Haven’t you heard the biblical story of Noah’s Ark? When immorality and wickedness abounded on earth, God decided to destroy humankind through a flood. Thus, God asked one godly man, Noah, to construct a massive ark which housed his family and a pair of each living creature — the only ones saved after a 40-day flood.
“Flood” and “Ark” are prominent in religious imagery. Noah’s Ark is popular in Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Likewise, among the ten avatars of Lord Vishnu, the first avatar, Matsya (fish), saves Manu from the pralay (flood), who takes a boat with every plant and animal species to the new world. Today is the feast of a Christian saint, Joan of Arc — Jeanne D’Arc, in French. Her short 19-year life (1412-1431) was marked by superhuman courage which inspired the armies of France’s King Charles VII to defeat the English in 1429. She was soon captured by the English who accused her of witchery and burnt her at the stake. She is revered for the many “voices” she heard, which she believed were spiritual promptings to follow God.
Another Frenchman of our times, Jean Vanier, was born on September 10, 1928. As a youth, he joined the Navy. Shocked by the horrors of World War II, Jean quit the Navy and vowed to work for peace, not war. “Something was growing within me,” he said, “a deep attraction towards prayer and towards being with the poor.”
Noah, the valiant Joan of Arc and Jean Vanier, who established “Ark-homes”, inspire us not to be intimidated by life’s floods but to build arks to protect the poor and save mother earth from human greed. By so doing, we might not succeed in throwing “floodlights” on human darkness; but at least we could be little “guiding lights” dispelling it.
Francis Gonsalves is a professor of theology. He can be contacted at fragons@gmail.com
