Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings, 04-14-15

USCCB.org/RNAB ^ | 04-14-15 | Revised New American Bible

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Regina Coeli

 

This prayer, which dates from the twelfth century, is substituted for the Angelus during Easter Season.

In Latin

In English

Regina coeli, laetare, alleluia: Quia quem meruisti portare, alleluia. Resurrexit sicut dixit, alleluia. Ora pro nobis Deum, alleluia.   V. Gaude et laetare, Virgo Maria, Alleluia, R. Quia surrexit Dominus vere, alleluia.   Oremus: Deus qui per resurrectionem Filii tui, Domini nostri Iesu Christi, mundum laetificare dignatus es: praesta, quaesumus, ut per eius Genetricem Virginem Mariam, perpetuae capiamus gaudia vitae. Per eundem Christum Dominum nostrum. R. Amen.

Queen of Heaven rejoice, alleluia: For He whom you merited to bear, alleluia, Has risen as He said, alleluia. Pray for us to God, alleluia.   V. Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin Mary, alleluia. R. Because the Lord is truly risen, alleluia.   Let us pray: O God, who by the Resurrection of Thy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, granted joy to the whole world: grant we beseech Thee, that through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, His Mother, we may lay hold of the joys of eternal life. Through the same Christ our Lord. R. Amen.

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John
	English: Douay-Rheims	Latin: Vulgata Clementina	Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000)
	John 3
7.	Wonder not, that I said to thee, you must be born again.	Non mireris quia dixi tibi : oportet vos nasci denuo .	μη θαυμασης οτι ειπον σοι δει υμας γεννηθηναι ανωθεν
8.	The Spirit breatheth where he will; and thou hearest his voice, but thou knowest not whence he cometh, and whither he goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.	Spiritus ubi vult spirat, et vocem ejus audis, sed nescis unde veniat, aut quo vadat : sic est omnis qui natus est ex spiritu.	το πνευμα οπου θελει πνει και την φωνην αυτου ακουεις αλλ ουκ οιδας ποθεν ερχεται και που υπαγει ουτως εστιν πας ο γεγεννημενος εκ του πνευματος
9.	Nicodemus answered, and said to him: How can these things be done?	Respondit Nicodemus, et dixit ei : Quomodo possunt hæc fieri ?	απεκριθη νικοδημος και ειπεν αυτω πως δυναται ταυτα γενεσθαι
10.	Jesus answered, and said to him: Art thou a master in Israel, and knowest not these things?	Respondit Jesus, et dixit ei : Tu es magister in Israël, et hæc ignoras ?	απεκριθη ιησους και ειπεν αυτω συ ει ο διδασκαλος του ισραηλ και ταυτα ου γινωσκεις
11.	Amen, amen I say to thee, that we speak what we know, and we testify what we have seen, and you receive not our testimony.	amen, amen dico tibi, quia quod scimus loquimur, et quod vidimus testamur, et testimonium nostrum non accipitis.	αμην αμην λεγω σοι οτι ο οιδαμεν λαλουμεν και ο εωρακαμεν μαρτυρουμεν και την μαρτυριαν ημων ου λαμβανετε
12.	If I have spoken to you earthly things, and you believe not; how will you believe, if I shall speak to you heavenly things?	Si terrena dixi vobis, et non creditis : quomodo, si dixero vobis cælestia, credetis ?	ει τα επιγεια ειπον υμιν και ου πιστευετε πως εαν ειπω υμιν τα επουρανια πιστευσετε
13.	And no man hath ascended into heaven, but he that descended from heaven, the Son of man who is in heaven.	Et nemo ascendit in cælum, nisi qui descendit de cælo, Filius hominis, qui est in cælo.	και ουδεις αναβεβηκεν εις τον ουρανον ει μη ο εκ του ουρανου καταβας ο υιος του ανθρωπου ο ων εν τω ουρανω
14.	And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of man be lifted up:	Et sicut Moyses exaltavit serpentem in deserto, ita exaltari oportet Filium hominis :	και καθως μωσης υψωσεν τον οφιν εν τη ερημω ουτως υψωθηναι δει τον υιον του ανθρωπου
15.	That whosoever believeth in him, may not perish; but may have life everlasting.	ut omnis qui credit in ipsum, non pereat, sed habeat vitam æternam.	ινα πας ο πιστευων εις αυτον μη αποληται αλλ εχη ζωην αιωνιον

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7. Marvel not that I said to you, You must be born again.
8. The wind blows where it lists, and you hear the sound thereof, but can not tell whence it comes, and whither it goes; so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

CHRYS Do not look then for any material production, or think that the Spirit generates flesh; for even the Lord's flesh is generated not by the Spirit only, but also by the flesh. That which is born of the Spirit is spiritual. The birth here spoken of takes place not according to our substance, but according to honor and grace. But the birth of the Son of God is otherwise; for else what would He have been more than all who are born again? And He would be proved too inferior to the Spirit, inasmuch as His birth would be by the grace of the Spirit. How does this differ from the Jewish doctrine? - But mark next the part of the Holy Spirit, in the divine work. For whereas above some are said to be born of God, here, we find, the Spirit generates them. - The wonder of Nicodemus being roused again by the words, He who is born of the Spirit is spirit, Christ meets him again with an instance from nature; Marvel not that I said to you, You must be born again. The expression, Marvel not, shows that Nicodemus was surprised at His doctrine. He takes for this instance some thing, not of the grossness of other bodily things, but still removed from the incorporeal nature, the wind; The wind blows where it lists, and you hear the sound thereof, but can not tell whence it comes, and whither it goes: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. That is to say, if no one can restrain the wind from going where it will; much less can the laws of nature, whether the condition of our natural birth, or any other, restrain the action of the Spirit. That He speaks of the wind here is plain, from His saving, You hear the sound thereof, i.e. its noise when it strikes objects. He would not in talking to an unbeliever and ignorant person, so describe the action of the Spirit. He says, Blows where it lists; not meaning any power of choice in the wind, but only its natural movements, in their uncontrolled power. But can not tell whence it comes or whither it goes; i.e. If you can not explain the action of this wind which comes under the cognizance both of your feeling and hearing, why examine into the operation of the Divine Spirit? He adds, So is every one that is born of the Spirit.

AUG. But who of us does not see, for example, that the south wind blows from south to north, another wind from the east, another from the west? And how then do we not know whence the wind comes, and whither it goes?

BEDE. It is the Holy Spirit therefore, Who blows where He lists. It is in His own power to choose, whose heart to visit with in His enlightening grace. And you hear the sound thereof. When one filled with the Holy Spirit is present with you and speaks to you.

AUG. The Psalm sounds, the Gospel sounds, the Divine Word sounds; it is the sound of the Spirit. This means that the Holy Spirit is invisibly present in the Word and Sacrament, to accomplish our birth.

ALCUIN. Therefore, You know not whence it comes, or whither it goes; for, although the Spirit should possess a person in your presence at a particular time, it could not be seen how He entered into him, or how He went away again, because He is invisible.

HAYMO. Or, You can not tell whence it comes; i.e. you know not how He brings believers to the faith; or whither it goes, i.e. how He directs the faithful to their hope. And so is every one that is born of the Spirit; as if He said, The Holy Spirit is an invisible Spirit; and in like manner, every one who is born of the Spirit is born invisibly.

AUG. Or thus: If you are born of the Spirit, you will be such, that he, who is not yet born of the Spirit, will not know whence you come, or whither you go. For it follows, So is every one that is born of the Spirit.

THEOPHYL. This completely refutes Macedonius the impugner of the Spirit, who asserted that the Holy Ghost was a servant. The Holy Ghost, we find, works by His own power, where here He will, and what He will.

9. Nicodemus answered and said to him, How can these things be?
10. Jesus answered and said to him, Are you a master of Israel, and know not these things?
11. Verily, verily, I say to you, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and you receive not our witness.
12. If I have told you earthly things, and you believe not, how shall you believe, if I tell you of heavenly things.

HAYMO. Nicodemus cannot take in the mysteries of the Divine Majesty, which our Lord reveals, and therefore asks how it is, not denying the fact, not meaning any censure, but wishing to be informed: Nicodemus answered and said to Him, How can these things be?

CHRYS. Forasmuch then as he still remains a Jew, and, after such clear evidence, persists in a low and carnal system, Christ addresses him henceforth with greater severity: Jesus answered and said to him, Are you a master in Israel, and know not these things?

AUG. What think we? that our Lord wished to insult this master in Israel? He wished him to be born of the Spirit: and no one is born of the Spirit except he is made humble; for this very humility it is, which makes us to be born of the Spirit. He however was inflated with his eminence as a master, and thought himself of importance because he was a doctor of the Jews. Our Lord then casts down his pride, in order that he may be born of the Spirit.

CHRYS. Nevertheless He does not charge the man with wickedness, but only with want of wisdom, and enlightenment. But some one will say, What connection has this birth, of which Christ speaks, with Jewish doctrines? Thus much. The first man that was made, the woman that was made out of his rib, the barren that bare, the miracles which were worked by means of water, I mean, Elijah's bringing up the iron from the river, the passage of the Red Sea, and Naaman the Syrian's purification in the Jordan, were all types and figures of the spiritual birth, and of the purification which was to take place thereby. Many passages in the Prophets too have a hidden reference to this birth: as that in the Psalms, Making you young and lusty as an eagle: and, Blessed is he whose unrighteousness is forgiven. And again, Isaac was a type of this birth. Referring to these passages, our Lord says, Are you a master in Israel, and know not these things? A second time however He condescends to his infirmity, and makes use of a common argument to render what He has said credible: Verily, verily, I say to you, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen, and you receive not our testimony. Sight we consider the most certain of all the senses; so that when we say, we saw such a thing with our eyes, we seem to compel men to believe us. In like manner Christ, speaking after the manner of men, does not indeed say that he has seen actually, i.e. with the bodily eye, the mysteries He reveals; but it is clear that He means it of the most certain absolute knowledge. This then, viz. That we do know, he asserts of Himself alone.

HAYMO. Why, it is He asked, does He speak in the plural number, We speak that we do know? Because the speaker being the Only-Begotten Son of God, He would show that the Father was in the Son, and the Son in the Father, and the Holy Ghost from both, proceeding indivisibly.

ALCUIN. Or, the plural number may have this meaning; I, and they who are born again of the Spirit, alone understand what we speak; and having seen the Father in secret, this we testify openly to the world; and you, who are carnal and proud, receive not our testimony.

THEOPHYL. This is not said of Nicodemus, but of tile Jewish race, who to the very last persisted in unbelief.

CHRYS. They are words of gentleness, not of anger; a lesson to us, when we argue and cannot converse, not by sore and angry words, but by the absence of anger and clamor, (for clamor is the material of anger,) to prove the soundness of our views. Jesus in entering upon high doctrines, ever checks Himself in compassion to the weakness of His hearer: and does not dwell continuously on the most important truths, but turns to others more humble. Whence it follows: If I have told you earthly things, and you believe not, how shall you believe if I tell you of heavenly things.

AUG. That is: If you do not believe that I can raise up a temple, which you have thrown down, how can you believe that men can be regenerated by the Holy Ghost?

CHRYS, Or thus: Be not surprised at His calling Baptism earthly. It is performed upon earth, and is compared with that stupendous birth, which is of the substance of the Father, an earthly birth being one of mere grace. And well has He said, not, You understand not, but, You believe not: for when the understanding cannot take in certain truths, we attribute it to natural deficiency or ignorance: but where that is not received which it belongs to faith only to receive, the fault is not deficiency, but unbelief. These truths, however, were revealed that posterity might believe and benefit by them, though the people of that age did not.

13. And no man has ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.

AUG. After taking notice of this lack of knowledge in a person, who, on the strength of his magisterial station, set himself above others, and blaming the unbelief of such men, our Lord says, that if such as these do not believe, others will: No one has ascended into heaven, but He that came down from heaven, even the Son of man who is in heaven. This may be rendered: The spiritual birth shall be of such sort, as that men from being earthly shall become heavenly: which will not be possible, except they are made members of Me; so that he who ascends, becomes one with Him who descended. Our Lord accounts His body, i.e. His Church, as Himself.

GREG. Forasmuch as we are made one with Him, to the place from which He came alone in Himself, thither He returns alone in us; and He who is ever in heaven, daily ascends to heaven.

AUG. Although He was made the Son of man upon earth, yet His Divinity with which, remaining in heaven, He descended to earth, He has declared not to disagree with the title of Son of man, as He has thought His flesh worthy the name of Son of God. For through the Unity of person, by which both substances are one Christ, He walked upon earth, being Son of God; and remained in heaven, being Son of man. And the belief of the greater, involves belief in the less. If then the Divine substance, which is so far more removed from us, and could for our sake take up the substance of man so as to unite them in one person; how much more easily may we believe, that the Saints united with the man Christ, become with Him one Christ, so that while it is true of all, that they ascend by grace, it is at the same time true, that He alone ascends to heaven, Who came down from heaven.

CHRYS. Or thus: Nicodemus having said, We know that You are a teacher sent from God; our Lord says, And no man has ascended, &c. in that He might not appear to be a teacher only like one of the Prophets.

THEOPHYL. But when you hear that the Son of man came down from heaven, think not that His flesh came down from heaven; for this is the doctrine of those heretics, who held that Christ took His Body from heaven, and only passed through the Virgin.

CHRYS. By the title Son of man here, He does not mean His flesh, but Himself altogether; the lesser part of His nature being put to express the whole. It is not uncommon with Him to name Himself wholly from His humanity, or wholly from His divinity.

BEDE; If a man of set purpose descend naked to the valley, and there providing himself with clothes and armor, ascend the mountain again, he who ascended may be said to be the same with him who descended.

HILARY; Or, His descending from heaven is the source of His origin as conceived by the Spirit: Mary gave not His body its origin, though the natural qualities of her sex contributed its birth and increase. That He is the Son of man is from the birth of the flesh which was conceived in the Virgin. That He is in heaven is form the power of His everlasting nature, which did not contract the power of the Word of God, which is infinite, within the sphere of a finite body. Our Lord remaining in the form of a servant, far from the whole circle, inner and outer, of heaven and the world, yet as Lord of heaven and the world, was not absent therefrom. So then He came down from heaven because He was the Son of man; and He was in heaven, because the Word, which was made flesh, had not ceased to be the Word.

AUG. But you wonder that He was at once here, and in heaven. Yet such power has He given to His disciples. Hear Paul, Our conversation is in heaven. If the man Paul walked upon earth, and had his conversation in heaven; shall not the God of heaven and earth be able to be in heaven and earth?

CHRYS. That too which seems very lofty is still unworthy of His vastness. For He is not in heaven only, but every where, and fills all things. But for the present He accommodates Himself to the weakness of His hearer, that by degrees He may convert him.

14. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:
15. That whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

CHRYS. Having made mention of the gift of baptism, He proceeds to the source of it, i.e. the cross: And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up.

BEDE; He introduces the teacher of the Mosaic law, to the spiritual sense of that law; by a passage from the Old Testament history, which was intended to be a figure of His Passion, and of man's salvation.

AUG. Many dying in the wilderness from the attack of the serpents, Moses, by commandment of the Lord, lifted up a brazen serpent and those who looked upon it were immediately healed. The lifting up of the serpent is the death of Christ; the cause, by a certain mode of construction, being put for the effect. The serpent was the cause of death, inasmuch as he persuaded man into that sin, by which he merited death. Our Lord, however, did not transfer sin, i.e. the poison of the serpent, to his flesh, but death; in order that in the likeness of sinful flesh, there might be punishment without sin, by virtue of which sinful flesh might be delivered both from punishment and from sin.

THEOPHYL. See then the aptness of the figure. The figure of the serpent has the appearance of the beast, but not its poison: in the same way Christ came in the likeness of sinful flesh, being free from sin. By Christ's being lifted up, understand His being suspended on high, by which suspension He sanctified the air, even as He had sanctified the earth by walking upon it. Herein too is typified the glory of Christ: for the height of the cross was made His glory for in that He submitted to be judged, He judged the prince of this world; for Adam died justly, because he sinned; out Lord unjustly, because He did no sin. So He overcame him, who delivered Him over to death, and thus delivered Adam from death. And in this the devil found himself vanquished, that he could not upon the cross torment our Lord into hating His murderers: but only made Him love and pray for them the more. In this way the cross of Christ was made His lifting up, and glory.

CHRYS. Wherefore He does not say, The Son of man must be suspended, but lifted up, a more honorable term, but coming near the figure. He uses the figure to show that the old dispensation is akin to the new, and to show on His hearers' account that He suffered voluntarily; and that His death issued in life.

AUG. As then formerly he who looked to the serpent that was lifted up, was healed of its poison, and saved from death; so now he who is conformed to the likeness of Christ's death by faith and the grace of baptism, is delivered both from sin by justification, and from death by the resurrection: as He Himself said; That whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. What need then is there that the child should be conformed by baptism to the death of Christ, if he be not altogether tainted by the poisonous bite of the serpent?

CHRYS. Observe; He alludes to the Passion obscurely, in consideration to His hearer; but the fruit of the Passion He unfolds plainly; viz. that they who believe in the Crucified One should not perish. And if they who believe in the Crucified live, much more shall the Crucified One Himself.

AUG. But there is this difference between the figure and the reality, that the one recovered from temporal death, the other from eternal.

Catena Aurea John 3

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Baptismal font

Reiner de Huy

1107-18
Cast bronze, height 60 cm, diameter 80 cm
Saint-Barthélemy, Liège

[Salvation]

Information: Sts. Tiburtius, Valerian, Maximus

Feast Day: April 14

[Salvation]

Interactive Saints for Kids

Blessed Lidwina

Feast Day: April 14
Born: 1380 :: Died: 1433

 

Lidwina was born at Schiedam in Holland. The name Lidwina means "suffering." Her parents were poor folk. Lidwina was quite young, when a deep affection for Our Lady of Schiedam began to grow in her heart. When she was fifteen, Lidwina gave herself completely to God.

She may have become a nun later, but when she was sixteen, in a single afternoon, her whole life changed. Lidwina went skating with her friends and one of them accidentally bumped her. Lidwina fell down hard on the ice and broke a rib. She was in great pain.

But that fall brought other problems, too. In the days ahead, she had very bad headaches, nausea, fever, thirst and her whole body hurt badly.

Crying, Lidwina told her father she could not bear the pain anymore. But the pain got even worse. Sores began to form on her face and body. She also became blind in one eye. Finally, she got paralyzed and could no longer leave her bed.

Lidwina was upset and bitter. Why had God let this happen to her? What did he want from her? And what could she still give to him anyway?

Her parish priest, Father John, came to visit and pray with her. He helped her think of what Jesus had suffered. She began to realize the beautiful gift that she would give to Jesus: she would suffer for him. She would offer her sufferings to console him, who had suffered so much on the cross. Her suffering became a beautiful prayer to God.

For thirty-eight years, Lidwina suffered. It seemed impossible that she could remain alive in such serious condition. But she did. God comforted her in many ways. Lidwina was good to everyone who came to her poor little room. She prayed to God and suffered for their special intentions. They knew God would listen to Lidwina.

Lidwina's special love was for Jesus in the Holy Eucharist. For many years, she seemed to live only on Holy Communion. She saw visions of Heaven and Purgatory and Christ’s Passion. She was also visited by saints.

Miracles took place at her bedside and some people said she was possessed by evil spirits. She became completely blind for the last seven years of her life. She had a beautiful final vision of Jesus giving her Holy Communion shortly before she died.

Reflection: Let us pray today for a heart that is able to give thanks to God when suffering comes our way.

[Salvation]

Day 104 - The Parable of the Sower

 

Today's Reading: Mark 4:1-9

1 Again he began to teach beside the sea. And a very large crowd gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat in it on the sea; and the whole crowd was beside the sea on the land. 2 And he taught them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them: 3 "Listen! A sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. 5 Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it had not much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil; 6 and when the sun rose it was scorched, and since it had no root it withered away. 7 Other seed fell among thorns and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. 8 And other seeds fell into good soil and brought forth grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold." 9 And he said, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."

Today's Commentary:

The parable of the Sower. Jesus places himself in a long line of OT prophets whose message was received by some but rejected by many (Mt 23:37; Heb 11:32-38). Jesus is the sower whose message likewise elicits diverse responses. The condition of the soil in each scenario determines one's reaction to Jesus (see CCC 29). Three responses prove unfruitful: those like the path are corrupted by Satan (4:15); those like rocky ground are hampered by weak and partial commitments to the gospel (4:17); those with thorns are entangled in the distractions and concerns of the world (4:19). Jesus' graphic language (devoured, scorched, choked; 4:4, 6-7) underscores the opposition facing the gospel. In contrast, the good soil is receptive to God's word and yields an abundant harvest (CCC 2707).

 

The imagery in Jesus' parable evokes Is 55:10-13, where Isaiah describes God's word as a powerful and effective force. He cannot sow his divine word without bringing blessing and accomplishing his will.

[Salvation]

Catholic Culture

 

Daily Readings for:April 14, 2015
(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: Enable us, we pray, almighty God, to proclaim the power of the risen Lord, that we, who have received the pledge of his gift, may come to possess all he gives when it is fully revealed. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

RECIPES

o    Soup de Sante

o    Whole Wheat Bread II

ACTIVITIES

o    Church Etiquette

o    Namedays

PRAYERS

o    Easter Season I Table Blessing 2

o    Easter Blessing of Food

o    Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Easter Week (1st Plan)

o    Novena to St. Bernadette

Easter: April 14th

Tuesday of the Second Week of Easter

 

Old Calendar: St. Justin, martyr; Sts. Tiburtius, Valerian, and Maximus, martyrs

According to the 1962 Missal of St. John XXIII the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, today is the feast of St. Justin, martyr and also the commemoration of Sts. Tiburtius, Valerian and Maximus, martyrs who died with St. Cecilia. St. Justin's feast in the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite is celebrated on June 1.

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Sts. Tiburtius, Valerian, and Maximus
When the wedding day came, St. Cecilia sat apart from the guests, repeating psalms and praying. After the ceremony, when the guests had departed and she was alone with her husband, Valerian, Cecilia made known her great desire to remain as she was, saying that she already had a lover, an angel of God, who was very jealous. Valerian, shaken by suspicion, fear, and anger, said to her: "Show me this angel. If he is of God, I shall refrain, as you wish, but if he is a human lover, you both must die." Cecilia answered: "If you believe in the one true and living God and receive the water of baptism, then you shall see the angel." Valerian assented, and following his wife's directions sought out a bishop named Urban, who was in hiding among the tombs of the martyrs, for this was a time of persecutions. Valerian made his profession of faith and the bishop baptized him. When the young husband returned, he found an angel with flaming wings standing beside Cecilia. The angel placed chaplets of roses and lilies on their heads. The brother of Valerian, Tiburtius, was also converted; and after being baptized he too experienced many marvels.

Valerian and Tiburtius devoted themselves to good works on behalf of the Christian community, and they made it their special duty to give proper burial to those Christians who were put to death by order of the prefect Almachius. The two brothers were themselves soon sentenced for refusing to sacrifice to Jupiter. Maximus, a Roman officer charged with their execution, was converted by a vision that came to him in the hour of their death. After professing Christianity, he too suffered martyrdom. The three were buried by the grieving Cecilia, and a little later she herself was sentenced.

Excerpted from Lives of Saints, Published by John J. Crawley & Co., Inc.

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The Station at Rome is in the church of St. Apollinaris, who was a disciple of St. Peter, and afterwards bishop of Ravenna. He was martyred. The church was founded in the early Middle Ages, probably in the 7th century.

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The Word Among Us

Meditation: John 3:7-15

2nd Week of Easter

The wind blows where it wills. (John 3:8)

Meteorologists have developed finely-tuned instruments to measure natural forces that help them predict the weather. But in Jesus’ time, weather was a bit of a mystery. No one could pin down the wind. You couldn’t find its starting point or know when it would shift direction. It was always doing something unexpected. And so Jesus used this natural phenomenon to illustrate how surprising life is when you try to follow the Spirit.

On the face of it, the Spirit’s work doesn’t always seem to follow human logic. That shouldn’t surprise us, of course; earthly things are not like heavenly things! Earthly expectations don’t always predict or reflect heavenly realities. So being “born from above” is not just a patched-up earthly existence (John 3:7). It’s not a predictable progression toward a nobler version of your human self. It’s a bracing gust of wind from a God who loves to challenge assumptions and turn things upside down!

Nicodemus came to Jesus looking for clarity, for a better understanding of what Jesus was teaching. But Jesus didn’t just take him one step further in his faith; he turned his whole world upside down. He told Nicodemus that Nicodemus had to be “born from above” if he wanted to understand Jesus’ words (John 3:7). Nicodemus needed to embrace a whole new way of living, a way guided by the sometimes gusty wind of the Spirit.

Look back over your life. Where have you seen the Holy Spirit blowing you onto a new and different path? Think about a time when God surprised you, maybe by deepening your faith as you endured a stormy period. Maybe there was a family emergency that brought people together. Maybe you lost your job, but new opportunities opened up. Maybe your parish priest was transferred, but the new pastor’s preaching resulted in a conversion of someone you know.

God may be unpredictable, but he is completely trustworthy! Whether the wind of his Spirit blows hard or gently, he will always respond to our faith with more grace and a deeper relationship with him. So let the lessons from your past help you lay hold of your faith in the present and the future!

“Lord, no matter how the wind blows, I will hold on to you. I trust that your ways are the best!”

Acts 4:32-37; Psalm 93:1-2, 5

[Salvation]

Marriage=One Man and One Woman 'Til Death Do Us Part

Daily Marriage Tip for April 14, 2015:

Remember your first real date? Can you recreate it in some way this week – go to the same place? Watch the same movie? At the least, reminisce together.

[onyx]

B T T T ! ! ! ©

[Salvation]

Regnum Christi

Born of the Spirit

U. S. A. | SPIRITUAL LIFE | SPIRITUALITY

April 14, 2015. Tuesday of the Second Week of Easter

By Father Steven Reilly, LC

John 3:7b-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.”

Introductory Prayer: Lord, you know my needs better than I do. I turn to your Spirit to teach me what to ask for in this prayer. I want to fulfill your holy will over my life. I love you, Lord, and I place all my hope in you.

Petition: Lord, increase my faith!

1. You Are the Teacher of Israel: Nicodemus was one of the leading teachers, yet here he tries to make a quiet request for information from Jesus. As a religious teacher he was well versed in the rules and regulations, but there was still a gap in his knowledge. He didn’t know about the Holy Spirit and the new existence that we receive by being born of “water and the spirit.” In a way, he can’t be blamed, since Jesus had not yet revealed it, but it just goes to show us how fundamental spiritual knowledge is in order to be a credible spiritual leader. As committed Catholics, we need to lead others to deeper faith. But will we do so to the degree that we know the faith and are living it in our hearts?

2. Being Born of the Spirit: Are we practical materialists? At times we become so enmeshed in the reality of daily life that we don’t give the slightest thought to the spiritual world, which is infinitely greater than the material one that consumes all our attention. Through our baptism, we are marked out for heavenly things. We bear on our soul the indelible mark that proclaims to the universe that we are children of God. Every time we take a spiritual breath, and glance heavenwards, we renew that birth in the Spirit through which the Lord claimed us as his own. Let us never spend more than a minute as practical materialists!

3. Giving Testimony: Jesus speaks here about giving testimony. He wants us to be his witnesses as well. He wants us to continue to proclaim to the world the reality of the “heavenly things” that he revealed. Possibly the greatest testimony we can give is the happiness and charity of our lives. Joyful, charitable Catholics carry in their very demeanor the sign that their faith is authentic. Before you get angry, upset, or critical, ask yourself, “Is this the testimony of a life filled with the Holy Spirit?”

Conversation with Christ: Lord, thank you for the gift of the Holy Spirit in my life. At times, I don’t always live in accord with the great blessing you have given me, but I know that your patience and mercy always give me another chance. Help me to love others and give them a glimpse of heaven through my charity.

Resolution: In my conversation today, I will try to say something that will plant a spiritual seed in others.

[Salvation]

I smiled to myself, knowing I could not recreate that moment, but I was a stand in for my cousin who had a sick child and couldn’t take my husband’s sister out on her 21st birthday for a drink.

(Back when the laws were older and I was younger....LOL!)

[Salvation]

Homily of the Day

April 14, 2015

Christian Community

The first reading speaks of “life in the Christian Community.” When one reads these passages, one can’t help but feel like the reading is describing an idyllic situation where every person is looking after everyone else, doesn’t it?

Wouldn’t it be a nice change to live in a world where the ‘good of the many’ outweigh the ‘good of one,’ or the self?

So what does the first reading talk about? It talks about how we, as Christians, should treat and look out for each other’s welfare at all times. Life would be more pleasant if people, all people, treat each other with more kindness, compassion and selflessness? If people care more about others just a little more than they care for themselves and for their own well-being — the world would be a much better place indeed. But since the world is not as kind as all that — the best that any one of us can do is to be the first to be kind, to be compassionate and to be more selfless in any situation… and then go from there.

Let us pray for a kinder world so that one day hopefully, we can have a world that will epitomize a ‘Christian Community.’

[Salvation]

One Bread, One Body

One Bread, One Body

Language: English | Español

All Issues > Volume 31, Issue 3

<< Tuesday, April 14, 2015 >>

Acts 4:32-37
View Readings

Psalm 93:1-2, 5

John 3:7-15
Similar Reflections

RISEN LIFE IS NEW

"You must all be begotten from above." —John 3:7

One simple test of whether or not you're living the radically different risen life is your attitude toward money. If you live the risen life, you aren't preoccupied with money. Like Barnabas and other disciples in the early Church, you'd gladly sell your "property or houses" for the Lord (Acts 4:34). It isn't a problem to tithe and give alms, for you're more concerned with the welfare of the needy than with possessions (Acts 4:34).

Risen life is completely different than life before the resurrection. The difference is even more striking than the contrast between the murky darkness of the womb and the dazzling brightness of sunlight (see Jn 3:3). Risen life is radically different from "non-risen" life. To a person not living the risen life, understanding risen life is like a child in the womb trying to understand the wind outside the womb (see Jn 3:8). They probably can't understand why someone would tithe, but they do hunger for the joy, newness, peace, and freedom they see in those who truly live the risen life.

You may feel like a lead weight instead of a soaring eagle, but risen life has nothing to do with your feelings. It has everything to do with the action of the Holy Spirit begetting you from above (Jn 3:6). Jesus is risen! He is "the Resurrection and the Life" (Jn 11:25). With Mary, say: "Lord, let it be done to me according to Your will" (see Lk 1:38). Be born to risen life.

Prayer: Jesus, how can I settle for a half-life when You offer me life to the full? (Jn 10:10) I want everything You have for me.

Promise: "Flesh begets flesh, Spirit begets spirit." —Jn 3:6

Praise: Brother Michael gave up all his earthly possessions to live in a foreign land with the poorest of the poor.

[Salvation]

Life Jewels (Listen) A collection of One Minute Pro-Life messages. A different message each time you click.

[onyx]

Sweet memory! Thank you so much for telling me!
God bless and keep you.