Tuesday of the 2nd Week of Easter
First reading — Acts 4:32-37
The whole group of believers was united, heart and soul
The whole group of believers was united, heart and soul; no one claimed for his own use anything that he had, as everything they owned was held in common.
The apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus with great power, and they were all given great respect.
None of their members was ever in want, as all those who owned land or houses would sell them, and bring the money from them, to present it to the apostles; it was then distributed to any members who might be in need.
There was a Levite of Cypriot origin called Joseph whom the apostles surnamed Barnabas (which means ‘son of encouragement’). He owned a piece of land and he sold it and brought the money, and presented it to the apostles.
Responsorial Psalm — Psalm 92(93):1-2,5
The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.
The Lord is king, with majesty enrobed;
the Lord has robed himself with might,
he has girded himself with power.
The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.
The world you made firm, not to be moved;
your throne has stood firm from of old.
From all eternity, O Lord, you are.
The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.
Truly your decrees are to be trusted.
Holiness is fitting to your house,
O Lord, until the end of time.
The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.
Gospel — John 3:7-15
The Son of Man must be lifted up
Jesus said to Nicodemus:
‘Do not be surprised when I say:
You must be born from above.
The wind blows wherever it pleases;
you hear its sound,
but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going.
That is how it is with all who are born of the Spirit.’
‘How can that be possible?’ asked Nicodemus.
‘You, a teacher in Israel, and you do not know these things!’ replied Jesus.
‘I tell you most solemnly,
we speak only about what we know
and witness only to what we have seen
and yet you people reject our evidence.
If you do not believe me when I speak about things in this world,
how are you going to believe me when I speak to you about heavenly things?
No one has gone up to heaven
except the one who came down from heaven,
the Son of Man who is in heaven;
and the Son of Man must be lifted up
as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert,
so that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.’
Reflection
The unity described in Acts is not achieved — it is received.
The believers are one heart and one soul. This is not human agreement or strategy; it is the visible effect of the Holy Spirit at work within them. Their unity expresses itself concretely — in generosity, in shared life, in care for one another.
No one is in need because no one is living for themselves.
This is what resurrection life looks like when it takes hold of a community.
In the Gospel, Jesus continues to lead Nicodemus beyond surface understanding. The language shifts from new birth to something even more revealing: the Son of Man must be lifted up.
This is a direct reference to the Cross.
What appears as suffering becomes the very means of life. Just as the bronze serpent lifted in the desert brought healing (Numbers 21), so Christ lifted on the Cross becomes the source of eternal life.
The Catechism deepens this reality:
- Christ’s lifting up on the Cross is the source of salvation for all (CCC 440, 617)
- Eternal life is given through faith in the Son (CCC 161, 2616)
- The Holy Spirit brings about new birth and transforms believers into communion (CCC 683, 1265)
The connection is clear:
The Cross gives life.
The Spirit transforms that life within us.
And the result is a people who live no longer divided, but united.
Faith is not only belief — it is participation in this new life.
One line to carry today:
True life flows from the One lifted up on the Cross.
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