Today’s Thoughts: Nicodemus seems a bit skeptical today, perhaps even a bit dismissive. “How can one be re-born?” he asks. His tone is certainly a skeptical one as he questions Jesus, “Surely, we cannot re-enter our mothers’ wombs and be born again, can we?” Perhaps this is how any of us would respond upon hearing Jesus’ teaching for the first time. Jesus message to Nicodemus on what it means to be a disciple, a child of God is a challenging one. What he asks of us is not only difficult, it is almost impossible.
For, when we encounter God, we encounter God as we are. And that means we encounter God filled with our own limits and prejudices, talents and restrictions. So much has made us who we are. Families, friends, education, background, and beliefs. These things are seen as irreversible. And they have a significant impact on us, shaping us, directing us, forming us. Changing them is just as realistic as climbing back into our mothers’ wombs and be re-born. No wonder Nicodemus is so incredulous. How then, are we to be re-born, restored to our destined life as children of God? It is through the Spirit. Re-birth is something outside of our control, it is Spirit and water. We cannot change ourselves, but we can trust in the power of God to transform us. Water washing over us cleanses us. This is the power of baptism, we are bathed and washed clean by the power of God. We are, truly, “born again.” This can be an unsettling idea, perhaps even troubling and uncomfortable. Maybe this is why Nicodemus points out the absurdities of the situation. No longer of this world, but from above. No longer flesh, but Spirit. And this Spirit is wild, untamed. We cannot see it, we cannot know where it is going. However, Jesus promises us that it will take us where we need to go! Jesus here invites Nicodemus and us into a new world, the world that is above, a world infused with the Spirit of God. It won’t be the same. It will be liberating and transformative. A new way of living, even. But that also means an unknown way of living. And a way of living that will be strange, unfamiliar, and perhaps even dangerous. For, all those around us may not understand why we are living this new way. We can invite them into the life of the Spirit, true, but they will be just as challenged and uncomfortable as we were at first. Yet, the Spirit blows where it wills, taking us with it, so that we might find new life in the Kingdom of God. Have a blessed and holy Monday everyone!
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Fr. Paul R. Fagan, C.P. "Preacher on the Run"Just a few thoughts to help you on your journey through life...let me know from time to time what you think... Archives
April 2024
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