Reading 1
Acts 4:23-31
After their release Peter and John went back to their own people
and reported what the chief priests and elders had told them.
And when they heard it,
they raised their voices to God with one accord
and said, “Sovereign Lord, maker of heaven and earth
and the sea and all that is in them,
you said by the Holy Spirit
through the mouth of our father David, your servant:
Why did the Gentiles rage
and the peoples entertain folly?
The kings of the earth took their stand
and the princes gathered together
against the Lord and against his anointed.
Indeed they gathered in this city
against your holy servant Jesus whom you anointed,
Herod and Pontius Pilate,
together with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel,
to do what your hand and your will
had long ago planned to take place.
And now, Lord, take note of their threats,
and enable your servants to speak your word
with all boldness, as you stretch forth your hand to heal,
and signs and wonders are done
through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”
As they prayed, the place where they were gathered shook,
and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit
and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 2:1-3, 4-7a, 7b-9
R. (see 11d) Blessed are all who take refuge in the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Why do the nations rage
and the peoples utter folly?
The kings of the earth rise up,
and the princes conspire together
against the LORD and against his anointed:
“Let us break their fetters
and cast their bonds from us!”
R. Blessed are all who take refuge in the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He who is throned in heaven laughs;
the LORD derides them.
Then in anger he speaks to them;
he terrifies them in his wrath:
“I myself have set up my king
on Zion, my holy mountain.”
I will proclaim the decree of the LORD.
R. Blessed are all who take refuge in the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The LORD said to me, “You are my Son;
this day I have begotten you.
Ask of me and I will give you
the nations for an inheritance
and the ends of the earth for your possession.
You shall rule them with an iron rod;
you shall shatter them like an earthen dish.”
R. Blessed are all who take refuge in the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Gospel
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.”
REFLECTION
SOURCE: One Bread One Body
THEME: THE MEANING OF LIFE
"I solemnly assure you, no one can enter into God's kingdom without being begotten of water and Spirit." –John 3:5
When Nicodemus talked of signs and wonders, Jesus spoke of Baptism, of being begotten of water and Spirit. When Jesus spoke to the Samaritan woman, He promised her the "living water" of Baptism, a fountain within her "leaping up to provide eternal life" (Jn 4:10, 14). Even when the dead body of Jesus was hanging on the cross, His body language spoke of Baptism, as blood and water flowed from His pierced side (Jn 19:34). Before Jesus ascended, He gave the Church the "great commission" to make disciples of all nations and baptize them (see Mt 28:19). Before Jesus ascended, He also promised: "Within a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit" (Acts 1:5). Then the Church was born when three thousand were baptized on the first Christian Pentecost (Acts 2:41). In the fifth from the last verse of the Bible, Jesus again refers to Baptism when He invites us to "accept the gift of life-giving water" (Rv 22:17).
The Church got Jesus' point. Therefore, on the greatest day of the year, Easter Vigil and Easter Sunday, in every Mass and every Catholic church in the world, we are invited to renew our baptismal promises. Live your Baptism. This is Jesus' will and the meaning of our lives.
PRAYER: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, I believe in You. By Your grace, I reject Satan, all his works, and all his empty promises.
PROMISE: "The place where they were gathered shook as they prayed. They were filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak God's word with confidence." –Acts 4:31
PRAISE: St. Peter zealously ministered to the sick. His caring love for the ill bore great fruit as he led many families to faith in Jesus.
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