April 9, 2024 - Tuesday of the 2nd week of Easter
Homily
In today's Gospel, we read the second part of the story of Jesus' meeting with Nicodemus. We would normally have heard the first part of this story yesterday, had we not celebrated the solemnity of the Annunciation. We will hear the rest over the next few days. Which just goes to show how important this story is in this Easter season.
The narrative of the Acts of the Apostles, which we have as our first reading throughout this week, shows us this small group of Apostles and Disciples of Jesus, who, when they were filled with the Holy Spirit communicated to them by Jesus after his Resurrection, suddenly passed from a faith that was just as ambiguous as that of Nicodemus to a courageous and total faith. In today's reading, we see them putting everything together with a certain enthusiasm. The rest of the story will show us that it was not always so easy or so absolute.
Shortly before Jesus' death, when he had already announced his passion, the Apostles were still discussing among themselves who would have the first place in his kingdom, who would be prime minister, minister of finance, or minister of this or that (abbot, prior, cellarer...). They were still focused on their individual desires. They were a group of individuals who followed Jesus with a real faith, but a faith that was still ambiguous. They wanted to give themselves to Jesus, but not to lose themselves. They sought honour and self-interest. Now, transformed by the Spirit, they have become a true community, a true Church. They are not afraid to give everything, to risk everything for the name of Jesus. After being put in prison for preaching the name of Jesus, they will start preaching it again as soon as they are mysteriously delivered from prison during the night.
In this Easter season, when we have renewed the expression of our faith in Christ through the renewal of our baptismal commitments, let us ask Jesus to fill us too with his Spirit, to make each of our communities places where, in the words of Saint Paul taken up by Benedict in his Rule, each one seeks not what is favourable and pleasing to himself, but the good of others and of all. To this end, let us ask each of us and all the members of our communities to have a faith in Jesus that is pure and undivided.
Armand Veilleux