Born Again

Fourth Sunday of the Lent (Year B)

John 3: 14 – 21        “Can anyone be born again?”

March 18, 2012

 Jesus said to Nicodemus: “Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that all who believe in him may be healed and may have eternal life.”

Today’s Gospel contains the response of Jesus to Nicodemus’ question – “Can anyone enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?”

Jesus answered Nicodemus: “Just as the serpent was lifted by Moses in the desert to heal the people, so must the Son of Man be lifted up so that all who believe in him may have eternal life and healed by Jesus on the cross.” In John’s Gospel, Jesus came to earth both to become fully human and to lift all people to eternal glory.

Like Jesus, we are born human and now we try to lift that humanity to glory through the rebirth of baptism and through the powerful love of the Savior on the cross. “Faith,” Jesus says, “leads us to eternal life. The deeper our faith the better foundation we have for being lifted up by the healing form above to the glory of the Kingdom.”

With confidence, we now bring our concerns to God the Father: “GOD OUR FATHER, LOOK WITH LOVE ON US YOUR CHILDREN AND SAFELY GUIDE US ON OUR PILGRI M JOURNEY. THIS IS OUR PRAYER THROUGH CHRIST OUR LORD. AMEN.”