GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY : Tuesday - April 18, 2023

 

Tuesday - April 18, 2023

"The religion established by the sacrament of the Cross of Christ cannot be destroyed by any kind of cruelty."

--Pope St. Leo the Great

April 18, 2023

Tuesday of the Second Week of Easter

Lectionary: 268

 

Reading I     

                                                                                    Acts 4:32-37

 

The community of believers was of one heart and mind,

and no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own,

but they had everything in common.

With great power the Apostles bore witness

to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus,

and great favor was accorded them all.

There was no needy person among them,

for those who owned property or houses would sell them,

bring the proceeds of the sale,

and put them at the feet of the Apostles,

and they were distributed to each according to need.

 

Thus Joseph, also named by the Apostles Barnabas

(which is translated ""son of encouragement""),

a Levite, a Cypriot by birth,

sold a piece of property that he owned,

then brought the money and put it at the feet of the Apostles.

 

Responsorial Psalm                                  Ps 93:1ab, 1cd-2, 5

 

R.(1a) The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.

 

The LORD is king, in splendor robed;

robed is the LORD and girt about with strength.

R. The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.

 

And he has made the world firm,

not to be moved.

Your throne stands firm from of old;

from everlasting you are, O LORD.

R. The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.

 

Your decrees are worthy of trust indeed:

holiness befits your house,

O LORD, for length of days.

R. The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.

 

Alleluia         

 

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

The Son of Man must be lifted up,

so that everyone who believes in him

may have eternal life.

R. Alleluia

 

Gospel                                                                       Jn 3:7b-15

 

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."

 

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Is the Holy Spirit Alive and Active in You?

Have you ever been asked, “Are you born-again?” Skip that question! Go directly to: “Is the Holy Spirit living within you, activating your faith, inspiring you to holy action?” Converting to Jesus Christ is not enough. A personal relationship with his Holy Spirit is what transitions a sinful person into a holy person.

 

As we celebrate the risen Lord throughout the Easter season, the Church repeatedly reminds us that after Easter comes Pentecost. We see the disciples in our first reading today, praying so fully in the Lord that they become overflowingly filled with the Holy Spirit.

 

It was the Holy Spirit who gave them unfettered boldness to proclaim God’s word; without this, they were scared and ineffective. Does your faith in Christ free you from what seems intimidating or frightening? Does your faith give you powerful boldness and confidence, causing you to take action for the sake of continuing Christ’s ministry?

 

It was the Holy Spirit who filled the first Christians with rejoicing when they faced persecution. Are you able to rejoice in the midst of troubles? It was the Holy Spirit who inspired them to pray and then deepened their prayer. Is your prayer life in need of help? It was the Holy Spirit, not an earthquake, who shook the room in which the disciples were gathered. Does your faith shake up your life? Do you sense the powerful presence of God when you gather in community?

 

In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus puts the baptism of the Holy Spirit on equal level with the baptism of water. The two work together. Baptism by water cleanses us from sin. The Holy Spirit empowers us to be holy and resist new temptations to sin. Does your faith enable you to overcome repeated tendencies to sin? By water, God’s holiness has replaced your fallen, sinful nature. By the Holy Spirit, God’s holiness has become your true nature.

 

The Holy Spirit is the key that unlocks our holiness: “No one can enter into God’s kingdom without being born of water and Spirit…. Spirit begets spirit.” We can only be Christ-like when his Holy Spirit is alive and active in us. We can only stay on the path to heaven when the Holy Spirit is our guide.

 

We lack nothing that’s needed for salvation and eternal life; the Holy Spirit was given to us fully during our Baptism, and this was confirmed in the Sacrament of Confirmation. To succeed in God’s plan of salvation, we must unite our spirit to the activities of Christ’s Spirit.

 

Today's Prayer

 

Thank You, Lord Jesus, for Your Holy Spirit who helps us move away from our fallen nature and live a new life filled with Your grace, love, and holiness. Amen.

 

 

God Bless You.....

The Rosary Family

The mother of Jesus promised St. Dominic that, “one day through the rosary & the scapular I shall save the world!”