The Old Testament righteous man Noah was “perfect in his generation” as the book of Genesis (6:9) says. However, he wasn’t always so perfect. Of course, the story of Noah is perhaps one of the best known stories from the Bible, one which even those who have never opened the sacred book of Scripture are familiar with. Suffice it to say, we all know of how this righteous man who “found grace in the presence of the Lord God” (Gen. 6:8) also found a place in world history, among both the faithful and those not so.

Yet there is an episode recorded in the pages of the Bible regarding this holy man which might not seem all that favorable. We read in chapter 9 an episode which took place after the famed flood in which Noah planted a vineyard “and he drank of the wine, and was drunk, and was naked in his house” (v. 20-21). His son Ham happened to see his father naked and instead of covering him up he went out and made fun of him.

In the English language someone who is a “ham” is one who makes a big show of himself, someone absolutely shameless, without any manners, politeness or decency. The other two brothers, however, when they heard how their brother Ham was living up to his name, quickly took a garment and “put it on their backs and went backwards, and covered the nakedness of their father; and their face was backward and they saw not the nakedness of their father.”

“They saw not the nakedness of their father.” I simply love this line. Is not this Bible story proof of our imperfection? We’re not talking about the so-called good person who goes to church every Sunday and is a good neighbor and model citizen. No, this man was deemed by God Himself to be perfect in his generation! And now that same righteous man finds himself drunk in the midst of the sober.

No one is perfect. Or, as the Chinese proverb states, “Gold cannot be pure, and people cannot be perfect.” Instead, I think the closest we can ever get to being perfect is based on our attitude toward the imperfect. Indeed, what a great lesson we receive in the attitude of the two sons of Noah toward the sin of their father whom they “cover up.” If anything, perfection is a moving target, something we strive for but never reach. After all, it’s not something which we did that is perfect, rather, as the saying goes, it is practice that makes perfect. And that practice includes our charity, our behavior and respect for those around us.

In the end, placing our faith in God requires, to some degree, placing our faith in our neighbor. For, having God with us means, naturally, having love for one another. It is only when we truly possess this love — or strive to attain it — that we can look at our neighbor and not see their nakedness. It is only then that we make no hams of ourselves but we, too, cover them up. For the Apostle Paul tells us the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers.

“And above all things have fervent love for one another, for love will cover a multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:8).

The Rev. Milovan Katanic is priest of St. George Serbian Orthodox Church in Hermitage.