The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to be open to the prompting of the Spirit that leads us to deeper understanding of living a full life in relationship with Christ.
In the reading from the Acts of the Apostles the believers share their possessions.
* [4:32–37] This is the second summary characterizing the Jerusalem community (see note on Acts 2:42–47). It emphasizes the system of the distribution of goods and introduces Barnabas, who appears later in Acts as the friend and companion of Paul, and who, as noted here (Acts 4:37), endeared himself to the community by a donation of money through the sale of property. This sharing of material possessions continues a practice that Luke describes during the historical ministry of Jesus (Lk 8:3) and is in accord with the sayings of Jesus in Luke’s gospel (Lk 12:33; 16:9, 11, 13). (Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 4, n.d.)
Psalm 93 praises the Majesty of God’s Rule.
* [Psalm 93] A hymn celebrating the kingship of God, who created the world (Ps 93:1–2) by defeating the sea (Ps 93:3–4). In the ancient myth that is alluded to here, Sea completely covered the land, making it impossible for the human community to live. Sea, or Flood, roars in anger against God, who is personified in the storm. God’s utterances or decrees are given authority by the victory over Sea (Ps 93:5). (Psalms, PSALM 93, n.d.)
In the Gospel of John, Nicodemus learns of the Son of Man.
* [3:8] Wind: the Greek word pneuma (as well as the Hebrew rûah) means both “wind” and “spirit.” In the play on the double meaning, “wind” is primary.
* [3:14] Lifted up: in Nm 21:9 Moses simply “mounted” a serpent upon a pole. John here substitutes a verb implying glorification. Jesus, exalted to glory at his cross and resurrection, represents healing for all.
* [3:15] Eternal life: used here for the first time in John, this term stresses quality of life rather than duration. (John, CHAPTER 3, n.d.)
David Crawford asks us to imagine for a moment the ways Barnabas may have inspired the small but growing group of believers who were frequently persecuted.
Secure in the belief that the Holy Spirit had a reason for bringing someone to the body, Barnabas defined each person not by the bad deeds of their past but as a sister or brother in Christ for whom God has a purpose. (Look at Acts 9:26-27, where Barnabas convinced the frightened disciples to accept the converted Saul/Paul, the man once known for zealously persecuting the faithful, into the church.) Barnabas would have known that encouragement was not a one-time thing, but something that individuals would need anew as opportunities and obstacles emerged. He would have known that encouragement can involve a longer commitment of coming alongside those who suffer long-term illnesses or deep-seated grief. It may even require pushing an individual to take responsibility for damage caused by their sinful actions, and then being present for them as they face the consequences of those actions, all the while reminding them that the Son of Man loves them deeply.
Loving God, thank you for the many people you have used to encourage us and others. Thank you for working through us to provide encouragement to others. Strengthen our faith and inspire us so that all we say and do glorifies your name. Amen. (Crawford, 2023)
Don Schwager quotes “He descended so that we might ascend,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"Spiritual birth happens when human beings, being earthly, become heavenly. And this can only happen when they are made members of me. So that he may ascend who descended, since no one ascends who did not descend. Therefore everyone who needs to be changed and raised must meet together in a union with Christ so that the Christ who descended may ascend, considering his body (that is to say, his church)6 as nothing other than himself." (ON THE MERITS AND FORGIVENESS OF SINS AND ON INFANT BAPTISM 1.60) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on John 3:7-15 comments that the kind of life and faith that Jesus meant for Nicodemus, and for us, to experience is a work of God.
What does this life “from above” look like (John 3:7)? As your heart stirs in prayer or at Mass, you understand that God is present with you (Matthew 28:20). When you feel freed from the weight of guilt or shame in Confession, you see his deep love for you and his desire that you share his life more completely. As you come to understand more deeply the redemption Jesus won for you day by day, your heart fills with joy. You are tasting what it means to be “born from above!”
“Heavenly Father, draw me closer to you so that your life will grow and flourish in me.” (Meditation on John 3:7-15, n.d.)
Tom Shufflebotham SJ, a Jesuit of the British Province, points us in the direction of some New Testament characters who can be a source of encouragement for anyone who might be questioning whether they have, or still have, faith, or who might feel that prayer has deserted them.
Nicodemus flits in and out of John’s Gospel. It sounds as if he may have come away dispirited from a night-time conversation with Jesus (chapter 3): his embryonic faith had shown up as limited, unadventurous, mean-spirited. When he tries (chapters 7 & 12), timidly but with some dogged courage, to put in a word for Jesus, he gets short shrift from the Pharisees – and, it seems, from the evangelist, too. However, after the crucifixion (chapter 19) he is there, and he brings spices for Jesus’s burial. While all looks to be darkness and defeat, he doesn’t seem to say anything; he just does his corporal work of mercy, and that is no insignificant crumb of faith. And his name will forever be associated with the Jesus Christ who died and rose. (Shufflebotham, 2018)
Friar Jude Winkler notes the second description of a community by Luke that shared everything they had. Luke introduces people and later in his works he reveals their significance as a part of God’s plan. Friar Jude shares the ambiguity of the Greek for “lifted up” and the dissonance of the glory rather than humiliation of the Cross.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Poet Ann Weems (1934–2016) who suffered tragedy firsthand when her twenty-one-year-old son was murdered. She poured her profound grief into writing her own versions of lament psalms. Here she takes heart from Jesus’ own weeping:
Jesus wept,
and in his weeping,
he joined himself forever
to those who mourn.
He stands now throughout all time,
this Jesus weeping,
with his arms about the weeping ones:
“Blessed are those who mourn,
for they shall be comforted.”
He stands with the mourners,
for his name is God-with-us.
Jesus wept.
“Blessed are those who weep, for they shall be comforted.” Someday.
Someday God will wipe the tears from Rachel’s eyes.
In the godforsaken, obscene quicksand of life,
there is a deafening alleluia
rising from the souls
of those who weep,
and of those who weep with those who weep.
If you watch, you will see
the hand of God
putting the stars back in their skies
one by one. (Rohr, 2023)
Our openness to the Spirit is the path to deeper wisdom, consolation and alignment with the Way of Jesus.
References
Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 4. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved April 18, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/acts/4?32
Crawford, D. (2023, April 18). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved April 18, 2023, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/041823.html
John, CHAPTER 3. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved April 18, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/3?7
Meditation on John 3:7-15. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved April 18, 2023, from https://wau.org/meditations/2023/04/18/659617/
Psalms, PSALM 93. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved April 18, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/93?1
Rohr, R. (2023, April 18). Jesus Wept — Center for Action and Contemplation. Daily Meditations Archive: 2023. Retrieved April 18, 2023, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/jesus-wept-2023-04-18/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). You Must Be Born Anew. Daily Scripture net. Retrieved April 18, 2023, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2023&date=apr18
Shufflebotham, T. (2018, March 7). Figures of faith. Thinking Faith. Retrieved April 18, 2023, from https://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/figures-faith
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