Daily Gospel Reflection
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April 18, 2023
Jesus said to Nicodemus:
“‘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.”
Nicodemus answered and said to him,
‘How can this happen?”
Jesus answered and said to him,
“You are the teacher of Israel and you do not understand this?
Amen, amen, I say to you,
we speak of what we know and we testify to what we have seen,
but you people do not accept our testimony.
If I tell you about earthly things and you do not believe,
how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things?
No one has gone up to heaven
except the one who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man.
And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert,
so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.”
In today’s gospel, Jesus repeats the phrase, “born from above,” also translated as “born again,” because he knows Nicodemus is struggling with it. Nicodemus comes at night to speak to Jesus because he has a hunch that Jesus is from God and with God in a unique way, but he is both amazed and perplexed by Jesus’ words.
To our ears, this conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus seems almost combative. Nicodemus probes Jesus’ words, and Jesus challenges him. Both men speak bluntly. There’s a passion and rawness to their words. It’s a model of authentic prayer. But it’s not easy to be this open with Jesus.
Sometimes I struggle to speak this honestly in prayer like Nicodemus when I know I should. I hide my true self from Jesus out of fear, pride, or habit. I hold back, not saying what’s on my mind and not telling Jesus that I just don’t understand what he’s saying or wants me to do. Like so many of us, I easily put on a facade of phrases that might seem nice to God. Or, I pray in someone else’s words and avoid searching for meaning in my own heart.
I have to remind myself that it’s okay to approach Jesus just as Nicodemus did. Jesus sacrificed his life for us, being lifted up on the cross to free each of us from the evil one’s plan of physical and spiritual death. Someone who loves us that much wants to receive our toughest questions in prayer. Jesus wants to listen and respond to our spiritual wrestling.
Let us take the time to pray like Nicodemus—to be our unfiltered, most authentic selves in conversation with Jesus, a friend who loves us enough to bring us eternal life through the cross.
Prayer
Loving God, your Son, Jesus was lifted up on the wood of the cross to bring spiritual healing and new life to those suffering from sin and death. Help us always to be mindful of those who suffer physically and spiritually. Amen.
Saint of the Day
Marie was a French mother and wife who achieved sainthood in her heroic efforts to support and protect the faith among her family and fellow citizens.
She was born to the family of a high government official in Paris in 1566. Her aunt was head of a convent, and that’s where Marie received her education. She impressed the nuns at the convent, and would have joined them, except her parents wanted her to marry. She was their only surviving child.
She obeyed, and at 17 was married to Peter Acarie, an aristocratic lawyer who held an important position in the national treasury. Peter used his position to help Catholics who were fleeing England because of Protestant oppression.
Peter and Marie bore six children—three girls and three boys. All three girls entered a convent, in time, and one of the boys became a priest. All retained the piety and devotion they learned from their mother.
Peter was a strong supporter of a Catholic political party in France that opposed Protestant factions. When the political climate suddenly changed, Peter was on the wrong side of the new king, who exiled the family and confiscated his property. The family was reduced to poverty and nearly starved.
Marie took on the family’s cause and represented her husband before the court. She was able to prove his innocence, and he was granted permission to return to Paris. Their fortune had diminished, but she had won back his good name.
Marie was known for her charity, and many wealthy patrons—including Mary of Medici and other royalty—entrusted their almsgiving to her. She fed the hungry, assisted the elderly and forgotten, and helped the dying.
Marie was a mystic, even in the midst of her busy life, and she received two visions from St. Teresa of Avila, the nun who reformed the Carmelite order in Spain. The visions encouraged Marie to use her position to introduce these reformed Carmelites into France, which she did. Several convents were established, and Marie herself helped train young women for life as Carmelite sisters, even though she was a married laywoman.
When Peter died in 1613, Marie joined the Carmelite nuns for the last four years of her life. She took the name Mary of the Incarnation and joined a convent she helped to found, which was led by her daughter. Marie promised her daughter obedience and took on a role helping to wash dishes. She died of natural causes on Easter Sunday in 1618, and she is depicted in this stained glass window from the Basilica. She carries the banner of the Carmelites reformed by Teresa of Avila, and is also shown receiving a vision from Teresa.
St. Marie Acarie, you attained holiness as a busy wife and mother, pray for us!