Readings:
Acts 4:23-31
John 3:1-8
Reflection:
Nicodemus in today’s gospel initially came to Jesus under the cover of darkness because of fear but when he received the gift of the Spirit he became an advocacy for Jesus and his accompaniment of Jesus’ body to the tomb.( as stated in St Johns Gospel )
The story of Nicodemus made me think about faith and the role of faith in our lives.
The faith and belief of Fr Peter Gaughan at the prospect of his impending death made a great impression on me. He is to have said he was looking forward to his death and meeting Jesus, a meeting which he had been waiting for, for over 8o years.
I’m also interested in people who come to faith later in life and how strong their faith and belief is. I believe that many religious vocations to the contemplative orders are people who are converts.
I, too, am a latecomer to the Catholic faith. Baptised a Catholic ( as it was the socially accepted thing to do in my country of birth), I was never brought up in the faith. My parents gave up on their belief in God because of what they had experienced during World War 2 in Holland.
As a teenager, I became interested in religion ( a time when a lot of other teenagers turned away from the Church.) I took myself, unbeknown to my parents to the local Parish Church run by the Augustinian Fathers to seek instruction. I did this on my way home from school, so my parents were none the wiser. I received my communion and confirmation, and from then on I became a frequent Mass goer. On my morning walk, I would walk to the church to attend Mass. I was hooked! Really Jesus caught me.
I can honestly say I don’t know where my faith came from? Or do I? To be really honest, I strongly believe my coming to know Jesus is a pure gift, a gift that I treasure greatly.
The story of Nicodemus reminded me of my journey of knowing Jesus, initially coming to Jesus at night, unbeknown to others and then hopefully being a faithful follower because of the gift of the Spirit.
Elizabeth Buchel has worked as an educator and psychologist for many years. She is formed in Passionist and Benedictine Spirituality. Elizabeth is a Passionist Companion and has been a active parishioner of St Brigids Marrickville since 1985.