February 19, 2025.

Wednesday of the sixth week in ordinary time.

A reading from the book of Genesis.

At the end of 40 days, Noah opened the hatch he had made in the ark,

and he sent out a raven to see if the waters had lessened on the earth.

It flew back and forth until the

waters dried off from the earth. Then he sent out a dove to see if the waters had lessened

on the earth. But the dove could find no place to a light and perch, and it returned to him

in the ark, for there was water all over the earth.

Putting out his hand, he caught the dove and drew it back to him inside the ark.

He waited seven days more, and again sent the dove out from the ark.

In the evening, the dove came back to him, and there in its bill was a plucked-off

olive leaf.

So Noah knew that the waters had lessened on the earth.

He waited still another seven days, and then released the dove once more, and this time, it did not come back.

In the 601st year of Noah's life,

in the first month, on the first day of the month,

the water began to dry up on the earth.

Noah then removed the covering of the ark and saw that the surface of the ground was

drying up. Noah built an altar to the Lord, and choosing from every clean animal and every clean

bird, he offered burnt offerings on the altar. When the Lord smelled the sweet odor, he said to himself,

Never again will I doom the earth because of man,

...