In recent years, there has been a considerable rise in evil all around the world. Almost every day in the news, we hear about war, mass shootings, murders, etc. Immorality in the form of homosexuality, live-in relationships, polygamy, etc. is being welcomed by the human society at large. In fact, this unprecedented rise of godlessness had already been predicted in the Bible (Matthew 24:12, 1 Timothy 3:1-5, 13). This only means that God is very much aware of it as much as we are. And undoubtedly, there is going to be a response from heaven sooner or later.
The past has always shown how when godlessness reaches its threshold, God’s justice demands the wiping out of the godless from the face of the earth. During Noah’s time, godlessness had reached its height. With great regret, God had to wipe out all those who were godless. And with the way godlessness is increasing today, there is no doubt that the same fate awaits the world once again. Although we would like to dismiss this thought and pretend as if nothing is going to happen, it is a hard reality we all have to face. But let us not forget that the same God who used the flood to wipe out the godless also made a way for Noah and his family to be saved. The same God wants to save us too.
Noah was instructed to build an ark with tar applied to it inside and out. Being a man who held on to God even in godless times, he applied the tar in faith and was saved. The tar is symbolic of the Blood of Christ. The Blood of Christ alone has the power to save mankind not only from being wiped out from the face of the earth but also from the eternal fires of hell. It is the only hope for mankind in these godless times. “Redemption comes to us above all through the Blood of Jesus...” (CCC 517). All we need to have is the kind of faith like Noah. As St. Paul writes… God offered Him, so that by His blood He should become the means by which people's sins are forgiven through their faith in Him... (Romans 3:25)
How does the Blood of Jesus save us? First of all, our sins are forgiven and we are put right with God by means of the Blood of Jesus. (Romans 5:9a). Jesus Himself declared, “This is my Blood, which seals God's covenant, my Blood of the covenant which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sin.” (Mt 26:28). If Jesus said so, then it means we are forgiven only by means of His Blood. This is nothing but grace operating in us – we don’t deserve to be called righteous; but because of the Blood of Christ, we are made righteous. (Romans 5:1-2). And His Blood is able to achieve this for us even when godlessness is on the rise. Where sin increased, God's grace increased much more. (Romans 5:20).
Next, the Blood of Christ purifies us from all our sins when we confess them before God. (1 John 1:7, 9). However righteous we may think we are, we are sinful by nature and can easily become godless. This is the truth we must accept with humility. St. Paul who was seeking righteousness realized it at one time. If I do what I don't want to do, this means that I am no longer the one who does it; instead, it is the sin that lives in me. Who will rescue me from this body that is taking me to death? Thanks be to God, who does this through our Lord Jesus Christ! (Romans 7:20, 24, 25). The more we realize this truth, the more we will feel the need to be purified by Jesus’ Blood. The cleansing of the spirit will make us want to return to the Sacrament of reconciliation more often. We will feel the need for our spirit to be covered by the Blood of Christ at all times. We will realize that the Blood of Jesus has the power to make us more and more pure on the inside even when godlessness is increasing on the outside (1 Peter 1:2).
Finally, the more we are purified by the Blood of Jesus, the surer we become that we are accepted by God as righteous. (Romans 4:21-23). Like St. Paul, we have no doubt that God is for us and will save us. (Romans 8:31). We become fully convinced that we are going to be saved from His anger that is about to come upon all godless people. (Romans 5:9b).