"You must be born from above"

April 17, 2012:   As I reflect upon today’s Scripture readings, Acts 4: 32-37 and John 3: 7b-15, I am somewhat bewildered.  Luke in Acts speaks of believers being of “one heart and mind,” no one claiming any possessions as one’s own. Yet we live in a world where there’s anything but people living in harmony.  St. Luke claims that “there was no needy person among them.”  We  live in a world of abundant need. Victims of economic downturn, of high gas prices, of home foreclosures, of unjust wages and unfair taxes; victims of discrimination because of gender, age, race, religion, ethnic backgrounds, and economic status, to name a few of our problems, abound the world over. St.Luke lauds Joseph, also known as the Apostle Barnabas, for selling a piece of, not all, his property and giving the money to the Apostles to be distributed to those in need. We live in a world where the rich rise up in protest because they might have to pay as much taxes as poorer folk around them and where some believe a raise in the minimum wage will cause a recession. 

                No wonder Jesus says to Nicodemus: “You must be born from above.” Unless we are “born from above” we will not see as God sees or act  as  God acts, that is, we will never  understand the example Jesus modeled for us in how to “act justly, love tenderly and walk humbly with our God” (Micah 6:8). With the power of the Holy Spirit blowing in our faces (“…the wind blows where it wills,” St. John tells us in today’s Gospel), we will make a difference in someone’s life today: a needy person will be less needy and both a poor person  and a destitute person will  rise out of “the tombs” of their lives because of our generous giving of time, talent or possessions.