First reading Acts 4:23-31
They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to proclaim the word of God boldly
As soon as Peter and John were released they went to the community and told them everything the chief priests and elders had said to them. When they heard it they lifted up their voice to God all together. ‘Master,’ they prayed ‘it is you who made heaven and earth and sea, and everything in them; you it is who said through the Holy Spirit and speaking through our ancestor David, your servant:
Why this arrogance among the nations,
these futile plots among the peoples?
Kings on earth setting out to war,
princes making an alliance,
against the Lord and against his Anointed.
‘This is what has come true: in this very city Herod and Pontius Pilate made an alliance with the pagan nations and the peoples of Israel, against your holy servant Jesus whom you anointed, but only to bring about the very thing that you in your strength and your wisdom had predetermined should happen. And now, Lord, take note of their threats and help your servants to proclaim your message with all boldness, by stretching out your hand to heal and to work miracles and marvels through the name of your holy servant Jesus.’ As they prayed, the house where they were assembled rocked; they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to proclaim the word of God boldly.
Responsorial Psalm 2:1-9
Blessed are all who trust in you, O Lord.
Why do the nation conspire,
and the people plot in vain?
They arise, the kings of the earth;
prince plot against the Lord and his Anointed.
Let us burst asunder their fetters.
Let us cast off from us their chains.”
He who sits in the heavens laughs;
the Lord derides and mocks them.
Then he will speak in his anger,
his rage will strike them with terror.
“It is I who have appointed my king
on Sion, my holy mountain.”
I will announce the decree of the Lord:
The Lord said to me, “You are my Son.
It is I who have begotten you this day.
Ask of me and I will give you
the nations as your inheritance,
and the ends of the earth as your possession.
With a rod of iron you will rule them;
like a potter’s jar you will shatter them.
Gospel John 3:1-8
Unless a man is born from above, he cannot see the kingdom of God
There was one of the Pharisees called Nicodemus, a leading Jew, who came to Jesus by night and said, ‘Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who comes from God; for no one could perform the signs that you do unless God were with him.’ Jesus answered:
‘I tell you most solemnly,
unless a man is born from above,
he cannot see the kingdom of God.’
Nicodemus said, ‘How can a grown man be born? Can he go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?’ Jesus replied:
‘I tell you most solemnly,
unless a man is born through water and the Spirit,
he cannot enter the kingdom of God:
what is born of the flesh is flesh;
what is born of the Spirit is spirit.
Do not be surprised when I say:
You must be born from above.
The wind blows wherever it pleases;
you hear its sound,
but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going.
That is how it is with all who are born of the Spirit.’
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Born from above
In the first reading, the early Christian community faces opposition and threats. Yet they do not pray for safety or comfort, but for boldness: “Help your servants to proclaim your message with all boldness.” This prayer expressed their deep trust in God and His faithfulness. God hears their prayer, and the place where they are gathered is shaken. They are filled with the Holy Spirit and begin to speak the Word of God with courage. This boldness is not the result of human confidence, but it is the fruit of the Holy Spirit.
In the Gospel, we meet Nicodemus, a learned and respected Pharisee. He comes to Jesus at night, perhaps unsure, perhaps searching. Jesus tells him something unexpected: “Unless one is born from above, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” To be “born from above”, i.e., to be born from the Spirit, is not an abstract idea, but it refers to a transformation that changes how we live, from fear to courage, from control to trust, from silence to witness. During this Easter season, we are invited to be born from above and to remain to change.
Reflective question:
What step can I take this week to be more attentive and responsive to the Spirit?
Acknowledgment: Reflections are based on “Prayer for Living: The Word of God for Daily Prayer Year A” by Sr Maria Jose FMVD
