(Optional Memorial of Saint Joseph the Worker)
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| “Christ and Nicodemus” by Crijn Hendricksz Volmarijn, c. 1601-1645 |
Commentary:
Reading 1: Acts 5:17-26
Commentary on Acts 5:17-26
This is the second time the Apostles are attacked by the Sanhedrin. They have already been told by the Jewish leadership to stop teaching and have been condemned as false prophets, so there is no need for a second trial and they are jailed. Jailing the apostles in Acts doesn’t seem to work very well (see also Acts 12:6-11; 16:25-29). They fearlessly return to the temple area and resume their mission to proclaim Christ Crucified and Risen, forcing the Sanhedrin to take action.
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9
R.(7a) The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Commentary on Ps 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9
Psalm 34 is a song of thanksgiving and a favorite for celebrating the heroic virtue of the saints. The psalmist, fresh from the experience of being rescued (Psalm 34:5, 7), can teach the "poor," those who are defenseless, to trust in God alone. This psalm, in the words of one being unjustly persecuted, echoes hope for deliverance and freedom. The Lord in his faithful love always hears those who call to him for help and salvation.
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Gospel: John 3:16-21
Commentary on Jn 3:16-21
The dialogue Jesus was having with Nicodemus has now turned into a famous monologue in this passage from the Gospel of St. John. Here, Jesus is clear about his own identity as God’s “only-begotten Son,” and his mission: “that the world might be saved through him.”
The Lord continues by explaining that the salvific event is dependent upon faith and acceptance by those to be saved (“whoever believes in him will not be condemned”) and those who reject this belief are already condemned. The passage concludes with the analogy of light and darkness where the Lord, who is light, comes to save the people but will be rejected by many (“but people preferred darkness to light”). Those who believe in the Lord will be identified by their good works, and the glory that those works bring to God the Father.
CCC: Jn 3:16 219, 444, 454, 458, 706; Jn 3:17 2447; Jn 3:19-24 2845; Jn 3:19-20 208, 1781; Jn 3:21 2778
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Reflection:
We come to a very sticky point with regard to our faith and its relation to the rest of the world in the Lord’s address to Nicodemus. If, as the Gospel says: “who ever does not believe has already been condemned,” then all those who have either never heard of Jesus, those whose faith does not include Jesus, and those who have heard of Jesus but have not come to faith, are condemned to eternal death. This one failing has the consequence of denying a person the eternal life of heaven.
As Christians we are taught to follow the Lord, and that means we are constantly asking ourselves, “How would Jesus love?” in the various situations we encounter daily. When we meet a person who rejects Christianity, or even rejects the divinity of Christ, we feel sorrow for that person who, in rejecting Christ, has invited hell. You may be surprised at the strength of that word used to describe relatively innocent individuals. After all, a person could be a moral person, a good person, but one who does not believe in Christ. So why would we say that person invites hell?
Hell, we are taught from the Catechism of the Catholic Church, has the following attribute:
“Hell's principal punishment consists of eternal separation from God in whom alone man can have the life and happiness for which he was created and for which he longs.” (CCC 1057)
By rejecting Christ, who alone can offer entrance to the heavenly kingdom, that person rejects God. How should we feel about a person who, out of ignorance, rejects a life with God? We should feel sorrow for that person and do all we can to invite them to a deeper belief, if we follow God’s law of love.
What we should not do is be condescending toward such a person. It has happened many times in the history of Christianity, usually with disastrous results. There are times, even in recent memory, when it appears that we, as Church, behaved in a superior way. Because we have the truth, we sound to others to be condescending when we tell them that: “Oh, by the way, because you have rejected the truth we offer, you are going to hell.” If we ever take that tone, we’ve just bought ourselves some serious time in purgatory. That is not the attitude of Christ.
Today we will pray for those who, as the petitions on Good Friday recounted, do not believe in Christ or do not believe in God. May they be given one last opportunity to embrace the Risen Son of God when they come before the judgment seat of Christ, and by their profession gain entry into the heavenly kingdom.
Pax
[1] The picture used is “Christ and Nicodemus” by Crijn Hendricksz Volmarijn, c. 1601-1645.
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