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“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.
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Commentary
on Acts 4:23-31
“This prayer of
the Apostles and the community provides Christians with a model of reliance on
God's help. They ask God to give them the strength they need to continue to
proclaim the Word boldly and not be intimidated by persecution, and they also
entreat Him to accredit their preaching by enabling them to work signs and
wonders.” [4]
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
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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
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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
“Nicodemus was a
member of the Sanhedrin of Jerusalem (cf. John 7:50). He must also have been an educated man, probably a scribe or
teacher of the Law: Jesus addresses him as a ‘teacher of Israel’. He would have
been what is called an intellectual--a person who reasons things out, for whom
the search for truth is a basic part of life. He was, naturally, much
influenced by the Jewish intellectual climate of his time. However, if divine
things are to be understood, reason is not enough: a person must be humble. The
first thing Christ is going to do in His conversation with Nicodemus is to
highlight the need for this virtue; that is why He does not immediately answer
his questions: instead, He shows him how far he is from true wisdom: ‘Are you a
teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand this?’” [5]
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, unless one is born
of water and Spirit he cannot enter the Kingdom of God.” 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.
[4]
The Navarre Bible, Gospels and Acts (Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, ©
2002), 746.
[5]
The Navarre Bible, Gospels and Acts (Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, ©
2002), 657
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