Speak of God with boldness

As they prayed, the place where they were gathered shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness (Acts 4: 30-31)

Blessed are all who take refuge in the Lord (Ps 2:11)

Amen, amen, I say to you, unless one is born of water and Spirit he cannot enter the Kingdom of God (John 3:5)

Piety

Thank you, God for the freedom you give me and the blessing of the Spirit. Help me to always think and act in freedom as the Spirit prompts me. Help me to shed myself of passions, actions, ambitions and questioning which leads me from you rather than to you. Help me to seek you and proclaim you in boldness each day. Amen

Study

http://www.usccb.org/nab/041607.shtml

These readings give us a clear contrast between human attempts to understand the mystery of salvation and human acceptance of the Spirit which brings God-given understanding, courage and passion.

Nicodemus approaches Jesus at night, unwilling to be seen with this controversial and compelling rabbi. As he stealthily addresses Jesus, he distances himself, addressing Jesus “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) This is a tentative calling out – he hides behind a “we” much like we might do in confronting an injustice when we say “everyone thinks this is wrong”.

Not so the disciples. Peter and John, just released from arrest, raised their voices to God with one accord…and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness. (Acts 4: 24-31) In fact, Peter and John earlier had, filled with the Holy Spirit, answered their accusers with clarity, passion, conviction and faith. They no longer needed to lock their room or hide in the dark of night out of fear. They could continue the proclamation which Jesus began, such as his self-proclamation to Nicodemus.

We meet Nicodemus in the dark but we finally see him in the light, at the cross: Nicodemus, the one who had first come to him at night, also came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes weighing about one hundred pounds (John 19: 39) What keeps us from accepting and experiencing the courage, clarity and conviction which the Spirit propels to us? What causes us to resist the wind of Spirit blowing from God?

Action

Take stock and let go of fears, attitudes, habits which are obstacles to accepting the breath of the Spirit and the loving, protective embrace of Jesus. Take stock of and toss out that which keeps us from sharing the Spirit with each other. St. Therese of Liseux said: “It is that much harder to let what belongs to us be taken without asking for it back. But the moment we accept this, we feel how light [the burden] is.”

by Beth DeCristofaro