Monday of the Second Week of Easter

“Visit of Nicodemus to Christ”
by John La Farge, 1880

 
Readings for Monday of the Second Week of Easter [1]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
 
Readings and Commentary:[3]
 
Reading 1: Acts 4:23-31
 
After their release Peter and John went back to their own people
and reported what the chief priests and elders had told them.
And when they heard it,
they raised their voices to God with one accord
and said, "Sovereign Lord, maker of heaven and earth
and the sea and all that is in them,
you said by the Holy Spirit
through the mouth of our father David, your servant:
 
Why did the Gentiles rage
and the peoples entertain folly?
The kings of the earth took their stand
and the princes gathered together
against the Lord and against his anointed.
 
Indeed they gathered in this city
against your holy servant Jesus whom you anointed,
Herod and Pontius Pilate,
together with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel,
to do what your hand and your will
had long ago planned to take place.
And now, Lord, take note of their threats,
and enable your servants to speak your word
with all boldness, as you stretch forth your hand to heal,
and signs and wonders are done
through the name of your holy servant Jesus."
As they prayed, the place where they were gathered shook,
and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit
and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Acts 4:23-31
 
This selection from Acts continues describing the efforts of Peter and John after they return from being threatened by the Sanhedrin for proclaiming Jesus and performing signs in Jesus' name. They sing Psalm 2: 1-3, implying that those in power oppose the true mission of God. The passage concludes with their prayer for strength in continuing their work. The occurrence of an earth tremor is understood to symbolize God’s presence and affirmative response.
 
CCC: Acts 4:26-27 436; Acts 4:27-28 600
-------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 2:1-3, 4-7a, 7b-9
 
R. (see 11d) Blessed are all who take refuge in the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
 
Why do the nations rage
and the peoples utter folly?
The kings of the earth rise up,
and the princes conspire together
against the LORD and against his anointed:
"Let us break their fetters
and cast their bonds from us!"
R. Blessed are all who take refuge in the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
 
He who is throned in heaven laughs;
the LORD derides them.
Then in anger he speaks to them;
he terrifies them in his wrath:
"I myself have set up my king
on Zion, my holy mountain."
I will proclaim the decree of the LORD.
R. Blessed are all who take refuge in the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
 
The LORD said to me, "You are my Son;
this day I have begotten you.
Ask of me and I will give you
the nations for an inheritance
and the ends of the earth for your possession.
You shall rule them with an iron rod;
you shall shatter them like an earthen dish."
R. Blessed are all who take refuge in the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 2:1-3, 4-7a, 7b-9
 
Psalm 2 is one of the “Royal Psalms.” In this passage we are reminded that God has adopted us as his sons and daughters. The language used is the formal adoption language of the time. The selection focuses on the true ruler of heaven and earth - the Lord - not, as the psalmist points out, worldly kings who do not fear the Most High God.  There is an image used in Psalm 149 in which the Lord empowers the people to cast off their fetters, and use them to bind the secular rulers who oppress them (Psalm 149:8). The song sings of their steadfast commitment to bring this word to the Gentiles, freeing them from their idols. The first strophe is quoted by the apostles in Acts 4:23ff.
 
CCC: Ps 2:1-2 600; Ps 2:2 436; Ps 2:6-7 745; Ps 2:7-8 2606; Ps 2:7 441, 653, 2836
-------------------------------------------
Gospel: John 3:1-8
 
There was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.
He came to Jesus at night and said to him,
"Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God,
for no one can do these signs that you are doing
unless God is with him."
Jesus answered and said to him,
"Amen, amen, I say to you,
unless one is born from above, he cannot see the Kingdom of God."
Nicodemus said to him,
"How can a man once grown old be born again?
Surely he cannot reenter his mother's womb and be born again, can he?"
Jesus answered,
"Amen, amen, I say to you,
unless one is born of water and Spirit
he cannot enter the Kingdom of God.
What is born of flesh is flesh
and what is born of spirit is spirit.
Do not be amazed that I told you,
'You must be born from above.'
The wind blows where it wills,
and you can hear the sound it makes,
but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes;
so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit."
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Jn 3:1-8
 
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 the Christian 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, this can be seen as a reference to the Lord’s resurrection in the Spirit. It further points out that the Holy Spirit is a mystery that cannot be fully fathomed by human understanding but whose effects are quite apparent.
 
CCC: Jn 3:2 581; Jn 3:3-5 782; Jn 3:5-8 691, 728, 1287; Jn 3:5 432, 720, 1215, 1225, 1238, 1257, 1262, 2790; Jn 3:7 526, 591
-------------------------------------------
Reflection:
 
Even as we turn away from the events immediately following the resurrection, we are pulled back to that blessed night when so many were baptized and joined us in our adoption as “Children of God.”  We look closely at the Gospel exchange between Jesus and Nicodemus. 
 
Nicodemus is a member of the Sanhedrin, and one of those “secret disciples” who are afraid to openly follow Jesus.  He comes to Jesus at night, perhaps curious, perhaps compelled by something within him.  He professes his belief that Jesus is “a teacher who has come from God,” implying that he has come to learn at Jesus' feet.
 
Seeing the turmoil within Nicodemus, a man at once drawn to Christ’s holiness, and at the same time afraid of expressing that desire because of the loss of social acceptability that would accompany that expression, Jesus calls him to conversion.  He tells him that unless he follows his heart and repents from the things of the world to embrace the spiritual life, he will not find what he seeks.  The language used in Jesus' discourse is strikingly similar to St. John the Baptist’s testimony as he baptized the repentant faithful beside the Jordan.
 
The language makes it clear that Jesus believes Nicodemus must become the “new creation” referenced by Ezekiel 36:24ff.  He must relinquish his “stony heart,” and let God replace it with a heart full of the love of God and all that he created.  It is only through this rebirth that the Kingdom of God may be achieved.
 
If St. Peter were there with them, he probably would have asked a question like: “Lord we have already been converted, how many times must we accept you as Lord; seven times? “ And Jesus would answer: “seventy times seven.”  Even though we have been baptized, and this can only happen once because once the change is made it may never be undone, we must constantly look to conversion.  Our human nature listens to the sweet-sounding words of temptation, whispered by the evil one from time to time. The veil of holiness slips and we fall away from the love of God.  We all must constantly look to the spiritual rebirth the Lord speaks of as a means of access to his great love.
 
Today, even as we recall with filial love our brothers and sisters reborn in the baptismal waters of Easter, we recognize our own call to constant conversion.  Our prayer today is that we might always recognize this need and respond to God’s call to rebirth.
 
Pax

---

[1] The picture used is “Visit of Nicodemus to Christ” by John La Farge, 1880.
[2] S.S. Commemoratio
[3] The readings are taken from the New American Bible, with the exception of the psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.