We made it to Easter, and now we have made it through the Easter Octave. This is the point during the year where the regular routines would normally be getting back into place, but this is not like any other year. More than ever this year, we are discovering that the journey we are on is a spiritual one, and we have a chance to listen attentively to the scriptures and to find in them our inspiration and nourishment for today.
The gospel passage for today places us with Jesus and Nicodemus: one of the Pharisees and a ruler of the Jews who came to Jesus by night to ask him questions. In fact, it is possible that these conversations between Jesus and Nicodemus began because Nicodemus wanted to probe Jesus even further in order to determine for himself whether Jesus was a threat to the Jewish authorities, but as these gatherings by night continued, Nicodemus found himself more and more intrigued about the message that Jesus had to offer. In truth, he found himself on what we might call today a journey of conversion.
So it is that we find Jesus explaining to Nicodemus in today's gospel passage: ... unless one is born from above, he cannot see the Kingdom of God (Jn 3: 3), which is to say that we must be born of water and the Spirit (Jn 3: 5). What Jesus is teaching Nicodemus here is the importance of the Sacrament of Baptism: the first of all the Sacraments.
Perhaps Nicodemus began his meetings with Jesus thinking that he would be the one to make a judgment about whether Jesus was somehow in error about the things that he was saying and teaching, but in the end it was Nicodemus himself who became convinced about the truth of what Jesus was teaching.
The other disciples also came to believe what Jesus was teaching. In fact, for them, it was necessary to put his teachings to the test. Only after Peter and John had been released from prison, when they reported what the chief priests and the elders had told them, did the disciples realize that the scriptures were being fulfilled: that the gentiles would rage ... that the kings of the earth would take their stand and that the princes would gather together against the Lord and against his anointed (Acts 4: 25-26).
Not everyone will turn toward the scriptures to look for guidance, but there is deep truth within them and we can always rely on them to provide us with inspiration for our prayer and for our life. At times such as these, when there are such questions arising in our hearts, should we not also turn toward the scriptures, toward the living word of God to seek inspiration and answers?
Have a great day.
No comments:
Post a Comment