The LORD said to Noah: "Go into the ark, you and all your household, for you alone in this age have I found to be truly just. Of the animals, take with you one pair,
a male and its mate . . . Thus you will keep their issue alive over all the earth. Noah did just as the LORD had commanded him. As soon as the seven days were over,
the waters of the flood came upon the earth. (Gen 6:5-8’7:1-5, 10)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/021423.cfm
The marvelous story of Noah and the Ark and all the animals has fascinated the church in every age. Of course, the story is one of salvation. In the liturgical calendar the feast of Saints Cyril (826-869) and Methodius (815-885) outranks poor Saint Valentine (226-269), but popular devotion keeps Saint Valentine’s Day notwithstanding.
These reflections are a result of more than 40 years of ministry as a Roman Catholic priest. Most of these years I spent in the Diocese of Charlotte which covers Western North Carolina. Now I am retired, and live in Medellín, Colombia where I continue to serve as a priest in the Archdiocese of Medellín.
Saint Cyril, monk, & Saint Methodius, bishop (Saint Valentine, presbyter & martyr), February 14
