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Gospel:
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.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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Easter is not a single event; it’s an entire season. For seven straight weeks, the Church encourages us to ponder the life-changing truth of the resurrection.
Yesterday, for example, we read about Doubting Thomas. He would not believe that Christ had risen from the dead unless he saw the nailmarks in his hands and slid his fingers into Jesus’ side.
John included this story about Doubting Thomas immediately after the resurrection to remind us just how hard it can be to believe. John gives us permission to doubt like Thomas; to be skeptical; to question before we believe.
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Today we encounter Nicodemus, whose role in John’s Gospel is quite similar to Doubting Thomas.
Nicodemus reminds us that faith is a journey, which often begins with an intellectual curiosity. Is there a Higher Power? Is there life after this? Does God exist? Does he know me?
This is where we encounter Nicodemus today. He’s searching for answers from Jesus on an intellectual level. “What does it mean to be born again?”
We do not see Nicodemus again until Jesus is on trial. But Nicodemus defends him before the Sanhedrin, urging his peers to allow Jesus to explain himself – a sign that Nicodemus was interested in learning more about Jesus.
His faith was growing.
Then we encounter Nicodemus a third and final time at the tomb as he brings spices to anoint Jesus’ body.
Does Nicodemus’ faith die with Jesus at the tomb? Or does he become one of the first Christians?
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We don’t know. John leaves that for us to ponder.
Maybe there’s a point in that for us.
There comes a time when we all must make the leap of faith from Good Friday to Easter Sunday. Like Thomas and Nicodemus, we can question the Lord; we can ponder the faith.
But then we must decide for ourselves: Is Jesus my Lord and my God? Did he rise from the dead? Our answer changes the rest of our lives.
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