Daily Gospel Reflection
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April 26, 2022
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.”
Once while walking along a noisy street in Kampala, a city in Uganda, I met an exuberant preacher. It was a hot sunny day, so I got him some water. He was appreciative, but then he quickly asked, “Sir? Have you been born again? If you are not,” he continued, “the time is now!”
This idea of being born again—the most powerful and prevalent theme of today’s gospel—emerged from a conversation with a Pharisee.
Nicodemus came to Jesus by night with a seeker’s heart regarding the deeper meaning of salvation. Throughout his ministry, Jesus often butted heads with the stubborn and legalistic Pharisees because his message centered on a spiritual transformation of the heart, not a meticulous adherence to the law.
To experience salvation and truly see the kingdom of God at work in one’s life, Jesus taught that we must cast aside the old, sinful life to become new creatures. Jesus’ answer to Nicodemus not only changed his life; it changed the lives of future Christians like you and me.
While accepting what Jesus said, Nicodemus wanted to know how it can be brought about. Later in the gospels, we see Nicodemus urge his fellow Pharisees to give Jesus a fair hearing. He wanted to know more about Christ.
Jesus accuses Nicodemus and his fellow leaders of a lack of spiritual insight and a refusal to accept his testimony as coming directly from God. It is not just the Father’s words and teaching that he passes on to us—Jesus is the Word of God. He brings all things from nothing, calls the dead to life, imparts the Spirit, and makes us all children of God.
We are called to believe that the Spirit of God performs his unseen work in each person. We must never stop praying, witnessing, and trusting the Spirit to do this work in each heart. The call to ongoing conversion is loud and clear. May God grant us the grace to trust and to be open to the work and promptings of the Holy Spirit.
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 to always be mindful of those who suffer physically and spiritually. Amen.
Saint of the Day
Devotion to Our Lady of Good Counsel began as devotion to a particular image of Mary in Genazzano, Italy.
For many years, the town of Genazzano dedicated its tithes to the construction of the beautiful basilica, Santa Maria Maggiore, in Rome. In return, a church was built in Genazzano, and the Augustinian friars took charge of the church in 1356. Many pilgrims flocked to the church to pray to Mary.
The image of Our Lady of Good Counsel, shown here, purportedly appeared miraculously on the wall of the church when it had fallen into disrepair.
Art experts say that the image is from the early fifteenth century, the only surviving portion of a much larger fresco that had covered the church walls.
As pilgrims flocked to Genazzano and asked for the intercession of Our Lady of Good Counsel, they attributed miracles and cures to Our Lady's intercession, and devotion to Our Lady of Good Counsel spread throughout Italy. In 1903, Pope Leo XIII added the title to the Litany of Loreto, which honors Mary.
Popes, councils, and leagues of women have invoked her patronage and guardianship. She is the patron of the town of Essen in Germany and many of her devotees wear a white scapular as a sign of their trust in Mary.
One of the mottos inscribed on the scapular is a quote of Pope Leo XIII: "Child, listen to her counsels." Our Lady of Good Counsel is an apt title for Mary that reminds us that we can look to her as a wise mother to guide us. As Mary offered herself completely to God, to bring the divine plan of Salvation to completion, she is an excellent guide for us as we seek to make Christ's plans for us complete in our own lives.
Mary's counsel will always lead us back to her Son, our God, and therefore we can always trust that it will be very, very good.
Our Lady of Good Counsel, our mother and guide—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of Our Lady of Counsel is in the public domain. Last accessed February 21, 2025 on Wikimedia Commons.
