The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite contemplation of the courage and boldness that is demonstrated in the lives of people open to being reborn in the Spirit.
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| With the Spirit |
The reading from the Book of Acts reveals believers praying for boldness.
* [4:31] The place…shook: the earthquake is used as a sign of the divine presence in Ex 19:18; Is 6:4. Here the shaking of the building symbolizes God’s favorable response to the prayer. Luke may have had as an additional reason for using the symbol in this sense the fact that it was familiar in the Hellenistic world. Ovid and Virgil also employ it.1
Psalm 2 is God’s Promise to His Anointed.
* [Psalm 2] A royal Psalm. To rebellious kings (Ps 2:1–3) God responds vigorously (Ps 2:4–6). A speaker proclaims the divine decree (in the legal adoption language of the day), making the Israelite king the earthly representative of God (Ps 2:7–9) and warning kings to obey (Ps 2:10–11). The Psalm has a messianic meaning for the Church; the New Testament understands it of Christ (Acts 4:25–27; 13:33; Heb 1:5).2
In the Gospel from John, Nicodemus visits Jesus at night.
* [3:3] Born: see note on Jn 1:13. From above: the Greek adverb anōthen means both “from above” and “again.” Jesus means “from above” (see Jn 3:31) but Nicodemus misunderstands it as “again.” This misunderstanding serves as a springboard for further instruction.3
Luis Rodriguez, S.J. notes in today’s gospel reading we are presented with a dawning faith, even as Nicodemus seeks Jesus at night, in the dark. This tells us that there is darkness and there is darkness, that there are different types of darkness and it would be helpful to consider them.
In my experience there is also a darkness that is not desired, but encountered in the absence of any desire in days of fatigue, of feeling burnt out, of feeling blah. This I like to call the dark night of blah. So, what sustains us during this dark night of blah? I feel sustained only by my own experience of having been restored to seeking God in past situations, precisely when I least expected it. It challenges us to trust in the Spirit that, as today’s gospel reading reminds us, blows where it wills without our knowing where it comes from or goes to.4
Don Schwager quotes “Reborn and Fed by the Spirit,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"And then that rebirth, which brings about the forgiveness of all past sins, takes place in the Holy Spirit, according to the Lord's own words, 'Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, one cannot enter the kingdom of God.' But it is one thing to be born of the Spirit, another to be fed by the Spirit; just as it is one thing to be born of the flesh, which happens when a mother gives birth, and another to be fed from the flesh, which appears when she nurses the baby. We see the child turn to drink with delight from the bosom of her who brought it forth to life. Its life continues to be nourished by the same source which brought it into being." (excerpt from Sermon 71.19)5
The Word Among Us Meditation on John 3:1-8 notes there really is something mysterious about the Christian life. Think of how puzzling the saints can seem to us. How could St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta keep smiling in the midst of all the suffering she encountered in the poorest of the poor? Or what about St. Maximilian Kolbe, a prisoner in Auschwitz who volunteered to take the place of a fellow prisoner who was condemned to die by starvation? While he wasted away, he peacefully led his fellow prisoners in prayer. “Who does that?” some might wonder.
Believers do, that’s who.
You are a mystery as well. When you were baptized, you were born from above and filled with the Holy Spirit. The same Spirit that empowered Mother Teresa and Maximilian Kolbe lives in you. He is that mysterious presence who moves you to acts of generosity and kindness when you could just as easily walk away. He is the One who helps you forgive a long-standing hurt even though the wound still stings. And he is the One who can give you courage to share your faith with a neighbor despite an inner reluctance.6
Friar Jude Winkler identifies followers of Christ as “co-redeemers” who share in Jesus' passion and resurrection. Nicodemus grows in faith from coming to Jesus at night, defending the process for Jesus' trial, and coming to bury Jesus. Friar Jude reminds us to seek discernment of the Spirit in the actions of those beyond our faith.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, shares that suffering, of course, can lead us in one of two directions. It can make us very bitter and close us down, or it can make us wise, compassionate, and utterly open. Our hearts open either because they have been softened, or perhaps because suffering makes us feel like we have nothing more to lose. It often takes us to the edge of our inner resources where we “fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:31).
As a result of her experience, Teresa of Ávila teaches us that poor health is not an obstacle to spiritual growth but actually enhances it. Why? We learn patience and surrender. We learn how to transcend the body and rise above both sickness and health altogether. . . .
Through this, as in all else, Teresa learned how to let go of her own will and trust in God. She vehemently asserts that we must “determine once and for all to swallow death and the lack of health,” or there will be no hope for us. [Italics mine.] [1]7
Let us all pray for the grace of this second path of softening and opening.
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