Bonus: New Apostolic Exhortation from Pope Francis: GAUDETE ET EXSULTATE
Jesus said to Nicodemus:
"'You must be born from above.'
The Son of Man is lifted up like the serpent in the desert so that we might believe in him and have eternal life. This is the only way humanity can receive the new birth it needs. The natural means at our disposal leave us subject to sin and death. The source of the new birth we need can only be the new sort of life that is unleashed in the resurrection. The way that we tap into this new life is faith in Jesus.
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.
Baptism makes us new creations in Christ (see Second Corinthians 5:17, Galatians 6:15). But are we living it? Are we using our faith to tap into the life that is often merely latent within us? Objective measures can be helpful. Do our communities look like communities that are renewed in the power of the resurrection? They should. They should look like the early community of believers about which we read in the Acts of the Apostles.
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.
How do we treat our brothers and sisters? Do we attend to their needs? Do we bear witness to the resurrection? Are we willing to lay down things we desire for the sake of others? If not, maybe it is time to circle back to the basics. We can always ask Jesus for more faith in the resurrection.
Your decrees are worthy of trust indeed:
holiness befits your house,
O LORD, for length of days.
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