The high priest rose
up and all his companions, that is, the party of the Sadducees, and, filled
with jealousy, laid hands upon the Apostles and put them in the public jail. But
during the night, the angel of the Lord opened the doors of the prison, led them
out, and said, “Go and take your place in the temple area, and tell the people
everything about this life.” Acts
5:17-20
And this is the
verdict, that the light came into the world, but people preferred darkness to
light, because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates
the light and does not come toward the light, so that his works might not be
exposed. But whoever lives the truth comes to the light, so that his works may
be clearly seen as done in God. John
3:19-21
Piety
When
things happen in “threes,” take note.
When
things happen in “threes,” take note.
When
things happen in “threes,” take note.
Repeating
a word three times is equivalent to saying something with bold letters, italics
and underlined followed by exclamation points.
For example:
One cried out to the
other: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts! All
the earth is filled with his glory!” (Isaiah 6:3)
“Then I looked again and heard an eagle flying high
overhead cry out in a loud voice, “Woe! Woe! Woe to
the inhabitants of the earth from the rest of the trumpet blasts that the three
angels are about to blow!” (Revelation 8:13).
Study
Every
so often, we get one of the most famous passages in the Bible to consider in
our daily reading and reflection. Today
is one such day. Probably next to “In the
beginning…” from Genesis, today’s Good News starts out with the immortal
passage, “For God so loved the world…”
People
often cite John 3:16 as a favorite scripture passage. I will admit to being one of them. When I was younger, I looked it up because every
Sunday, a person carried a banner in the Pittsburgh Steelers end zone which
read: John 3:16. I knew John Stallworth’s jersey number was 82
so the sign must be referring to something else.
The
passage John 3:16 does not stand alone.
It is part of the longer conversation which Jesus had with
Nicodemus. This was not a one-way
communication. The Pharisee had a key part
in it. For a conversation must have at
least two parts otherwise it is only a sermon, lecture or soliloquy. Plus, there had to be at least ONE witness
who talked or wrote about what happened or we would not have this story.
Nicodemus
sought out this encounter with Jesus. Even
though he did it at night
First is the
conversation starter: He came to Jesus at night and said to him,
“Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God, for no one can do
these signs that you are doing unless God is with him.” (John 3:2)
Next he posed a
follow-up question: Nicodemus said to him, “How can a person once grown old be born again?
Surely he cannot reenter his mother’s womb and be born again, can he?” (John 3:4)
Still determined to
better understand, he poses a THIRD question to Jesus: Nicodemus
answered and said to him, “How can this happen?” (John 3:9)
This
reflection will not delve into the parallel between Peter denying Jesus three
times and Jesus challenging Peter three times to “Feed my sheep.” It is not a coincident that Jesus rose on the
third day after his execution. When
things happen in “triplets” in the Bible, we should take notice. Not just repeated once, but repeated three
times.
Did
it work? What is the verdict? Did the conversation change anything? I think so. Including this three-question interrogation,
Nicodemus appears three times. Nicodemus
tried to defend Jesus in the temple when the plot was being hatched by the
Pharisees to arrest him. Then he appears
with Joseph of Aramithea to bury the body of Jesus after the Lord dies on the cross. When others had left him, Nicodemus was there
performing the spiritual works of mercy.
Conversation
led to conversion. It is an interesting
relationship that comes back to the roots of both words.
Furthermore,
such a commitment to change (conversatio in Latin) is another commitment that
is closely allied with vow of stability/fidelity and unique to Benedictine
monastics. This Latin word means a commitment to all practices oriented toward
the search for God. (Sorry, I could not resist overusing the formatting
in Word).
By
practices we do not mean a rote, rigid adherence to regimen. Conversatio
includes disciplines such as commitment to a regular daily schedule of prayer
and work, to silence, to lectio divina, community meals, and community of
goods. Everything is oriented toward a faithful living of the Gospel.[i]
Of
even more significance is the word conversatio, a term that is difficult to
translate. Conversatio connotes a commitment to live faithfully in unsettled
times and to keep one's life open. Such a paradox: remain settled; stay open to
change! For the monks of the Middle Ages, living faithfully meant listening to
an inner voice and responding to the call.[ii]
Action
Nicodemus
gives a pretty good model for how you or I might react if we wanted to learn
more about what someone meant. We mightgo up to them and start a conversation that demands more than a “Yes” or “No”answer.
What’s your story?
What personal passion project are you working on right now?
Working on anything exciting lately?
What personal passion project are you working on right now?
Working on anything exciting lately?
What was the highlight of your day today?
What’s your biggest fear?
If you had to pick any character in a book, movie or TV show who is most similar to you, who would you choose? Why?
When you were growing up what was your dream job? Is any part of that still true?
If you had to pick any character in a book, movie or TV show who is most similar to you, who would you choose? Why?
When you were growing up what was your dream job? Is any part of that still true?
Group reunion is one of those crucial conversations. Who will you have a critical conversation with this week?
Come toward the light. Come toward the light. Come toward the light.
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