EASTER DIGEST with Fr. PiusRalph EFFIONG, SMMM

MONDAY OF THE SECOND WEEK OF EASTER

Table of the Word:

First Reading: Acts 4:23-31

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 2:1-3, 4-7a, 7b-9

Gospel: John 3:1-8

Theme: The newness in Christ.

Reflection:

Today’s readings beautifully continue the theme of new life in the Spirit that we celebrated at Easter.

In the First Reading, Peter and John, after being threatened for speaking about Jesus, return to their community. Rather than shrinking in fear, they pray for boldness to continue proclaiming the Gospel. And God responds powerfully:  "the place where they were gathered shook," and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. (cf. Acts 4:23-31), 

Their prayer was not for escape but for courage. How often do we, when faced with opposition or fear, pray for safety rather than strength? Today, we are reminded that the early Church thrived not because they were free of troubles, but because they were filled with the Spirit who gave them boldness and peace even amidst trials.

In the Gospel pericope Evangelist John gives an account of how Jesus speaks with Nicodemus, a Pharisee seeking truth. Jesus tells him: "Amen, amen, I say to you, no one can see the Kingdom of God without being born from above." Nicodemus struggles to understand, how can someone be born again?  (cf. John 3:1-8), 

Jesus is pointing to a spiritual rebirth:  being "born of water and Spirit." Just as natural birth brings us into physical life, rebirth in the Spirit brings us into eternal life, a life animated not by fear, but by faith, hope, and love. This therefore reminded us of the three sacraments of initiation: Baptism, Holy Eucharist and Confirmation. Through these Divine channels by the Church we have regained the lost grace (original) which we lost through our first parents - Adam and Eve (cf. Genesis 3:1ff.)

Therefore, through God's gratuitousnes for humanity that He sent His only begotten  Son to bridge the gap, to reconcile humanity with Divinity and to restore man to its original state (cf. John 3:16).

And St. Paul on the other hand in his epistle to the Corinthians' Church says: "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, behold, the new has come." (2 Corinthians 5:17). To buttress this, he addressed the Roman Church that when we are being led by the Spirit, we are true sons and daughters of God (cf. Romans 8:14-17).

Finally, let is be ever conscious of our new lives in Jesus through our rebirth in Christ. It is in doing this that we will certainly remain: "an Easter people."

+ May the Lord bless His words in our hearts now and always. Amen

© The ARCHIVE 28042025