Daily Readings - Mon Apr 29 2019
Acts
23On their release, Peter and John went back to their own people and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them.24When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. "Sovereign Lord," they said, "you made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything in them.25You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David: "'Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?26The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against his Anointed One. '27Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed.28They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen.29Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness.30Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus."31After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.
John
1Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council.2He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him."3In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again. "4"How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!"5Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.6Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.7You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.'8The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."
Sermon
The first reading from Acts and the Gospel of John both invite us to reflect on the power of the Holy Spirit and the transformative nature of faith. In Acts, after being released from captivity, the early Christians gather to pray, seeking courage and strength to continue their mission despite threats and persecution. Their prayer is not one of fear or retreat but of boldness and trust in God’s plan. They recognize that the same Spirit who anointed Jesus is at work in them, enabling them to speak God’s word with confidence and to perform signs and wonders in His name. This passage reminds us that the Holy Spirit is not a passive presence but an active force that equips us to live out our faith with courage and purpose.
In the Gospel, Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus introduces the concept of being “born anew” by water and the Holy Spirit. Nicodemus struggles to understand how someone can be reborn physically, but Jesus shifts the focus to the spiritual rebirth that comes through the Spirit. This teaching emphasizes that our faith is not merely about outward observances but about an inner transformation that reorients our lives toward God. Just as the wind blows where it wills, the Spirit works in ways we cannot fully understand or control, but we can trust in its power to bring new life and direction to our lives.
These readings remind us that the Holy Spirit is both the source of our courage in the face of challenges and the agent of our spiritual rebirth. In our daily lives, we are called to trust in God’s plan, even when circumstances seem uncertain or difficult. Like the early Christians, we can pray for the Spirit’s boldness to witness to our faith and to serve others with compassion. And like Nicodemus, we are invited to embrace the mystery of spiritual rebirth, allowing the Spirit to inspire us, guide us, and transform us. May we open our hearts to the Spirit’s work, trusting that God’s power is always at work in us, even when we cannot see it.