Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 3, 1-8
There was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.
He came to Jesus at 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 are doing
unless God is with him.”
Jesus answered and said to him,
“Amen, amen, I say to you,
unless one is born from above, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.”
Nicodemus said to him,
“How can a man once grown old be born again?
Surely he cannot reenter his mother’s womb and be born again, can he?”
Jesus answered,
“Amen, amen, I say to you,
unless one is born of water and Spirit
he cannot enter the Kingdom of God.
What is born of flesh is flesh
and what is born of spirit is spirit.
Do not be amazed that I told you,
‘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.”
To be reborn
1. It was night. Nicodemus came to see Jesus at night. This is the attitude of a person who’s hiding and is afraid that others will see him with Jesus. There are Christians who are also like this, who are afraid to be seen doing things in connection with God. This is what I call the “syndrome of the adolescent altar boy” because when they’re young, they love to help during mass, but when they’re adolescents, they’re afraid of being laughed at for helping. There are people who are also afraid of what society might say about their search for the transcendent. Seek God and be proud of your search. Don’t be ashamed of looking for God.
2. Born of flesh. Life is not just what you have to face every day. There’s something else, and Jesus wants to remind you of that, that there’s something greater, that not everything ends here. Heaven exists and it’s waiting for you. You have a ticket and it’s a VIP ticket! Don’t just settle for the flesh, for material things, don’t just fill your pockets with money and worry about the latest model of SUV. Material possessions are not all in life. Aim for more! Aim for Heaven!
3. The wind blows where it wills. Today the Holy Spirit is blowing in your life in order to move you and remind you that you are headed to Heaven. You must aim high, to eternal life and eternal happiness. Be happy and make others happy because together we’ll go to Heaven, and we’ll all meet there.
Always remember that something good is on the way!
God bless you and guard you in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
