“We will know heartache, Prayers that don’t work, And times of bitter circumstances. But I still believe in second chances.” (Schwartz, CHILDREN OF EDEN)
After an unsuccessful first attempt of the dove to see if the earth was dry, Noah waited seven days to try again. When he sent the dove once more, an olive leaf lay in the bill of the dove signaling an end to the flood.
After Jesus first rubbed his saliva into the eyes of the blind man, the man’s vision remained imperfect. The faith of the man had not wavered, and Jesus saw to the full restoration of his sight.
“We are not the sum of our weaknesses and failures; we are the sum of the Father’s love for us” (St. John Paul II). God does not use us in spite of our weaknesses; God uses us through his utilization of our weaknesses. It is through the man’s blindness that God reveals himself. God fills any lack that we have and implores us to bring him to others through that very deficiency.
Following the flood, we are promised that something like that will never happen again. We are not owed this promise, but God in his goodness does it. The symbol of his promise to Noah is a rainbow. The rainbow is beautiful and gives all hope. But even more so it is the visual of a bow (a weapon of war) turned upside down that is a grand symbol of peace.
Perhaps this is one of the more significant instances of God’s forgiveness and perpetual desire to give us yet another chance.
Noah and his family were given the great responsibility of humanity’s second chance. And despite not being able to see at first, the blind man’s faith gave him distinct and clear sight. Someday there will be no more flood, and we will see more clearly than ever before.
Benjamin serves as the Music Minister at Our Lady Queen of Peace in Branchville, NJ. He teaches Children’s Theatre at the Paper Mill Playhouse and is a Catholic songwriter that has given talks on Confirmation, How to Keep the Faith in College, and The Courage to Choose Life. He can be reached at benjamintyates@gmail.com.
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