A FRESHLY PLUCKED OLIVE LEAF…

Genesis 8:6-13,20-22,
6 At the end of forty days Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made,
7 and sent forth a raven; and it went to and fro until the waters were dried up from the earth.8 Then he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters had subsided from the face of the ground;9 but the dove found no place to set her foot, and she returned to him to the ark, for the waters were still on the face of the whole earth. So he put forth his hand and took her and brought her into the ark with him.
10 He waited another seven days, and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark;
11 and the dove came back to him in the evening, and lo, in her mouth a freshly plucked olive leaf; so Noah knew that the waters had subsided from the earth.
12 Then he waited another seven days, and sent forth the dove; and she did not return to him any more.13 In the six hundred and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried from off the earth; and Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and behold, the face of the ground was dry.
20 Then Noah built an altar to the LORD, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.21 And when the LORD smelled the pleasing odor, the LORD said in his heart, “I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; neither will I ever again destroy every living creature as I have done.
22 While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.”

Mark 8:22-26 

22 And they came to Beth-saida. And some people brought to him a blind man, and begged him to touch him.23 And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the village; and when he had spit on his eyes and laid his hands upon him, he asked him, “Do you see anything?”
24 And he looked up and said, “I see men; but they look like trees, walking.”25 Then again he laid his hands upon his eyes; and he looked intently and was restored, and saw everything clearly.26 And he sent him away to his home, saying, “Do not even enter the village.”

MEDITATION 

THE FIRST READING: Forty days after Noah and his family left their God forsaken land, he dispatched an unclean bird—a raven that feed on dead creatures—to check if this ‘promised land’ is devoid of any human or animal carcasses that would sully or profane the Holy Ark and his family, for he envisioned a new beginning. 

Seven days later Noah send forth the dove, a symbol of purity, transformation, newness and the beginning of a life in the Trinity.Mk 1:9-12 With said, Noah built an altar for God that permeated a pleasing odor, because henceforth God wish to live amongst His people, for He does not desire the complete annihilation of man!

THE GOSPEL READING: Our Lord thought it necessary to first remove the blind man from his village before He used human touch and spitle to systimatically restore the man’s sight; from blindeness to fuzziness to complete clarity! The man is subsequently ordered to leave the roots of his disordered affliction and settle in a new village, so he can begin a new life!

We whose soul have been compromised, because of addictive disorders, desires that was or is propped up by a poisonous environment, coupled by our obsitnate stubbornness and blindness to reach the next high, be it with drugs or sexual permissiveness, must seriously consider moving away from individuals and environments that are poisonous! Our desire to change must be coupled to our reaching out to loving concerned friends or family member who truly care about us. Morever Christ awaits us in the Tabernacle of mercy and deliverance. Let us allow Christ’s spitle—-Holy Water—and the laying on of hands by His consecrated priest; to open our eyes and transform us, so we exude the fragrance of a fleshly plucked olive leaf, ready to be obedient and in service of Him and His Church!

LET US PRAY:Psalms 116:12-15,18-19

12What shall I render to the LORD for all his bounty to me?13 I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD,14 I will pay my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people.15 Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.18 I will pay my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people,19 in the courts of the house of the LORD, in your midst, O Jerusalem. Praise the LORD!

Commentary. Henry R SYLVESTER Note: The daily scripture readings are taken from the Roman Missal which the Catholic Church use in the daily Celebration of the Holy Eucharist throughout the world.Some weekly readings may differ because of the celebration of local feast days.