You Must Be Bornh Again Easter

Fr. Roger J. Landry
Visitation Mission of the Sisters of Life, Manhattan
Tuesday of the Second Week of Easter
Memorial of St. Pius V
April 30, 2019
Acts 4:32-37, Ps 93, Jn 3:seven-15

To listen to an audio recording of today'south homily, delight click below:

The post-obit points were attempted in the homily:

• Today in the Gospel, Jesus continues his dialogue with Nicodemus, the "reluctant disciple," who came to Jesus by nighttime considering even though he knew that God was working through Jesus, he wasn't courageous enough to make a commitment and take chances being seen with him during the day, something that might compromise his prestige and status among the members of the Sanhedrin. In yesterday'due south excerpt of their conversation, Jesus told him that unless 1 is "born from to a higher place" he cannot see the Kingdom of God. But rather than trying to assimilate what Jesus was indicating with images and how the illustration of physical birth related to the mystery of spiritual regeneration, Nicodemus responded by trying to treat the mystery of rebirth as an applesauce: "How can a man once grown old be born over again?," he asked. "Surely he cannot reenter his mother'south womb and exist built-in once again, can he?" Nicodemus was too smart non to grasp that that was not what Jesus was implying.
• So Jesus tried to help him to accept the fact of the need for rebirth from above without the necessity of understanding how by means of some other analogy, the one that begins today'due south reading. "Do not exist amazed that I told you lot, 'You lot must be built-in from higher up,'" Jesus said. "The wind blows where it wills and yous can hear the sound it makes but you do not know where information technology comes from or where it goes; so it is with anybody who is built-in of the Spirit." When we experience a cool breeze outside, we don't spend time wondering whether it originated in Chicago or Philadelphia or whether information technology's on its style to Connecticut or to New Jersey. We just accept acknowledge the breeze and are grateful for information technology. Jesus says nosotros should arroyo the style the Holy Spirit blows with the same acceptance and non get distracted by how the Holy Spirit is bringing nigh our spiritual rebirth or where he wants to blow us subsequently. We're called to acknowledge what he's doing with trust.
• But Nicodemus doesn't buy that either. "How can this happen?," he retorts. That's where Jesus seeks to humble him, because it was his pride that was preventing him from existence a true disciple in the lite. "You are the teacher of Israel," a Pharisee and a fellow member of the Sanhedrin, "and you do not understand this?" … If I tell you about earthly things and you practice not believe, how volition y'all believe if I tell you lot almost heavenly things?" He wasn't actually even buying what Jesus was saying about the wind; how could he accept what Jesus was saying about the divineRuah(Holy Spirit)? Jesus indicated the reason why he wasn't understanding: because he wasn't accepting Jesus as a witness who spoke the truth. "Amen, amen, I say to you, we speak of what we know and we testify to what we take seen, but you people do non accept our testimony." Because he wasn't humbly accepting Jesus as a divinely sent witness to these things, he wasn't accepting what Jesus said. Jesus would bespeak to a similar truth elsewhere in the Gospel with regard to his educational activity by parables. He taught spiritual truths by using images of mustard seeds, yeast, soil, and nuptials banquets so some may empathise but others may "hear merely not understand [and] look but never run across" because their heart was "fat" and didn't want to convert (Mt 13:10-17). Jesus used images as spiritual litmus tests to expose people'south hearts and see whether people would put in the time to search for the truth the images independent, whether they really wanted to convert or just to have a "dialogue" or "larn a affair or ii." That was Nicodemus' essential problem. He didn't want to convert. He was fascinated. He was fatigued. He didn't really desire a new life to the extent of willing the means. His lack of comprehension began in his heart, non his head.
• Jesus finishes the dialogue by describing to Nicodemus and the states how we volition be built-in again from to a higher place. One wouldn't accept to re-enter his mother's womb, but rather the Lord's tomb. "No one has gone up to heaven," Jesus said, "except the one who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man. And but as Moses lifted upwardly the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man exist lifted upward, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life." In order to be born from above, we need to exist lifted up with Jesus and that happens, as Jesus alluded, when he would be lifted up on the Cross. Information technology's from Jesus on the Cross that nosotros see our demand to convert similar the Jews in the desert who had been bitten by saraph serpents since they had been following and worshiping the "ophidian" instead of God. It'south from Jesus on the Cross that nosotros learn how to unite all our sufferings, hardships, contradictions and difficulties to God. Information technology's from Jesus on the Cross, ultimately, that we acquire how to live with love, because the Cross is not principally a sign of pain and suffering just of the self-giving love that made even that much hurting bearable. We're born anew from his pierced side from which flowed the h2o and blood that is the source of the Sacramental life of the Church, the h2o of baptism and the blood of the Eucharist. That points to the reality that it'south not merely about being "born" again from higher up through the Cantankerous but "living" from above, living by the Holy Spirit who helps us to be buried with Christ so that we may have a newness of life, as St. Paul tells us at the Easter Vigil (Rom half-dozen). After we're reborn, the Holy Spirit helps united states to grow from above. Since we have been raised with Christ seek the things that are above and set their mind on the things of the Spirit (Col 3, Rom 8).
• Once the Holy Spirit leads us to nascency and life from in a higher place, once he helps u.s.a. to acquire how to love like Christ, everything changes. We encounter a glimpse of that alter in today'due south first reading from the Acts of the Apostles. St. Luke tells us, "The customs of believers was of one heart and mind, and no ane claimed that whatsoever of his possessions was his own, but they had everything in common. … In that location 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." Once they were willing, like Christ, to die out of love for God and others, selling and distributing their holding was like shooting fish in a barrel. Moreover, because of their rebirth by the Holy Spirit they related to each other differently. They looked at each other as spiritual brothers and sisters, as beloved family unit members, for whom sacrificing for them in their need was as natural every bit a parent or sibling's sacrificing for a love family unit member past blood. We see 3 characteristics of life from to a higher place. Start, we run across that they were of "one centre and mind," because the Holy Spirit brings about unity. 2d, we see generosity. And third nosotros run into the trust that encourages that generosity: they were laying the proceeds at the feet of the apostles, trusting that they would distribute every bit good stewards for the sake of the whole family like any practiced father of a big poor family would. The Church building is meant to be in every historic period the blazon of loving, sacrificial family we see among the early Christians and to the extent that'south not what we observe in a particular community or religious plant, parish, diocese or the Church universal, information technology's a sign that not anybody has allowed the Holy Spirit to assist them grow and live in accordance with the rebirth they've received.
• Today celebrates the feast of St. Pius Five, who certainly highlights for us what it means to alive built-in once more from higher up by inbound into Christ'due south death and resurrection and living by the Holy Spirit. A Dominican priest, he was elected mainly due to the work of St. Charles Borromeo who saw him as the 1 who would assist the Church truly reform afterward the Protestant Reformation by implementing the Council of Trent. He reformed the way the Church prayed the Mass, prayed diverse of the Sacraments, and prayed the liturgy of the hours. He helped form the showtime seminaries to train futurity priests (before they were trained in apprenticeships, and if the priest teacher weren't holy, information technology would be difficult to produce future holy priests). His example of sanctity, through prayer and fasting, and his strong leadership in the Church, helped reform Rome and beyond. At his coronation, rather than distribute money lavishly to the crowd as was the custom, he gave it to the direct to the poor; rather than a banquet for the cardinals, prelates and ceremonious leaders, he sent nutrient to the convents of the urban center. And he sought to assistance the Church become of 1 middle and 1 heed in prayer, imitating the early on Church effectually the Blessed Female parent. When Christians were battling Muslims off the coast of Greece in October 1571 as Muslims were seeking to invade Europe, Pope St. Pius V led the Church in prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary  at Santa Maria sopra Minerva by means of the Rosary and God would grant him images of what was happening in battle hundreds of miles away, images that proved true when triumphant Christian sailors returned to Rome months later. Mary is ultimately the one born from above, the ane who was lifted upwardly with her Son equally co-redeemer on Calvary, the one who moves past the Spirit wherever he wills, the 1 who shows us how to believe so that we may have eternal life.
• Every bit nosotros begin our 24-hour interval the way St. Pius V would begin his, at Mass, we ask that we may correspond as fully to the work of the Holy Spirit as the first Christians did, as the Holy Spirit seeks to lift us upward to exist with Christ on the Cross, and then that we may live from the blood and water flowing from his side, so that nosotros may unite our whole lives to him including our sufferings, so that nosotros may receive and imitate his cocky-giving beloved, cede our things generously and with trust in him working through the Church, and come to be one mind and i heart with Him and with each other in this world so that we may exist united in the communion of saints and each other forever.

The readings for today's Mass were:

Reading 1
ACTS 4:32-37

The community of believers was of one heart and mind,
and no one claimed that whatsoever of his possessions was his own,
only they had everything in common.
With smashing 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 past the Apostles Barnabas
(which is translated "son of encouragement"),
a Levite, a Cypriot by birth,
sold a slice of property that he endemic,
and then brought the money and put information technology at the feet of the Apostles.

Responsorial Psalm
PS 93:1AB, 1CD-two, 5

R. (1a) The Lord is rex; he is robed in majesty.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The LORD is male monarch, in splendor robed;
robed is the LORD and girt almost with strength.
R. The Lord is male monarch; he is robed in majesty.
or:
R. Alleluia.
And he has made the world firm,
not to be moved.
Your throne stands business firm from of old;
from everlasting y'all are, O LORD.
R. The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Your decrees are worthy of trust indeed:
holiness befits your firm,
O LORD, for length of days.
R. The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Gospel
JN 3:7B-15

Jesus said to Nicodemus:
"'You must exist born from higher up.'
The wind blows where it wills, and you can hear the sound information technology makes,
only yous exercise non know where it comes from or where information technology goes;
and so information technology is with anybody 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 practise not empathise this?
Amen, amen, I say to you,
we speak of what nosotros know and we show to what we have seen,
simply you people exercise not take our testimony.
If I tell you nearly earthly things and yous practice not believe,
how will you believe if I tell you near heavenly things?
No one has gone up to heaven
except the ane who has come up down from heaven, the Son of Man.
And just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert,
so must the Son of Human being be lifted upwardly,
and then that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life."

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Source: https://catholicpreaching.com/wp/born-again-from-above-by-being-lifted-up-with-jesus-2nd-tuesday-of-easter-april-30-2019/

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