Daily Gospel Reflection
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April 13, 2026
There was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.
He came to Jesus at night and said to him,
“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 answered and said to him,
“Amen, amen, I say to you,
unless one is born from above, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.”
Nicodemus said to him,
“How can a man once grown old be born again?
Surely he cannot reenter his mother’s womb and be born again, can he?”
Jesus answered,
“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.
Do not be amazed that I told you,
‘You must be born from above.’
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.”
Excerpts from the Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States of America, second typical edition © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC. Used with permission. All rights reserved. No portion of this text may be reproduced by any means without permission in writing from the copyright owner. The full readings of the day from the Lectionary are available here.
Here is an instance in the gospels in which Jesus is using a pun—one of my favorite instances. The Greek word ἄνωθεν (anothen) is seen here translated as both “from above” and “again.” Hence, the fundamental confusion of Nicodemus: How can one be born again?
At first glance, Nicodemus’s question seems ridiculous. Jesus is assuredly not speaking of re-entering our mothers’ wombs. However, it is the Greek word itself that is causing the issue. At various points in Greek Scriptures, it takes on the meaning of both “from above” and “again” along with some other various meanings.
To Christians, the double meaning of being born again and being born from above through baptism is obvious, but to a member of the Sanhedrin, this connotation was not yet given. The lesson for us is simple: We must be born again through baptism to receive salvation, offering ourselves to the divine will of the Spirit.
However, ἄνωθεν (anothen) has made another appearance rather recently in our Lectionary. Both Matthew and Mark (Mt 27:51, Mk 15:38) describe the events directly following Christ’s Passion: an eclipse covers the land in darkness, an earthquake rattles the city, the dead rise to life, and the temple veil is torn ἄνωθεν (anothen) or “from above.”
The connection binds this moment with Nicodemus to that moment on the cross. In the darkness of night, Jesus reveals the necessity of being born ἄνωθεν (anothen), according to the divine will of the Spirit, to a leader who will remain tentatively confused. Three years later, in the darkness of an eclipse that lasts three hours, where Jesus has followed the divine will, drunk from the cup, and died on the cross, the temple veil tears ἄνωθεν (anothen).
Jesus tells the non-believer how to enter the kingdom of God: following the divine will according to how the Spirit moves us. Then, Jesus demonstrates how to follow that divine will: full forfeiture of one’s life. How might we better discern and follow what the Spirit wants for us?
Prayer
O God, like Nicodemus, we sometimes get confused about what it is you are trying to tell us. We thank you for your patience as you move us into a deeper understanding of your will in our lives. Help us to be patient today with ourselves and with others. Amen.
Saint of the Day
In the four years during which he was pope, St. Martin I created powerful enemies with his stout-hearted defense of truth.
After he was elected pope in 649, one of his first acts was to convene a Church council to confront a heresy that distorted the way in which we understand Jesus. Monothelitism declared that though Jesus has both a human and divine nature (as is orthodox), he has only one will, which is divine.
In the controversy over this heresy, the emperor refused to support one side or the other, and commanded that the matter was not to be discussed.
Under Martin’s leadership, the council denounced Monothelitism, and proclaimed that Jesus has both a divine will and a human will to correspond to his two natures. Moreover, the council condemned the emperor’s edict, in essence saying that it was throwing out the baby with the bathwater.
The emperor was furious and sent soldiers from Constantinople to arrest Martin; he was imprisoned for months in a cold and dirty cell. He was fed little food, was not allowed to wash, and suffered from dysentery. When he was brought to trial, he was not allowed to speak and was convicted of treason.
He was eventually exiled to Crimea, where conditions did not improve. In fact, people there were under a famine, which made his situation worse. He died after two years, and is honored as a martyr for the faith.
Pope St. Martin I, you faithfully proclaimed the truth and died in prison for it—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of Pope St. Martin I is available for use under a Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication. Last accessed February 21, 2025 on Wikimedia Commons.
