First Sunday in Lent - Year B THE SIGN OF THE COVENANT The story
of the great Flood ends with God making the first Covenant or
solemn commitment with humanity through Noah. Human beings are
to refrain from killing and from eating meat with blood in it.
God's side of the deal is that there will never again be a
world-wide deluge. God offers a sign of this pledge in the form
of a rainbow. Ancient peoples worshipped such natural phenomena
as examples of divine intervention. Since it usually appears
after storms are moving on, it is a natural indication of
ensuing calm. THE SOULS IN PRISON The Apostles' Creed is one of
the oldest statements of Christian faith. Part of it states that
Jesus "suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and
was buried; he descended to hell." Though the Catholic Church
has recently changed this to "...he descended to the dead," it
still offers a strange question. Why did Jesus go "to hell" or
to the dead"? © 2000 by Father Richard Lonsdale. You may freely
copy this document. I