FIRST READING
Acts 4:23-31
After their release Peter and John went back to their own people and reported what the chief priests and elders had told them. And when they heard it, they raised their voices to God with one accord and said, “Sovereign Lord, maker of heaven and earth and the sea and all that is in them, you said by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of our father David, your servant:
Why did the Gentiles rage and the peoples entertain folly? The kings of the earth took their stand and the princes gathered together against the Lord and against his anointed.
Indeed they gathered in this city against your holy servant Jesus whom you anointed, Herod and Pontius Pilate, together with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do what your hand and your will had long ago planned to take place. And now, Lord, take note of their threats, and enable your servants to speak your word with all boldness, as you stretch forth your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are done through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” As they prayed, the place where they were gathered shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.
RESPONSORIAL PSALM
Psalm 2:1-3, 4-7a, 7b-9
R. Blessed are all who take refuge in the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Why do the nations rage and the peoples utter folly? The kings of the earth rise up, and the princes conspire together against the LORD and against his anointed: “Let us break their fetters and cast their bonds from us!”
R. Blessed are all who take refuge in the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He who is throned in heaven laughs; the LORD derides them. Then in anger he speaks to them; he terrifies them in his wrath: “I myself have set up my king on Zion, my holy mountain.” I will proclaim the decree of the LORD.
R. Blessed are all who take refuge in the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The LORD said to me, “You are my Son; this day I have begotten you. Ask of me and I will give you the nations for an inheritance and the ends of the earth for your possession. You shall rule them with an iron rod; you shall shatter them like an earthen dish.”
R. Blessed are all who take refuge in the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
ALLELUIA
Colossians 3:1
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
If then you were raised with Christ, seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GOSPEL
John 3:1-8
There was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. He came to Jesus at night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God, for no one can do these signs that you are doing unless God is with him.” Jesus answered and said to him, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless one is born from above, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man once grown old be born again? Surely he cannot reenter his mother’s womb and be born again, can he?” Jesus answered, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless one is born of water and Spirit he cannot enter the Kingdom of God. What is born of flesh is flesh and what is born of spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed that I told you, ‘You must be born from above.’ The wind blows where it wills, and you can hear the sound it makes, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes; so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
REFLECTIONS:
Do you nourish your faith with prayerful reflection
of the word of God? When Nicodemus heard about Jesus' miracles and extraordinary
teaching, he decided to meet with him privately, away from the crowds and
the public spotlight. Nicodemus was no ordinary Jew. He was a religious
ruler and member of the Sanhedrin, which was the supreme court of the Jews,
and a teacher of Israel (John 3:10). He was a devout Pharisee who sought
to perfectly follow the law of Moses, as prescribed in the Five Books of
Moses (Genesis, Exodus, Deuteronomy, Leviticus, and Numbers) and further
elaborated in the numerous scribal laws, recorded in the Mishnah and the
Talmud. Nicodemus decided to meet with Jesus at night, possibly for two
reasons. He may have been cautious and not ready to publicly associate
himself with Jesus since many Pharisees opposed Jesus' teaching and called
him a Sabbath breaker. It is also likely that Nicodemus chose the night
as the best time for seeking a private and undisturbed conversation with
Jesus. The rabbis declared that the best time to study the law was at night
after the day's work was completed and the household was at rest. When
Nicodemus saw Jesus he addressed him as rabbi (a teacher of God's
word and law) and acknowled that Jesus' teaching came from God.
Jesus' conversation with Nicodemus went to the very heart of the Mosaic
law - how can one get right with God and enter God's kingdom? Jesus' answer
was brief and startling: "Unless one is born anew, he cannot see God."
The new birth which Jesus spoke about was not a physical birth but the
beginning of a spiritual birth which is something completely new and radical,
and from above, namely from God himself. Jesus said that this rebirth
was necessary if one was to enter God's kingdom. Nicodemus thought that
to be born again, even spiritually, was impossible. He probably knew too
well from experience that anyone who wants to be changed, can't change
himself. Jesus explained that this change could only come about through
the work and action of the Holy Spirit. This rebirth in the Spirit is very
real and experiential, like the wind which can be felt and heard while
it is visibly unseen to the naked eye.
What does it mean to be reborn in the Spirit? The new birth
Jesus speaks of is a spiritual birth to a new life and experiential relationship
with God as his adopted sons and daughters (Romans 6:4; 8:10-11). This
new birth is made possible when one is baptized into Christ and receives
the gift of the Holy Spirit. God wants to renew all his people in the gift
of new life in his Holy Spirit. This new life brings us into God's kingdom
and heavenly way of life. What is God's kingdom? God's kingdom is that
society of men and women who acknowledge God as their Lord and who live
according to his will on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10).
To be reborn is to enter that society in which God is honored and
obeyed, to live as citizens of heaven and members of God's family – his
sons and daughters, and to enter into possession of that life which comes
from God himself, a never-ending life of love, peace, joy, and freedom
from sin and the fear of death. Do you know the joy and freedom of new
life in Jesus Christ?
"Lord Jesus Christ, you offer us a new birth in the Holy Spirit. Renew
in me the gift of faith and new life in your Holy Spirit. Help me to draw
near to you and to believe in your life-giving word. May your kingdom come
and may your will be done in my life today, tomorow, and always."
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