Readings for Monday of the Second Week of Easter[1][2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible at Universalis
Commentary:
Reading 1 Acts 4:23-31
Our story from Acts picks up after Peter and John return from being threatened by the Sanhedrin for proclaiming Jesus and performing signs in His name. They are reminded of the second Psalm we have quoted today as our responsorial psalm. The selection concludes with their prayer for strength in continuing their work and the presence of an earth tremor taken to symbolize God’s presence and affirmative response.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 2:1-3, 4-7a, 7b-9
R. Blessed are all who take refuge in the Lord.
This is one of the “Royal Psalms”. While the Davidic peoples understood it as stating the King of Israel was preeminent among earthly rulers, we see the messianic meaning as it refers to Christ.
Gospel Jn 3:1-8
The scripture shifts us now, away from the post-resurrection events to the teachings of Jesus from the Gospel of St. John. During the Passover Feast Jesus instructs Nicodemus on the need to turn away from the world of the flesh and focus instead on life in the Spirit of God.
This passage is filled with the images of our baptismal calling “Amen, amen, I say to you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit.” Placed in the Easter season we also see this reference as the Lord’s own resurrection in the spirit.
Reflection:
Our great week-long Solemnity of Easter has concluded and we continue to be infused with the afterglow of our joy. As we begin our second week of Easter we find a Gospel passage that brings us back to a much earlier time in Jesus’ ministry.
Nicodemus comes to see Jesus at night (already the Lord has a reputation that a member of the Sanhedrin must not be tainted by). Our Evangelical brothers and sisters see this passage as central to their understanding of conversion. While Nicodemus struggles with the idea of rebirth in the Spirit, the “Born Again” Christians have based much of their Christology on the idea of rebirth in the way the Lord indicated.
From the perspective of the Catholic Church, Jesus reference to being born again in “water and spirit” is part of our understanding of God’s sacramental gift, given in Baptism. While “Born Again” brethren believe that only an adult (defined as a person 12 or over) may make this decision, we believe that parents, standing as proxy for their child can and should make this decision. It is a fundamental difference in understanding of the gifts given and the sacredness of the relationship established by the efficacious act of adoption that occurs.
We believe that, in Baptism, there is an indelible change that takes place. The natural heart Jesus speaks to Nicodemus about is replaced by a heart filled with the Holy Spirit. We become a new creation clothed in Christ. Like all of the Sacraments, in Baptism God, through his only Son causes something unknowably good to take place. Just as when he caused the bread and wine that become our Eucharist to be transubstantiated, a marvelous transformation occurs within the newly baptized.
Our Easter Joy is infused today with a shot of practical remembrance. We are His children, reborn in the risen Christ in Baptism. May our joy be strengthened by this familial bond.
Pax
[1] After 05/07
[2] The image today is “Jesus and Nicodemus” UNKNOWN Artist.
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible at Universalis
Commentary:
Reading 1 Acts 4:23-31
Our story from Acts picks up after Peter and John return from being threatened by the Sanhedrin for proclaiming Jesus and performing signs in His name. They are reminded of the second Psalm we have quoted today as our responsorial psalm. The selection concludes with their prayer for strength in continuing their work and the presence of an earth tremor taken to symbolize God’s presence and affirmative response.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 2:1-3, 4-7a, 7b-9
R. Blessed are all who take refuge in the Lord.
This is one of the “Royal Psalms”. While the Davidic peoples understood it as stating the King of Israel was preeminent among earthly rulers, we see the messianic meaning as it refers to Christ.
Gospel Jn 3:1-8
The scripture shifts us now, away from the post-resurrection events to the teachings of Jesus from the Gospel of St. John. During the Passover Feast Jesus instructs Nicodemus on the need to turn away from the world of the flesh and focus instead on life in the Spirit of God.
This passage is filled with the images of our baptismal calling “Amen, amen, I say to you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit.” Placed in the Easter season we also see this reference as the Lord’s own resurrection in the spirit.
Reflection:
Our great week-long Solemnity of Easter has concluded and we continue to be infused with the afterglow of our joy. As we begin our second week of Easter we find a Gospel passage that brings us back to a much earlier time in Jesus’ ministry.
Nicodemus comes to see Jesus at night (already the Lord has a reputation that a member of the Sanhedrin must not be tainted by). Our Evangelical brothers and sisters see this passage as central to their understanding of conversion. While Nicodemus struggles with the idea of rebirth in the Spirit, the “Born Again” Christians have based much of their Christology on the idea of rebirth in the way the Lord indicated.
From the perspective of the Catholic Church, Jesus reference to being born again in “water and spirit” is part of our understanding of God’s sacramental gift, given in Baptism. While “Born Again” brethren believe that only an adult (defined as a person 12 or over) may make this decision, we believe that parents, standing as proxy for their child can and should make this decision. It is a fundamental difference in understanding of the gifts given and the sacredness of the relationship established by the efficacious act of adoption that occurs.
We believe that, in Baptism, there is an indelible change that takes place. The natural heart Jesus speaks to Nicodemus about is replaced by a heart filled with the Holy Spirit. We become a new creation clothed in Christ. Like all of the Sacraments, in Baptism God, through his only Son causes something unknowably good to take place. Just as when he caused the bread and wine that become our Eucharist to be transubstantiated, a marvelous transformation occurs within the newly baptized.
Our Easter Joy is infused today with a shot of practical remembrance. We are His children, reborn in the risen Christ in Baptism. May our joy be strengthened by this familial bond.
Pax
[1] After 05/07
[2] The image today is “Jesus and Nicodemus” UNKNOWN Artist.
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