no means; for neither is it possible to do any good to that which is already spoilt, by sprinkling it with salt. This therefore they did not. But rather, what things had been before restored, and committed to their charge, and freed from that ill savor, these they then salted, maintaining and preserving them in that freshness, which they had received of the Lord. For that men should be set free from the rottenness of their sins was the good work of Christ; but their not returning to it again any more was the object of these men's diligence and travail.

Do you see how by degrees He indicates their superiority to the very prophets? In that He says they are teachers, not of Palestine, but of the whole world; and not simply teachers, but awful ones too. For this is the marvelous thing, that not by flattering, nor soothing, but by sharply bracing them, as salt, even so they became dear to all men.

Now marvel not, says He, if leaving all others, I discourse to you, and draw you on to so great dangers. For consider over how many cities, tribes, and nations, I am to send you to preside. Wherefore I would have you not only be prudent yourselves, but that you should also make others the same. And such persons have great need to be intelligent, in whom the salvation of the rest is at stake: they ought so much to abound in virtue, as to impart of the profit to others also. For if you do not become such as this, you will not suffice even for your own selves.

Be not then impatient, as though my sayings were too burdensome. For while it is possible for others who have lost their savor to return by your means, you, if you should come to this, will with yourselves destroy others also. So that in proportion as the matters are great, which you have put into your hands, you need so much the greater diligence. Therefore He says,

But if the salt has lost its savor, wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men (Matthew 5:13).

For other men, though they fall never so often, may possibly obtain indulgence: but the teacher, should this happen to him, is deprived of all excuse, and will suffer the most extreme vengeance. Thus, lest at the words, When they shall revile you, and persecute you, and say all manner of evil against you, they should be too timid to go forth: He tells them, unless you are prepared to combat with all this, you have been chosen in vain. For it is not evil report that you should fear, but lest ye should prove partners in dissimulation. For then, You will lose your savor, and be trodden under foot: but if you continue sharply to brace them up, and then are evil spoken of, rejoice; for this is the very use of salt, to sting the corrupt, and make them smart. And so their censure follows of course, in no way harming you, but rather testifying your firmness. But if through fear of it you give up the earnestness that becomes you, you will have to suffer much more grievously, being both evil spoken of, and despised by all. For this is the meaning of trodden under foot.

Conclusion: The depths of Sacred Scripture cannot be fully plumbed without a knowledge of the historical and cultural background surrounding the text, and without reading and studying the commentary of the early Church Fathers.

Ei, qui te percutit in maxillam, praebe et alteram

David, Abishai and Saul

TO HIM WHO STRIKES YOU ON THE CHEEK, ALSO PRESENT THE OTHER

Amici, Americani, Compatrioate,

We had a visiting priest from Columbia, SC at our parish, Our Lady of Grace, while Father Kirby was on pilgrimage to give a talk out of town at a Divine Mercy conference. When we have had substitute priests from St. Matthew’s in nearby southern Charlotte, invariable we receive liberal progressive Catholicism-lite with the usual anecdotal stories on the priest’s family or his favorite football team or whatever. Little if any exposition of Sacred Scripture is provided, and what does issue forth is along the theme of “Jesus is your buddy” instead of “Jesus is the Lord God Almighty.” But thanks be to God yesterday’s Vigil Mass with this visiting priest was refreshingly different. The gentleman was older, perhaps retired. He gave us his name and sadly I didn’t hear it well. He ran a very reverent and respectful Novus Ordo Mass. And he gave a barely five minute talk on the Gospel passage for the 7th Sunday in Ordinary Time that was so packed full of truth that I had to go back to my Bible at 4 am this morning to study what he meant. Below are my notes on that study.

You can read today’s Scripture passages here:

http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/022419.cfm

David Spares Saul a Second Time: 1st Samuel 26
The Lord Kind and Merciful: Psalm 103
Earthly and Heavenly Beings: 1st Corinthians 15:45-49
Love Your Enemies: Luke 6:37-3

To get a proper view of what the visiting priest was saying about turning the other cheek, I also read:

Esau Sells His Birthright: Genesis 25:29-34

Birth of Amalek: Genesis 36:12

The Amalekites Attack the Israelites: Exodus 17:8-16

The First Time David Spared Saul: 1st Samuel 24
Nabal and Abigail: 1st Samuel 25
Saul Consults a Medium: 1st Samuel 28
Saul’s Death: 1st Samuel 31

Haman the Agagite in Esther

Father explained to us that when the Lord told His disciples to love their enemies and to turn the other cheek, He didn’t intend for them to become doormats and not defend themselves against unlawful aggression. Rather, Father explained, we must have an interior heart of forgiveness, not holding grudges and not seeking revenge. With that briefest of explanation, he ended the homily. What he said however, only makes sense if you look at the relevant Old Testament readings which Jesus’ audience, being devout Jews, would have known and understood intimately.

You see, Saul was the first King of Israel. But he disobeyed God. He was supposed to defeat and destroy the Amalekites. These people were descendants of Esau (son of Isaac and brother of Jacob) who had sold his birthright for a pot of porridge. The Amalekites had harassed and attack the Israelites after Hebrew exodus from Egypt and during the wandering in the desert. So, God’s wrath burned against the Amalekites and He ordered Saul to wipe all of them out. But when Saul had won victory over them in battle, he spared their king, Agag and while he did destroy everything that was worthless, he took for himself the best of the Amalekite livestock and provisions as his spoil. By doing this, he allowed the eventual rise (hundreds of years later) of a descendent of Agag named Haman who was a vizier in the Persian empire under King Ahasuerus (Xerxes I). This man plotted the genocide of the Jews but was thwarted by Queen Esther. King Saul’s disobedience almost led to the extermination of God’s Chosen People.

So how does this all tie into “turn the other cheek.” Well, you have to understand that the prophet Samuel had told Saul that the kingdom of Israel had been torn away from him because of his disobedience and given to another – obviously David. Saul was filled with jealousy at that and pursued David throughout the land, intending to kill him. During one such pursuit, Saul had to relieve himself in a cave which was the vey place where David and his men were hiding. But Saul was unaware of it, and as he went about his business, David cut the hem of his cape off. David’s men urged him to slay Saul (since David was destined by God’s will to be the new king anyways), but David said no, he would not touch the Lord’s anointed. This is very important: even though Saul had disobeyed God and was under the sentence of defeat and death, he remained the Lord’s anointed. So David turned the other cheek and after Saul left the cave, David came out with his men and said, “What is the king of Israel attacking? What are you pursuing? A dead dog! A single flea!” Saul, feeling foolish and humiliated, then asked David to spare his descendants when he would become king and David so promised. But consistent with what the visiting priest told us at Vigil Mass, David and his men went separately from Saul to their own stronghold. They didn’t trust Saul and they defended themselves.

The story of Abigail and her husband Nabal (whose name means fool) is likewise interesting. Nabal was a rich landowner whom David and his men had protected. Being hungry and worn out from all the conflict, David sent his men to ask Nabal for provisions but was rejected. So David was filled with wrath and intended to exact vengeance. But Abigail heard about this and gathered provisions to help David and his men. When David met her and saw her intent, he spared both her and Nabal. He turned the other cheek. But in the end, God had the last word. Nabal had gotten drunk that night at a party, so Abigail waited till morning to tell him that David would have come to wipe him and his possessions out if it were not for her intercession. Scripture says, “At this his heart died within him, and he became like a stone. About ten days later the LORD struck Nabal and he died.” Being merciful to one’s enemies doesn’t mean that justice won’t be served.

Then for a second time Saul sent out in pursuit of David. Saul was never a man of his word. One night during the pursuit, Saul and his 3000 men made camp to sleep. David and Abishai stole into Saul’s camp under the cover of darkness. Seeing Saul’s spear and water jug beside his head as he lay sleeping, Abishai asked David to allow him the plunge the spear through him just once; he wouldn’t need a second try. David again said not for Saul was still the Lord’s anointed until the Lord Himself removed him. But David did take Saul’s spear and jug of water, and after leaving the camp, awoke everyone by crying out to Abner, Saul’s servant, that he had both spear and water jug and thus Abner deserved to die for failing to provide adequate protection for his master. Again, Saul admitted, “I have done wrong. Come back, David, my son! I will not harm you again, because you considered my life precious today even though I have been a fool and have made a serious mistake.” But even though David had turned the other check, he still didn’t trust Saul’s entreaty to return. So, Scripture says that David and his went their way, and Saul returned to his place.

Scripture goes on to explain that Saul seeks to talk with Samuel (who is now deceased) visits the Witch of Endor, asking her to conjure up Samuel’s spirit. The witch does so, and Samuel declared to Saul, “Moreover, the LORD will deliver Israel, and you as well, into the hands of the Philistines. By tomorrow you and your sons will be with me, and the LORD will have delivered the army of Israel into the hands of the Philistines.” The last chapter in the book of 1st Samuel records that Saul and his son Jonathan died in battle against the Philistines. And the 1st chapter in the book of 2nd Samuel says, “David seized his garments and tore them, and so did all the men who were with him. They mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul and his son Jonathan, and for the people of the LORD and the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.” David always defended himself and his men, but David likewise always turned the other cheek. That’s what the visiting priest at Our Lady of Grace meant yesterday evening.

Be a forgiving and merciful David, not a vengeful and spiteful Saul. But don’t be a doormat. Jesus said, "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves." Matthew 10:16

Dilecti

PETS

Amici, Amercani, Compatriotae,

Two Wednesdays ago Father Kirby gave a talk a my parish on the topic of the Environment and Sanity which you may read here:

Oecologia et Sanitas

While Father explained that mankind has a duty of stewardship over the environment, he also pointed out that God gave man dominion over the Earth and all the plants and animals therein. It isn’t vice versa. He also pointed out that only man is created in the image and likeness of God, not animals, Rather, animals are said to be the vestiges or footprint of God. But animals do not have sentience, and they do not possess eternal souls.

Yes, Proverbs 11:12 states, “Whoever is righteous has regard for the life of his beast, but the mercy of the wicked is cruel.” Thus, my priest explained, “It is contrary to human dignity to cause animals to suffer or die needlessly. It is likewise unworthy to spend money on them that should as a priority go to the relief of human misery. One can love animals; one should not direct to them the affection due only to persons.” My priest went on with a personal anecdote.

When he was a child, my priest’s family had a pet dog. The dog had developed (or perhaps already had) epilepsy for unknown reasons. My priest’s father brought the dog to the veterinary to see what could be done. Treatment was available, but the cost was very high. So one day when my priest came home from school, the dog was nowhere to be found. He asked his father where the dog was and what had happened. His father explained that he had taken the dog out in the woods and shot it dead. My priest asked why. His father explained that as long as there were human children with epilepsy, he in good conscience could not and would not spend an exorbitant amount of money on a mere animal. Humans, being in God’s image and likeness, are far more important. So he painlessly put the dog out of misery, and the family got a new (and health) dog.

Father Kirby explained that it is wrong to ascribe to mere animals human feelings, motivations and intelligence. He described with disparagement current practice among young millennials of carrying their small dogs in baby baskets or treating their cats like little infants. A dog and a cat need to be what they are: animals. Anthropomorphizing them does a disservice to them by not treating them as what they truly are, and ends up denigrating us humans as nothing better than animals. My priest explained that all this is due to the fact that people don’t want to be inconvenienced by babies, so they end up unnaturally redirecting affections (rightfully reserved for children) to their pets. He ended by saying that if people treated the pre-born as they treat their pets, then abortion would be a thing of the past. And he reminded me of what Saint Paul wrote in Romans 1:22, 23 & 25:

“Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man or birds or animals or reptiles…..they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever!”

Pets (dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, etc.) and service animals (horses, cows, oxen, goats, sheep, etc.) are wonderful gifts from God. But let them be what (not who for they aren't a "who") they are – animals. And don’t give to them what is rightfully reserved for humans.

Noe et Alluvio Magna

NOAH AND THE GREAT FLOOD,

Amici, Americani, Compatriotae,

Today's Old Testament Mass reading was about Noah and the Great Flood. The entire story is in Genesis chapters 7 and 8. I used both my Catholic Navarre Study Bible and my Protestant Henry Morris Study Bible. While I am not too keen about Dr. Morris' literalism, he has some key insights which I found valuable. In both cases, however, there is a wealth of symbolism just waiting to be unlocked, so it's important not to get lost in arguments about whether or not the Great Flood was truly world-wide or merely a local event constrained to the geographical location of the Middle East.

In Genesis 7:5 there is a contrast between Noah's obedience and Adam's disobedience. Hebrews 11:7 states:

By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, took heed and constructed an ark for the saving of his household; by this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness which comes by faith.

In Genesis 6:14-16 the Ark is built precisely to the dimensions God gave Noah, and in Genesis 7:7 Noah and his family enter it. St. Augustine explains the symbolism of the Ark's design in De Civitate Dei 15:26 as follows:

Moreover, inasmuch as God commanded Noah, a just man, and, as the truthful Scripture says, a man perfect in his generation — not indeed with the perfection of the citizens of the city of God in that immortal condition in which they equal the angels, but in so far as they can be perfect in their sojourn in this world — inasmuch as God commanded him, I say, to make an ark, in which he might be rescued from the destruction of the flood, along with his family, i.e., his wife, sons, and daughters-in-law, and along with the animals who, in obedience to God's command, came to him into the ark: this is certainly a figure of the city of God sojourning in this world; that is to say, of the church, which is rescued by the wood on which hung the Mediator of God and men, the man Christ Jesus 1 Timothy 2:5). For even its very dimensions, in length, breadth, and height, represent the human body in which He came, as it had been foretold. For the length of the human body, from the crown of the head to the sole of the foot, is six times its breadth from side to side, and ten times its depth or thickness, measuring from back to front: that is to say, if you measure a man as he lies on his back or on his face, he is six times as long from head to foot as he is broad from side to side, and ten times as long as he is high from the ground. And therefore the ark was made 300 cubits in length, 50 in breadth, and 30 in height. And its having a door made in the side of it certainly signified the wound which was made when the side of the Crucified was pierced with the spear; for by this those who come to Him enter; for thence flowed the sacraments by which those who believe are initiated. And the fact that it was ordered to be made of squared timbers, signifies the immoveable steadiness of the life of the saints; for however you turn a cube, it still stands. And the other peculiarities of the ark's construction are signs of features of the church.

Genesis 7:12 records that rain fell on the Earth 40 days and 40 nights. This prefigures the 40 year wandering of the children of Israel in the wilderness, the 40 year reign of King David, and the 40 day sojourn of Jesus in the desert before His temptation by the devil. 

In Genesis 8:4 the Ark is said to have finally rested on Mount Arat on the 17th day of the 7th month. Dr. Morris observes that the 7th month in the Hebrew calendar is Nisan (March / April). The 17th day is 3 days after Passover - a Sunday, the very day on which our Blessed Lord rose from the dead. The resting of the Ark on dry land after the world's destruction by flooding prefigures the resurrection of the Lord after his death by crucifixion.

Genesis 8:6-12 records that after 40 days Noah opened a window on the Ark to first let a raven go then a dove. The dove returned, having found no resting place. After 7 days he let the dove go again and she returned with an olive branch in her beak, and after a final 7 days he let the dove go and she did not return. Rubert of Deutz explains this symbology in his work, Commentarius in Genesim. He explains that the dove represents the Holy Spirit which comes to us three times: (1) when we are initially baptized into the Church (the Body of Christ which the Ark prefigures), (2) when we are confirmed by the imposition of hands from the Bishop, and (3) in the resurrection of the dead where we do not return to this world but remain with the Lord forever.

The whole story of the Great Flood is doubly symbolic: it stands for destruction and purification from evil on the one hand and for a means of salvation and a new start on the other hand. This dual symbology is repeated in the story of the Israelite exodus from Egypt. The waters of the Red Sea receding were a source of salvation for the Hebrews, but their collapse was a source of destruction for the Egyptians. Thus 1st Peter 3:20-21 states:

....who formerly did not obey, when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were saved through water. Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a clear conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ....

St. Bede writes in Hexaemeron 2:

The Ark stands for the Church; the flood for the water of baptism whereby the Church in all its members is washed and sanctified.

There is much more symbolism of the Christ and the Church in these two chapters of Genesis. The real miracle isn't so much a world-wide flood (a story repeated by Summerians, Egyptians and others in their various mythologies). the real miracle is the God had planned all this out from the very beginning of time when He said let there be light in order to point the way to the Messiah. One cannot read the Old Testament without seeing Christ in each of its pages.