Tuesday of the Second Week of Easter

“Jesus and Nicodemus”
by Alexandre Bida, c.1873

Readings for Tuesday of the Second Week of Easter [1]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
 
Readings and Commentary: [3]
 
Reading 1: Acts 4:32-37
 
The community of believers was of one heart and mind,
and no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own,
but they had everything in common.
With great power the Apostles bore witness
to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus,
and great favor was accorded them all.
There was no needy person among them,
for those who owned property or houses would sell them,
bring the proceeds of the sale,
and put them at the feet of the Apostles,
and they were distributed to each according to need.
 
Thus Joseph, also named by the Apostles Barnabas
(which is translated "son of encouragement"),
a Levite, a Cypriot by birth,
sold a piece of property that he owned,
then brought the money and put it at the feet of the Apostles.
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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.
 
CCC: Acts 4:32 952, 2790; Acts 4:33 995
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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.
 
The LORD is king, in splendor robed;
robed is the LORD and girt about with strength.
R. The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.
or:
R. Alleluia.
 
And he has made the world firm,
not to be moved.
Your throne stands firm from of old;
from everlasting you are, O LORD.
R. The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.
or:
R. Alleluia.
 
Your decrees are worthy of trust indeed:
holiness befits your house,
O LORD, for length of days.
R. The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.
or:
R. Alleluia.
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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
 
Jesus said to Nicodemus:
"'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."
Nicodemus answered and said to him,
'How can this happen?"
Jesus answered and said to him,
"You are the teacher of Israel and you do not understand this?
Amen, amen, I say to you,
we speak of what we know and we testify to what we have seen,
but you people do not accept our testimony.
If I tell you about earthly things and you do not believe,
how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things?
No one has gone up to heaven
except the one who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man.
And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert,
so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life."
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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 seraph 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.
 
"Nicodemus had not yet savored this Spirit and this life. [...]. He knew but one birth, which is from Adam and Eve; that which is from God and the Church, he did not know; he knew only the paternity which engenders to death; he did not yet know the paternity which engenders to life. [...]. Whereas there are two births, he knew only of one. One is of earth, the other is of Heaven; one is of the flesh, the other of the Spirit; one of mortality, the other of eternity; one of male and female, the other of God and the Church. But the two are each unique; neither one nor the other can be repeated" (St. Augustine, "In Ioann. Evang.", 11, 6).
 
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 that 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

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[1] The Picture is “Jesus and Nicodemus” by Alexandre Bida, c.1873.
[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.
[4] NAB footnote on Ps 93.