💖 HOMILY - APRIL 28 💖

First Reading - Acts 4:23-31

Gospel - John 3:1-8

We all wish to be heard. To meet this desire, some express themselves by shouting, protesting, advertising, demonstrating, and so on. Yet there are others who remain calm, quietly expecting to be heard. The readings of today assure us that our Lord is always ready to hear us, provided we are open to Him to express our thoughts, desires, and difficulties.

The gospel passage presents a dialogue between Jesus and Nicodemus. Several facts about Nicodemus emerge: he was a Pharisee, a leading Jew, and he came to Jesus by night. These details suggest that Nicodemus was a potential disciple, but still gripped by fear and ignorance, symbolized by the darkness of night. Nicodemus expresses a level of trust in Jesus, recognizing Him as someone sent by God. Yet Jesus leads him deeper, revealing that to truly perceive God's work, one must be born anew in the Holy Spirit. Jesus stresses that the kingdom of God is accessible to those who have welcomed the Spirit, especially through the sacrament of baptism. This new birth in the Spirit opens our eyes to God's presence and enables us to walk in His ways.

The first reading captures a moment of intense emotion. Peter and John, after facing threats from the authorities, return to the community. Rather than giving in to fear or complaining, the community brings their anxieties to God in prayer. In response, God fills them with the Holy Spirit, empowering them to continue proclaiming the Word boldly.

Both readings highlight the same vital truth: the indispensable role of the Holy Spirit in our lives. In the gospel, Jesus teaches that only with the Spirit’s guidance can we understand and enter into God's kingdom. In the first reading, we see the Spirit giving courage and boldness to a community under pressure and fear. This reality challenges us to reflect on our own lives as baptized and anointed believers. The Holy Spirit has been given to us not as a distant helper but as an active presence ready to guide, console, and strengthen us.

Dear friends, when we face doubts, fears, anxieties, or challenges, our first instinct should not be to brood over them or handle them alone. Instead, like the early Christian community, we are invited to lift our needs to God in prayer. It is through honest and humble dialogue with God that the Holy Spirit enters our situation, giving us light to understand, courage to act, and peace to persevere.

In practical terms, this means making time for prayer especially when life becomes overwhelming. It means inviting the Holy Spirit daily to guide our decisions, our words, and our reactions. It means remembering that when we feel unheard by the world, we are always heard by God. Every moment of confusion or difficulty can become a moment of grace if we open it to Him.

Today, let us ask ourselves: In my struggles, do I turn first to God or to my own strength? Am I open to the Spirit leading me, even when I don't see immediate answers? Like Nicodemus, let us move from fear to faith. Like the early Christian community, let us move from anxiety to bold trust.

Let us pray that in every need and every challenge, the Holy Spirit may be our guide, our strength, and our peace.