Skip to main content

Posts

No one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again from above

The Annunciation of Virgin Mary Gospel text ( John 3,1-8) : Among the Pharisees there was a ruler of the Jews named Nicodemus. He came to Jesus by night and said, «Rabbi, we know that you have come from God to teach us, for no one can perform miraculous signs like yours unless God is with him». Jesus replied, «Truly, I say to you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again from above». Nicodemus said, «How can there be rebirth for a grown man? Who could go back to his mother's womb and be born again?». Jesus replied, «Truly, I say to you: No one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. Because of this, don't be surprised when I say: ‘You must be born again from above’. The wind blows where 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».

Receive the Holy Spirit; for those whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven

  Gospel text ( John 20,19-31) : On the evening of that day, the first day after the Sabbath, the doors were locked where the disciples were, because of their fear of the Jews, but Jesus came and stood in their midst. He said to them, «Peace be with you»; then He showed them his hands and his side. The disciples kept looking at the Lord and were full of joy. Again Jesus said to them, «Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you». After saying this He breathed on them and said to them, «Receive the Holy Spirit; for those whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven; for those whose sins you retain, they are retained». Thomas, the Twin, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples told him, «We have seen the Lord». But he replied, «Until I have seen in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe». Eight days later, the disciples were inside again and Tho...

Mary of Magdala went and reported the news to his followers, but they would not believe

  Gospel text ( Mark 16,9-15) : After Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary of Magdala from whom He had driven out seven demons. She went and reported the news to his followers, who were now mourning and weeping. But when they heard that He lived and had been seen by her, they would not believe it. After this He showed himself in another form to two of them, as they were walking into the country. These men too went back and told the others, but they did not believe them. Later Jesus showed himself to the Eleven while they were at table. He reproached them for their unbelief and stubbornness in refusing to believe those who had seen him after he had risen. Then he told them, «Go out to the whole world and proclaim the Good News to all creation».

This was the third time that Jesus revealed himself to his disciples after rising from the dead

Gospel text ( John 21,1-14) : Jesus revealed himself to the disciples by the Lake of Tiberias. He appeared to them in this way. Simon Peter, Thomas who was called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee and two other disciples were together; and Simon Peter said to them, «I'm going fishing». They replied, «We will come with you», and they went out and got into the boat. But they caught nothing that night. When day had already broken, Jesus was standing on the shore, but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus called them, «Children, have you anything to eat?». They answered, «Nothing». Then He said to them, «Throw the net on the right side of the boat and you will find some». When they had lowered the net, they were not able to pull it in because of the great number of fish. Then the disciple Jesus loved said to Peter, «It's the Lord!». At these words, «It's the Lord», Simon Peter put on his clothes, for he was stripped for work, and...