CCC 56 After the unity of the human race was shattered by sin God at once sought to save humanity part by part. The covenant with Noah after the flood gives expression to the principle of the divine economy toward the “nations”, in other words, towards men grouped “in their lands, each with [its] own language, by their families, in their nations”.¹

CCC 343 Man is the summit of the Creator’s work, as the inspired account expresses by clearly distinguishing the creation of man from that of the other creatures.²

CCC 2569 Prayer is lived in the first place beginning with the realities of creation. The first nine chapters of Genesis describe this relationship with God as an offering of the first-born of Abel’s flock, as the invocation of the divine name at the time of Enosh, and as “walking with God”.³ Noah’s offering is pleasing to God, who blesses him and through him all creation, because his heart was upright and undivided; Noah, like Enoch before him, “walks with God.”⁴ This kind of prayer is lived by many righteous people in all religions.
In his indefectible covenant with every living creature,⁵ God has always called people to prayer. But it is above all beginning with our father Abraham that prayer is revealed in the Old Testament.

1 Gen 10:5; cf. 9:9-10, 16; 10:20-31.
2 Cf. Gen 1-26.
3 Cf. Gen 4:4, 26; Gen 5:24.
4 Gen 6:9; 8:20-9:17.
5 Gen 9:8-16.