(Optional Memorial of Saint Vincent Ferrer, Priest)
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| “Jesus and Nicodemus” by Alexandre Bida, c.1873 |
Commentary:
Reading 1: Acts 4:32-37
Commentary on Acts 4:32-37
This selection from Acts is the second summary describing the community of faith at Jerusalem. The description is of a community completely unified in the faith in the risen Lord. They live in accordance with the practices followed by the disciples when they were with Jesus, sharing all material possessions. The Barnabas mentioned in this selection is presumed to be the same person who later joins Paul in his missionary quests.
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 93:1ab, 1cd-2, 5
R. (1a) The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Commentary on Ps 93:1ab, 1cd-2, 5
Psalm 93 is a hymn of praise commemorating Yahweh as king. The external revelation of God mentioned in Sirach 1:1-10 is celebrated in this song of praise. The image of God’s throne on high, repeated here, reinforces God’s omnipotence.
“'The Lord is king': literally, 'the Lord reigns.' This psalm, and Psalms 47; 96-99, are sometimes called enthronement psalms. They may have been used in a special liturgy during which God's ascent to the throne was ritually reenacted. They have also been interpreted eschatologically, pointing to the coming of God as king at the end-time.”[4]
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Gospel: John 3:7b-15
Commentary on Jn 3:7b-15
Jesus continues the discourse with Nicodemus started in John 3:1-8. When Nicodemus still does not understand the resurrection to which Jesus points when the Lord says “You must be born from above,” he becomes more explicit, reminding Nicodemus of the remedy of the saraph serpents employed by Moses (Numbers 21:9). He uses this as an analog to his own crucifixion, the salvation for all who are poisoned by sin.
CCC: Jn 3:7 526, 591; Jn 3:9 505; Jn 3:13 423, 440, 661; Jn 3:14-15 2130
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Reflection:
The dialogue between Jesus and Nicodemus points out a paradox that has long driven different people to express the lived faith differently. We see this expressed in St. Luke’s description of the early church in the Acts of the Apostles selection heard as the first reading today.
Christians are asked to follow what Jesus taught: accepting the Lord as the Son of God, as the one who came from heaven to earth bringing the revelation of God’s love, and knowing he died and rose again, returning to the Father. They are told to try to emulate the perfect unity with Christ that exists in his Heavenly Kingdom. To do this the Christian is called to remain separate from the world but, paradoxically, is sent into the world to bring the Good News to all the people they encounter. In the very early Church we see that some Christians remain very isolated from the world. They attempt the communal life that insures that the love of the poor is expressed, and, at the same time, insulates the community from secular mores and attitudes.
This idyllic expression of compete devotion to Christ is expressed in this day and age by monastic communities and the cloistered life of religious brothers and sisters. It is also expressed by some movements within the greater faith community, people who feel they need to completely align themselves with specific practices in order to express their faith and love of God.
There is an inherent difficulty with these communities. It is difficult to remain balanced. There is a balance between remaining separate from the world and being a part of it. The model of the Apostles was extraordinary because of the strength of the Holy Spirit that was given to them. Many times, in attempts to imitate that beautiful communal existence of a large family unified in faith, the weaknesses of human character are exposed. Individuals selfishly take advantage of the willingness of the community to support all equally. Some members might feel they contribute too much while others not enough and vice versa.
We have seen the lengths to which these abuses of power and the willingness of some to take advantage of the generosity others can go. Unfortunately, we must always remember that our only true head is Christ, and our informed conscience must always measure the direction given by human leaders according to that standard. The fact remains that we are called to follow Christ as best we can by remaining apart from the world and its secular values, yet bring Christ to it by our witness. We pray today for the strength of the Holy Spirit to provide us with the guidance to place those two commands in balance.
Pax
[2] The Picture is “Jesus and Nicodemus” by Alexandre Bida, c.1873
[4] See NAB footnote on Ps 93
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