Coming from God!

In today's Gospel, John 3: 1-8, Nicodemus, a rule of the Jews, comes to Jesus at night, not wanting others to know that he was seeking Jesus.  There was much about Jesus that caught Nicodemus' attention and he acknowledged such:  "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God, for no one can do these signs that you are doing unless God is with him."  Jesus says to Nicodemus:  "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless one is born from above, he cannot see the Kingdom of God."  Jesus explains further when He says:  "Amen, amen, I say to you unless one is born of water and Spirit he cannot enter the Kingdom of God. What is born of flesh is flesh and what is born of spirit is spirit...."   You and I are "born from above," that is "born of Spirit," by virtue of our baptisms.  That birth empowers us to see God's Kingdom, to see the Spirit at work in the signs and actions of others, just as the Spirit worked signs and wonders through Jesus.  People were healed! Cripples walked again.  The deaf began to hear. The blind to see!

How often are you and I not awakened by the love and kindness, the forgiveness and generosity of a neighbor, a spouse, a child, a co-worker!  We have examples of the Spirit at work in thethousand and thousand of healthcare workers around the world risking their lives to save others from dying from the coronavirus. We have many people working in human service professions to help those struggling with mental illnesses find light again and a myriad of persons in the teaching profession encouraging students to believe in themselves and their capabilities to succeed in life!   Parents around the world sacrifice sleep to tend to their infant children or to a sick child or a child scared of "monsters" under the bed!  How many spouses, like Nicodemus,  have not said to their husband/wife: God sent you into my life; I am so blessed by you. Is that not like saying: "You come from God"?

God be praised and glorified and thanked for the many ways in which the Kingdom of God is revealed in our midst by others and by ourselves!

Winds from Above

In today's Gospel, John3: 7-17, Jesus tells Nicodemus and us: “You must be born from above.”This birth is a birth in which we are born of the Spirit of God. Jesus goes on to say:  “The wind blows where it wills, and you can hear the sound it makes, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes; so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” 

Just as the impact of wind upon the earth can bring many surprises, so, too, does the wind of the Spirit.  A person born from above will amaze. When I allow the Spirit to rebirth me into the spiritual being  one with God great things can happen.  My world will be turned upside down.  As  truly as the winds of a tornado or hurricane can rip apart material things, the Spirit can tear away that within me and around me or within others that which  is not of God or that which is attempting to block God’s designs!  

Persons  remade in the Spirit’s power can be unpredictable, as is the winds of a tornado or hurricane.  Suddenly, for instance, the Spirit-filled individual offers forgiveness to someone against whom he or she held a grudge for weeks, months, years. All of a sudden, the most lethargic of individuals puts his/her minds to seeking a job and finds one in which he/she blossoms. Without warning, a person borne from above makes the necessary adjustment that softens a hardened heart, that transforms denial of a serious problem into willingness to accept the needed help. “The wind blows where it wills.” May I welcome this Wind into my life. May I look for It, cherish It, be grateful for It and cooperate with It!