DAILY- HOMILY

April 29, 2014
Tuesday Second Week of Easter
[St. Catherine of Siena]

Acts 4:32-37 / Ps 93:1ab, 1cd-2, 5 / Jn 3: 7b-15   

Reading: Acts 4:32-37
The whole community of believers was one in heart and mind. No one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but rather they shared all things in common. With great power the apostles bore witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, for all of them were living in an exceptional time of grace. There was no needy person among them, for those who owned land or houses, sold them and brought the proceeds of the sale. And they laid it at the feet of the apostles who distributed it according to each one's need. This is what a certain Joseph did. He was a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas, meaning: "The encouraging one." He sold a field which he owned and handed the money to the apostles.

Gospel: Jn 3: 7b-15
"Because of this, don't be surprised when I say, 'You must be born again from above.' The wind blows where it pleases and you hear its sound, but you don't know where it comes from or where it is going. It is like that with everyone who is born of the Spirit." Nicodemus asked again, "How can this be?" And Jesus answered, "You are a teacher in Israel, and you don't know these things! Truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know and we witness to the things we have seen, but you don't accept our testimony. If you don't believe when I speak of earthly things, what then, when I speak to you of heavenly things? No one has ever gone up to heaven except the one who came from heaven, the Son of Man. As Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.
   
Reflection:
Christ's conversation with Nicodemus is a discourse on baptism, which means, to be born from above. One who is born from above allows the Spirit to lead his life; everything he does is based solely on the will of God. Even if we are all baptized, most of us cannot say that we are born from above because usually, we would rather do our own will, anything that makes us happy, fills us, and gratifies us.  We are all basically egoistic. This is why we truly need to be born of the Spirit. How are we born of the Spirit? By believing that the Son of Man was lifted up, we become people born of the Spirit, which is not a simple matter. Jesus was lifted up when he died on the cross and also when he was resurrected. To believe in this truth is to acknowledge Christ as the Lord. However, often, we raise up other gods in our lives like ourselves, money, success, affection, etc. We worship these idols instead of Christ, preferring our projects in life. This gospel is an invitation for us to allow Jesus Christ to overthrow the devil in our lives who keeps us slave of our concupiscence, of our egoism, and truly believe only in Him as our Lord. 

Prayer Requests:
We pray ...
... for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the unborn
... for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary
... for families who are in need of healing
... for world peace and reconciliation
... for personal intentions - Sarita Almeida

Finally, we pray for one another, for those who have asked our prayers and for those who need our prayers the most.

Have a good day!

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