We hear of Noah and the great flood today. It is interesting, that in other narratives from Mesopotamia and Babylonia from the same era, that are a lot of similarities in their great flood stories. Yet, whether this story is interpreted as being literal truth or as a parable, the important thing is to discern the eternal truth that is contained in this narrative: that God is just and merciful, that human beings have turned away from God, but that God saves his faithful ones. The Flood is a divine judgement which is a foreshadowing of the final days. We can see the salvation of Noah as a foreshadowing of the saving waters of baptism.
In the Middle Ages there was a great moment of peoples throughout Europe. Bringing Christianity to these groups was a goal of the Church. Cyril and Methodius, two brothers we celebrate as saints today, were sent from Greece to be missionaries to the Slavic people. Cyril and Methodius learned the vernacular language of the Slavic people and were able to bring God’s word to them in their own language, making their missionary work very successful. In fact, these two brothers also invented a Slavic alphabet into which they translated Sacred Scripture. Today, Cyril and Methodius are remembered as the founders of Slavic literature. The Slavic liturgy that Cyril and Methodius wrote is still used in many Churches in the East. We honor Cyril and Methodius today, remembering their contributions to our universal Church.
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