God told Noah to build an ark. God created ex nihilo (out of nothing); He could have created the ark out of nothing. God saves, utilizing His creation. The thought of building an ark might have, at first, seemed ridiculous to Noah. It is possible that he could have refused. God gave Noah the instructions, but Noah had to obey. Noah’s faith alone would not have built the ark that saved mankind and animals from the flood; it was through faith and works that the ark was built and Noah, his family, and the animals were saved.
Noah prefigures Jesus Christ. Jesus is the Virgin Mary’s Creator; nevertheless, He was not conceived by the Holy Spirit until her fiat. Because of Mary’s fiat, Jesus became incarnate and redeemed us. Because of her fiat, she became the ark, the Mother of the Church, and the Ark of the Covenant. Nevertheless, it was not faith alone: She had to be obedient to God’s law; she had to raise and teach Jesus when He was an infant and toddler.
The Catholic Church is the Jesus Christ that the world sees. This is true because we are His Body. There is no other denomination more hated and despised than the Catholic Church. Muslims hate and despise us; Protestants hate and despise us. This has to be since our Head, the Lord Jesus Christ, was hated and despised by Jews and Gentiles alike. We are the True Body of Christ; nevertheless, faith alone is not sufficient. How can we exist without good works?
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