First reading Acts 4:32-37
The whole group of believers was united, heart and soul
The whole group of believers was united, heart and soul; no one claimed for his own use anything that he had, as everything they owned was held in common.
The apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus with great power, and they were all given great respect.
None of their members was ever in want, as all those who owned land or houses would sell them, and bring the money from them, to present it to the apostles; it was then distributed to any members who might be in need.
There was a Levite of Cypriot origin called Joseph whom the apostles surnamed Barnabas (which means ‘son of encouragement’). He owned a piece of land and he sold it and brought the money, and presented it to the apostles.
Responsorial Psalm 92(93):1-2,5
The Lord is king, with majesty enrobed.
or
Alleluia!
The Lord is king, with majesty enrobed;
the Lord has robed himself with might,
he has girded himself with power.
The world you made firm, not to be moved;
your throne has stood firm from of old.
From all eternity, O Lord, you are.
Truly your decrees are to be trusted.
Holiness is fitting to your house,
O Lord, until the end of time.
Gospel John 3:7-15
No-one has gone up to heaven except the Son of Man who has come down from heaven
Jesus said to Nicodemus:
‘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.’
‘How can that be possible?’ asked Nicodemus. ‘You, a teacher in Israel, and you do not know these things!’ replied Jesus.
‘I tell you most solemnly,
we speak only about what we know
and witness only to what we have seen
and yet you people reject our evidence.
If you do not believe me when I speak about things in this world,
how are you going to believe me when I speak to you about heavenly things?
No one has gone up to heaven
except the one who came down from heaven,
the Son of Man who is in heaven;
and the Son of Man must be lifted up
as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert,
so that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.’
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Born from above
As with Nicodemus, Jesus invites us to be born from above, born of the Spirit- i.e. to live our lives according to the Holy Spirit. When the Spirit leads us, He renews our ways of seeing, thinking, and acting, not according to our human inclinations but the inclinations of God’s love. We see this in the first reading when the first Christians’ eyes of faith were opened to see everyone as a brother and sister in Christ. Thus, one person’s need became everyone’s concern and a spirit of true generosity was born in each heart.
What about ourselves and our Christian community? Are our eyes, minds and hearts enlightened to see one another as brothers and sisters in Jesus, especially those we find difficult to love? Today, let us be inspired and encouraged by the testimony of the first Christian community. We ask the Holy Spirit to help us open our eyes to see the needs of others and to move our hearts to reach out to them.
Reflective question:
Concretely, what does it mean for me to be born from above?
Concretely, what does it mean for me to be born from above?
Acknowledgment: Reflections are based on “Prayer for Living: The Word of God for Daily Prayer Year B” by Sr Maria Jose FMVD.
