Tuesday of the Second Week of Easter
One Heart And One Mind
Liturgical Cycle: A, B, C | Lectionary Cycle: I, II
Introduction
We know from our disappointing experiences how difficult it is to be a real community. We have different personalities with different ideas, attitudes and potentials. The great obstacle is we ourselves: we want people to go our way, and we impose our own views. In our Christian communities, there is one who can unite us in himself. It is Jesus, our model and our Lord. We believe that we come together here in his name and for his sake. He is alive and present among us. He brings us together in one faith and one love. It is a lifelong task. Can we be one heart and one soul in him?
Opening Prayer
All praise and thanks be to you,
Father of our Lord, Jesus Christ.
You have given us your risen Son
to be alive in our communities.
Make us see him with eyes of faith,
that he may unite us, heart and soul.
May his dynamic presence among us
move us to become with him,
each other’s bread of life,
that no one among us may hunger
for food or help when in need.
We ask this through Christ, our Lord.
First Reading
Community of Goods
The entire community of believers was united in heart and mind. No one claimed individual ownership of any possessions; instead, they shared everything in common.
With great power, the apostles testified to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, for they were living in a remarkable time of grace.
There was no one in need among them, for those who owned land or houses sold them and brought the proceeds to the apostles.
They laid it at their feet, and the apostles distributed it according to each person’s need.
This is what a man named Joseph did. He was a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas, meaning: ‘The encouraging one.’
He sold a piece of land he owned and gave the money to the apostles.
Responsorial Psalm
R. (1a) The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.
or:
R. Alleluia.
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.
or:
R. Alleluia.
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.
or:
R. Alleluia.
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.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Alleluia Verse
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Son of Man must be lifted up,
so that everyone who believes in him
may have eternal life.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Therefore, do not be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again from above.’
The wind blows wherever it pleases, and you hear its sound, but you don’t know where it comes from or where it is going. It is like that with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
Nicodemus asked again:
“How can this be?”
Jesus answered:
“You are a teacher in Israel, and you don’t know these things!
Truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen, but you do not accept our testimony.
If you don’t believe when I talk about earthly things, how will you believe when I talk about heavenly things?
No one has ever gone up to heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man.
Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.
Prayers of the Faithful
– Risen Lord, be greater and stronger than our divisions. Unite all those who believe in you, we pray:
– Risen Lord, you have given your people a new heart. In our communities, make us one heart and one soul, we pray:
– Risen Lord, that the best witnessing we give to you may be that we accept one another and care for one another and serve one another, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Our God and Father,
we ask you for food and drink
and you give us your Son.
May no one in our communities go hungry
or feel abandoned when in distress,
but may we learn from your Son Jesus
to be faithful companions to all who need us.
With our solace and support,
may we also give them ourselves,
as Jesus did and still does for us,
he who is our Lord for ever.
Prayer after Communion
God, our Father,
we have encountered your Son Jesus in faith
in this Eucharistic celebration.
With him by our side,
may we be a deeply believing community
in which love and sharing
are no empty words,
a community which keeps dreaming
that we can find one another
and create a new future together
through him, in whom we have been reborn,
Jesus Christ, our Risen Lord for ever.
Blessing
One heart and one soul. How dare we say so? We are still far away from this demand of our faith. But we keep hoping. Keep also growing toward it, with the blessing of Almighty God, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
REFLECTION:
John 3:7-15
Born again
There are two kinds of misunderstandings. The first type involves individuals who have not yet acquired enough knowledge and experience to grasp the truth. For these individuals, providing explanations can help them gain understanding and come to know the truth. The second type of misunderstanding pertains to those who are unwilling to understand. These individuals deliberately close their minds to the truth, which they do not wish to accept.
Nicodemus, being an expert in Scripture, should have found Jesus' teaching on the new birth of a person familiar. The prophets had repeatedly spoken of the very experience that Jesus was referring to. If people do not desire rebirth, they will intentionally misinterpret its meaning. Jesus encourages us to open our minds and hearts to the transformative power of the Spirit of God.
The Gospel brings us hope—a hope that tells us that there is something more beautiful and profitable on the other side of our struggles in life. Our various life experiences are our baptism through which we will be born again. In this journey, keep our gaze fixed on the Cross, which is the only antidote for the poison of sinfulness.
Jesus declares, “You must be born from above.” This birth is not just a physical one; it is also a spiritual rebirth. The wind, mysterious and unseen, symbolises the Holy Spirit, who moves where He wills. Like the wind, the Spirit’s work is beyond our comprehension. Pope Francis reminds us that this rebirth is not a one-time event but an ongoing process. It involves surrendering to the Spirit’s promptings and allowing God’s grace to continually transform us.
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John 3:7-15
Born from Above
To be born again is to rediscover the freedom of being children of God. Jesus teaches that true rebirth comes from the Spirit—a breath of life that renews and frees. But so often, we find ourselves trapped in the very structures we created to support our faith. At first, these habits and routines serve us well. Yet over time, they can become rigid, lifeless. We forget God, and cling instead to the rules, the checklists, the routines.
The early Christian community in the Acts of the Apostles is a beautiful model of what the Church can be when fully open to the Spirit: a community of harmony, unity, and love (cf. Acts 4:32-37). While human weakness would soon bring problems and divisions, this “ideal” community was shown to us so we would know what is possible when we live in full openness to God.
Yet, even from the beginning, three things often broke this harmony: money, vanity, and gossip.
Money and the love of it divide hearts. As St. James and St. Paul point out, favouritism toward the rich and disregard for the poor wound the Church deeply (cf. James 2:2; 1 Cor 11:20-22). Vanity—the desire to be seen, to be praised—leads us away from humility and community. And gossip, that subtle yet powerful poison, destroys relationships and breeds division.
But the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of harmony, the love between the Father and the Son, and the One who creates unity where there is brokenness. He alone can free us from these traps of worldliness.
Let us ask the Lord for hearts that are docile to the Spirit. May He transform us and our communities so we may reflect the unity, simplicity, and love of the first believers. So today, let us ask the Lord: Breathe your Spirit into me. Set me free from what binds me. Make me new. And may our lives bear witness to the joy of being truly born from above.