Tuesday, 2nd week of Easter
DAILY GOSPEL AND COMMENTARY: ” “EVERYONE WHO BELIEVES IN HIM MAY HAVE ETERNAL LIFE (v. 15)” Jn 3:7-15.
TUESDAY, 2ND WEEK OF EASTER
MASS READINGS
READING I
Acts 4:32–37
The community of believers was of one heart and mind, and no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they had everything in common. With great power the Apostles bore witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great favor was accorded them all. There was no needy person among them, for those who owned property or houses would sell them, bring the proceeds of the sale, and put them at the feet of the Apostles, and they were distributed to each according to need.
Thus Joseph, also named by the Apostles Barnabas (which is translated “son of encouragement”), a Levite, a Cypriot by birth, sold a piece of property that he owned, then brought the money and put it at the feet of the Apostles.
RESPONSORIAL PSALM
R. The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.
Or: Alleluia!
The Lord is king, in splendor robed;
robed is the Lord and girt about with strength.
R. The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.
Or: Alleluia!
And he has made the world firm,
not to be moved.
Your throne stands firm from of old;
from everlasting you are, O Lord.
R. The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.
Or: Alleluia!
Your decrees are worthy of trust indeed:
holiness befits your house,
O Lord, for length of days.
R. The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.
Or: Alleluia!
ALLELUIA
The Son of Man must be lifted up that all who believe in him may have eternal life.
GOSPEL OF TUESDAY, 2ND WEEK OF EASTER
Jn 3:7–15
Jesus said to Nicodemus: “‘You must be born from above.’ The wind blows where it wills, and you can hear the sound it makes, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes; so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” Nicodemus answered and said to him, ‘How can this happen?” Jesus answered and said to him, “You are the teacher of Israel and you do not understand this? Amen, amen, I say to you, we speak of what we know and we testify to what we have seen, but you people do not accept our testimony. If I tell you about earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? No one has gone up to heaven except the one who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.”
GOSPEL COMMENTARY
from the Navarre Bible, Commentary to the Gospel of St. John (with permission)
vv.10-12 Jesus answered and said to him, “You are thee teacher of Israel and you do not understand this? Amen, amen, I say to you, we speak of what we know and we testify to what we have seen, but you people do not accept our testimony. If I tell you about earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things?
Even though Nicodemus finds them puzzling, Jesus confirms that his words still stand, and he explains that he speaks about the things of heaven because that is where he comes from, and to make himself understood he uses earthly comparisons and images.
- Even so, this language will fail to convince those who adopt an attitude of disbelief.
- Chrysostom comments: “It was with reason that he said not: ‘You do not understand,’ but: ‘You do not believe.’ When a person baulks and does not readily accept things which it is possible for the mind to receive, he may with reason be accused of stupidity; when he does not accept things which it is not possible to grasp by reason but only by faith, the charge is no longer that of stupidity, but of incredulity” (Hom. on St John,27, 1).
vv. 13 No one has ascended into heaven but he who descended from heaven, the Son of man.
This is a formal declaration of the divinity of Jesus.
- No one has gone up into heaven and, therefore, no one can have perfect knowledge of God’s secrets, except God himself who became man and came down from heaven — Jesus, the second Person of the Blessed Trinity, the Son of man foretold in the Old Testament (cf. Dan 7:13), to whom has been given eternal lordship over all peoples.
- The Word does not stop being God on becoming man: even when he is on earth as man, he is in heaven as God. It is only after the Resurrection and the Ascension that Jesus Christ is in heaven as man also.
vv. 14-15 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.”
The bronze serpent which Moses set up on a pole was established by God to cure those who had been bitten by the poisonous serpents in the desert (cf. Num 2 1:8-9).
Jesus compares this with his Crucifixion, to show the value of his being raised up on the Cross: those who look on him with faith can obtain salvation.
- We could say that the good thief was the first to experience the saving power of Christ on the Cross: he saw the crucified Jesus, the King of Israel, the Messiah, and was immediately promised that he would be in Paradise that very day (cf. Lk 23:39-43).
- The Son of God took on our human nature to make known the hidden mystery of God’s own life (cf. Mk 4:11; Jn 1:18; 3:1-13; Eph 3:9) and to free from sin and death those who look at him with faith and love and who accept the cross of every day.
- The faith of which our Lord speaks is not just intellectual acceptance of the truths he has taught: it involves recognizing him as Son of God (cf. 1 Jn 5:1), sharing his very life (cf. Jn 1:12) and surrendering ourselves out of love and therefore becoming like him (cf. Jn 10:27; 1 Jn 3:2). But this faith is a gift of God (cf. Jn 3:3, 5-8), and we should ask him to strengthen it and increase it as the Apostles did: Lord “increase our faith!” (Lk 17:5).
- While faith is a supernatural, free gift, it is also a virtue, a good habit, which a person can practise and thereby develop: so the Christian, who already has the divine gift of faith, needs with the help of grace to make explicit acts of faith in order to make this virtue grow.
VIDEO REFLECTION
TOPIC: CAN THE HOLY SPIRIT WORK FOR YOU?
Today’s gospel reading continues from yesterday’s where Nicodemus, a rich Pharisee and a member of the seventy-strong Sanhedrin, the highest religious, political and judicial council of the Jews at that time, sought Jesus to clarify if obeying the Mosaic Law and offering prescribed sacrifices was enough for one’s eternal salvation. Jesus tells him that one needs to be baptized and receive the power of the Holy Spirit that will empower one to do good and avoid evil. But we must allow the Holy Spirit to work in us fully.
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