Day 5: First Sunday of Lent – Genesis 9

Day 5: First Sunday of Lent – Genesis 9:13

I set my bow in the clouds to serve as a sign of the covenant between Me and the earth.

Today’s Lenten Reflection

Has there ever been a time when a rainbow captivated your attention? I have witnessed double-rainbows so magnificent that people pulled over on the highway just to stare in wonder. There is no doubt that the rainbow given to Noah as a sign of God’s covenant still has a powerful grip on us humans. We recognize it almost instinctively as some sort of sign … and we cannot help but react, to bask in it. In those vibrant colors spread across the canvas of the sky, we see God’s handiwork on full, glorious display. A beautiful reminder of God’s covenant with us as His greatest created species and as individuals. We cannot be forgotten. God’s covenant with us is ever-lasting. Through the sights and wonders of His creation, our Lord reminds us in a not-so subtle way that He is present with us until the very end of time.

Day 5 Lenten Meditation

The next time you see a rainbow, notice your reaction and that of anyone who may be around you. Even if you see only a tiny sliver of the rainbow prism, it tends to hit the soul with full force. We don’t need the full bow; even a glimmer is enough to make us giddy about God’s goodness and brilliance. Just a hint of its wonder is enough to make us pull out our phones and take pictures or call family and friends so the moment won’t be lost. We want to capture it, bottle it up for a day when we need the sign in the sky to remind us that the Lord’s covenant is still with us; that we are loved beyond measure by our Heavenly Father today and always.

Lenten Prayer

Creator God, we bask in the glory of Your grand plan — the universe spread out before us in all its beauty and wonder. Thank You for the blessings of this earth in which we live, and for the visible reminders of Your hand at work in and throughout our lives. Loving Father, reveal to us our great worth and how we are to serve You in this life so as to rejoice with You in Heaven, where all temptations will have been vanquished. Amen.

Today’s suggested Penance

*Spend 10 minutes reading the Bible
Suggested Readings: Genesis 9:8-15; 1 Peter 3:18-22; Mark 1:12-15

“With my mouth,” God says, “I kiss my own chosen creation. I uniquely, lovingly, embrace every image I have made out of the earth’s clay. With a fiery spirit I transform it into a body to serve all the world” –Saint Hildegard of Bingen.