So What?

Jesus was born on Christmas as a little baby laid in a manger.  What does this mean for us?

Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River by John the Baptist.  What does this mean for us?

Jesus did many great miracles?  What does this tell us?

Jesus teaches what it means to be a disciple.  Do we listen?

Starting at the Last Supper, Jesus gives us his Body and Blood.

Jesus died for us on the Cross.

Jesus rose on the third day.

Jesus ascended into Heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

Together with the Father, Jesus sends us the Holy Spirit.

What does all this mean for us?

In today’s gospel, Jesus tells Nicodemus we must be born from above.  Nicodemus misinterprets this to mean that we must literally be born again by reentering our mother’s womb to be born physically again.  Jesus then speaks of being “born of water and Spirit.”  From this comes the idea of being ‘born again.’

Some evangelical groups will ask when were you ‘born again’, meaning when was the moment that you turned your life over to Christ.  We can have powerful moments of conversion in our lives but our Catholic faith sees conversion as something ongoing in our lives.  As we listen to our first readings  from the Acts of the Apostles, we hear how the apostles faced trial and persecution.   They did not flee in fear.  Instead, as our first reading ends today, “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.”

Jesus’ birth, baptism, miracles, teachings, death, and Resurrection are meant to change our lives to be better disciples.  As the Body and Blood of Jesus, the Eucharist strengthens us to live as his disciples.  May we grow each day in our relationship with Jesus, living as his disciples.

Peace,

Fr. Jeff