20200421 REBIRTH IN THE SPIRIT
21 April, 2020, Tuesday, 2nd Week of Easter
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour: White.
First reading
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Acts 4:32-37 ©
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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
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Psalm 92(93):1-2,5 ©
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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 Lord is king, with majesty enrobed.
or
Alleluia!
The world you made firm, not to be moved;
your throne has stood firm from of old.
From all eternity, O Lord, you are.
The Lord is king, with majesty enrobed.
or
Alleluia!
Truly your decrees are to be trusted.
Holiness is fitting to your house,
O Lord, until the end of time.
The Lord is king, with majesty enrobed.
or
Alleluia!
Gospel Acclamation
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cf.Rv1:5
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Alleluia, alleluia!
You, O Christ, are the faithful witness,
the First-born from the dead,
you have loved us and have washed away our sins with your blood.
Alleluia!
Or:
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Jn3:15
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Alleluia, alleluia!
The Son of Man must be lifted up
so that everyone who believes in him
may have eternal life.
Alleluia!
Gospel
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John 3:7-15 ©
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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.’
REBIRTH IN THE SPIRIT
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ ACTS 4:32-37; PS 93:1-2, 5; JOHN 3:7-15]
In the first week of Easter, the focus was on the resurrection of our Lord. Most of the gospel passages were on the appearances of our Lord to His disciples. The first reading taken from the Acts of the Apostles were mainly testimonies of how they were witnesses to the resurrection of our Lord. During the second week of Easter, the focus is not so much on Christ but on the transformation of the disciples. This is because the resurrection of Christ is not just for Himself but ultimately for our sake. Christ rose from the dead to deliver us from sin and from the fear of death. Most of all, He comes to give us a share in His resurrected life. In Christ, we are born again to a new life.
How is this new life given? It is given through the Sacrament of Baptism which was the theme of yesterday’s scripture readings. Through this Sacrament, the Lord gives us the Spirit of His Father, making us His children. This is made possible because of Jesus’ death, resurrection and exaltation. “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.” The bronze serpent raised up on a pole during the time of Moses gave healing to those who were bitten by the snakes when they looked at it. This bronze serpent prefigured the glorification of Jesus at His death, resurrection and ascension. Christ, who is now reigning with the Father in heaven, sends us the Holy Spirit.
What does it mean to be reborn in the Spirit? This was the question posed by Nicodemus. Very often people associate those who are active in the Charismatic renewal as people reborn in the Spirit. They are the people who engage in vibrant praising and worshipping of God, praying in tongues, prophesying, resting in the spirit, works of deliverance from evil spirits and miracles of healings. Whilst these are the phenomena of those in the Charismatic renewal, it would be shortsighted to reduce the rebirth in the Spirit to these manifestations of the work of the Holy Spirit. These are ultimately the gifts of the Holy Spirit. As the Lord says, “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.” Such gifts come from the Lord and it is the Lord’s prerogative to bestow to anyone He chooses. “All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses.” (1 Cor 12:11)
However, the truth is that being reborn in the Spirit means more than merely manifesting the gifts of the Holy Spirit. It has more to do with living the life of the Spirit. Therefore, whether one is reborn in the Spirit is dependent on how much his or her life has been transformed by Christ and in Christ. In other words, is he living a resurrected life in Christ? One can manifest all the gifts of the Spirit but if one does not also manifest a transformed life, he is certainly not reborn in the Spirit. Those who have been reborn would demonstrate the characteristics as seen in the first Christian community in the Acts of the Apostles.
What are the marks of a resurrected person in Christ? Firstly, the believers are united in heart and soul as one community, like in the early Church. The Sacrament of Baptism makes us not just members of Christ’s Church and members of His mystical body, but children of God. We therefore belong to one family. All of us are brothers and sisters in Christ. Christianity therefore makes us equal before God because we are all His children.
However, the Christian community is founded on a spiritual unity in Christ. It is not a sociological unity of like-minded people. This is made clear every time we celebrate the Eucharist when the priest greets the people with the words of St Paul, “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love God and the fellowship of the Spirit be with you all.” In other words, we are gathered together only because of God’s grace given to us in Christ, which is the love of God in our hearts and in the community because we all share in the one Spirit of God. We must never forget that this is the basis of Christian unity. It does mean that as Christians we agree on everything, on the ways of ministering and on our plans. So long as we are individuals, we are bound to think differently. However, for the sake of the community, we are willing to put unity above our personal preferences and put our differences aside and close ranks because of our common love for Christ. For the love of Christ, we are willing to sacrifice our personal plans and cherished ideas for the sake of unity in the Church.
Secondly, we know that we share in Christ’s resurrection when we are capable of sharing. It means that we have risen from the dead, from our sins and self-centeredness. In the primitive Christian community, “no one claimed for his own use anything that he had, as everything they owned was held in common.” When we love each other as brothers and sisters in Christ, we care for everyone. We desire everyone in the community to be happy. This calls for self-sacrifice on the part of everyone. Everyone thinks of the other person’s interest before himself. This is the spirit of caring, giving and sharing of a resurrected Christian. He is not thinking about his needs but the common needs of all. Generous sharing, inclusivity and hospitality make the community united. That was what the early Christians did, “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.” Everyone was happy together. This was because each one cared for the other as much as he cared for himself.
Conversely, when we do not practice protectionism, the community will be united in love. Otherwise, competition, rivalry, self-interests, gossiping, comparison and discrimination will set in. This is a sad reality in our churches. We are parochial minded. This is my parish. This is my organization. This is my ministry. These are my things and my rights. It is very sad that even as Christians, supposedly sharing in the same mission, we are very calculative towards those who do not belong to our organization. In truth all organizations in the Church have a common goal, which is to serve Christ and be faithful to His mission of building the kingdom of love.
Thirdly, a resurrected person “testif(ies) to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus with great power.” We need people who are faith-filled and anointed with the Spirit, who share a vivid and personal experience of the presence of the Spirit of the Risen Lord in their lives. Without a conscious encounter with the Risen Lord, we cannot testify to Him with great power because we can only testify to what we see. This was what the Lord told Nicodemus, “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?” Intellectual knowledge alone, as the Lord told Nicodemus, is not sufficient.
This witnessing extends beyond mere words but our whole life. It is a witness of a resurrected life seen in loving, serving and giving. This was the case of Barnabas. “He owned a piece of land and he sold it and brought the money, and presented it to the apostles.” So, too, the apostles were willing to give up their life for the sake of the gospel, whether it was Peter, James, John or Paul. All of them testified to the resurrection with great power, not because they were eloquent but because they were convicted and passionate about what they knew. They were ready to lay down their lives for the gospel. Only those who are born in the Spirit are willing to give up everything for Christ.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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