20260414 BORN AGAIN FROM ABOVE
14 April 2026, Tuesday, 2nd Week of Easter
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 |
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 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 | cf.Rv1:5 |
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: | Jn3:15 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
The Son of Man must be lifted up
so that everyone who believes in him
may have eternal life.
Alleluia!
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.’
BORN AGAIN FROM ABOVE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ACTS 4:32-37; PS 93:1-2,5; JOHN 3:7-15 ]
In the first reading, we read of the life of the early Christian community. The unity of life and love among them is difficult to believe or imitate. “The whole group of believers was united, heart and soul; no one claimed for personal use anything that he had, as everything they owned was held in common.” Yet the truth is that their sharing of goods and resources was an essential part of their life as a community. It is an ideal, perhaps, because we know that not all were always so generous and willing to share. Indeed, Ananias and his wife, Sapphira, sold a piece of property but, “with his wife’s knowledge, he kept back some of the proceeds, and brought only a part and laid it at the apostles’ feet” (Acts 5:2).
Even though this ideal is not always a reality in our Christian community today, the truth remains that Christians are called to share their goods with others, especially those who are less fortunate or in need. “None of their members was ever in want, as all those who owned land or houses would sell them and bring the money to present it to the apostles; it was then distributed to any members who might be in need.” Christian charity is voluntary, but it is not optional. It flows from our own experience of God’s love and mercy in Christ. Having received the mercy and love of God freely in Christ, we are in turn called to share that mercy with others — not only in forgiving our brothers and sisters, but also in helping them in their physical and material needs.
Living the life of Christ is what it means to be baptised, as the Gospel tells us. Nicodemus, a Pharisee, came to Jesus by 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 do apart from the presence of God” (Jn 3:2). Indeed, there is no way for anyone to live the life of unity and love of the Christian community apart from the presence of God within them. Only when God is in our hearts can we love and be generous like Him. And this is possible only if we are born from above, as the Lord said (Jn 3:3).
To be born again means to be born of the Spirit. Jesus said, “I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit” (Jn 3:5f). This is a reference to John the Baptist’s baptism, which is a baptism of repentance. However, John’s baptism only inaugurated the eschatological era of the coming of the Spirit of God among men. For the Christian, baptism with water after the death of Christ is also the means by which the Holy Spirit is given. At His death, “one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once blood and water came out.” This is an allusion to the Eucharist and Baptism.
Earlier, in John 19:30, the Lord, in principle, poured out His Spirit upon the Church at His death: “When Jesus had received the wine, he said, ‘It is finished.’ Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.” His giving of the Spirit is therefore the fulfilment of the prophecy of Ezekiel: “I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you; and I will remove from your body the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. I will put my Spirit within you, and make you follow my statutes and be careful to observe my ordinances” (Ez 36:25-27).
How do we know that we have received the Holy Spirit? Jesus said, “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.” In other words, we are driven by a spiritual power within us that is seen only in its effects. The Holy Spirit transforms us and makes us into a new being.
Coming back to the life of the early Christians, we see that their fellowship was rooted in the fact that they were all inspired and united by the same Spirit. Indeed, Luke records how, in answer to the prayers of the apostles, the believers were filled with the Holy Spirit: “When they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God with boldness” (Acts 4:31). So filled were they with the Holy Spirit that His presence was seen in the way the Word of God was preached with boldness, and how “the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus with great power, and were held in great respect.”
Luke makes it clear that the fullness of the Holy Spirit was manifested in deeds as well as words — in service to the community, love for the world, and testimony to it. All the believers formed a closely-knit community as they devoted themselves to fellowship and were united in mind and heart. St Paul, writing to the Romans, said, “May the God of steadfastness and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another, in accordance with Christ Jesus, so that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom 15:5f). The sharing of goods flows from their union of hearts and minds.
Yet what united them was not simply a common affiliation to the community. There was a spiritual unity that directed them toward a passionate commitment to Christ’s mission. It is therefore significant that community life is never an end in itself; rather, a vibrant community is always a community in mission. Indeed, if a vibrant community becomes inward-looking and does not reach out, grow, and share the Good News, it will eventually shrink as members grow older and life becomes stale and routine.
It is easy for an organisation or movement to focus so much on consolidation and strengthening its members that it forgets the work of evangelisation. When there is no more Good News to share and no way to testify to the power of the Holy Spirit at work in their lives, the experience of His presence will gradually fade. The truth is that a caring fellowship is already a witnessing fellowship. This is why we must keep the priority of mission before fellowship. Indeed, the only way to keep our community alive and vibrant is to stir in the hearts of our members a unifying passion for the spread of the Gospel.
While being one in heart and mind is the ideal for Christian community life, it is not easy to maintain in today’s individualistic society.This is why it is important to ground the unity of the Church in a deeper experience of Christ’s love through prayer and worship. Above all, a focus on evangelisation helps to preserve this unity. Otherwise, in many church organisations and communities, a lack of vision and mission can lead to conflicts over power, position, recognition, and privilege.
All too often, leaders’ meetings in churches are concerned with matters that have little relevance to the growth of God’s kingdom. There is much infighting over policies, rules, and doctrines. If we truly have a passion to reach out to the lost, and if we have died to ourselves in Christ through baptism, then we will not waste time arguing over inconsequential matters. When our vision is limited to our own needs, we end up fighting over issues that are insignificant compared to the greater concerns of humanity — the hunger for God, the freedom to worship, poverty, and the injustices suffered by many. These are the matters that should take priority over mere efficiency.
We need more Barnabas figures in today’s community — people who think beyond themselves. We read how “Barnabas” (which means “son of encouragement”) owned a piece of land, sold it, and brought the money to present to the apostles. We too must be like him, encouraging one another to be more missionary-minded, to go beyond ourselves and our communities, and to reach out to those seeking God through our love and service.
We know that we are truly a community of witnesses if we bear witness to the Resurrection of Christ in our lives and show that our faith in His resurrection has transformed us — in forgiveness, mercy, and in reaching out to the poor.
Best Practices for Using the Daily Scripture Reflections
- Encounter God through the spirit of prayer and the scripture by reflecting and praying the Word of God daily. The purpose is to bring you to prayer and to a deeper union with the Lord on the level of the heart.
- Daily reflections when archived will lead many to accumulate all the reflections of the week and pray in one sitting. This will compromise your capacity to enter deeply into the Word of God, as the tendency is to read for knowledge rather than a prayerful reading of the Word for the purpose of developing a personal and affective relationship with the Lord.
- It is more important to pray deeply, not read widely. The current reflections of the day would be more than sufficient for anyone who wants to pray deeply and be led into an intimacy with the Lord.
Note: You may share this reflection with someone. However, please note that reflections are not archived online nor will they be available via email request.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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