April 2008

Stories Seldom Heard
104^th Edition

John’s Gospel 3: 1- 21

Welcome to Stories Seldom Heard.  I would like to especially welcome those from Sacred Heart Parish, Olema and St. Mary Magdalene’s Parish in Bolinas, California.

As you probably know St. Catherine of Siena is a Doctor of the Church, a theologian and a Dominican.  The other day while I was reading some of her writings the following line caught my attention.  “Behave like a person in love!”  As I read on, I wondered if we lived each day of our lives with this spirit if our lives would change.  What would it mean for each of us to behave like a person in love?  What form would it take?  As you continue to read the story of Nicodemus keep these thoughts in mind.  Does he live like a person in love?  What guides his actions?

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One of my favorite characters in the New Testament is Nicodemus.   He stirs my curiosity.  We only hear of him in John’s Gospel, but he is mentioned three times.  He first appears at the beginning of the gospel.  (3: 1- 21)  Nicodemus comes to Jesus at night and asks Jesus a question about being born again. Nicodemus and Jesus have a long conversation but then Nicodemus disappears.  “On the last day and greatest day of the festival,” Nicodemus appears a second time.  The Jewish authorities are questioning the police as to why they haven’t arrested Jesus.  In the midst of this heated discussion Nicodemus, a Pharisee, speaks on Jesus’ behalf.  (Jn. 7:50)  But again he fades into the background.  The final time we meet Nicodemus is at the end of the gospel.  “After this, Joseph of Arimathaea, who was a disciple of Jesus – though a secret one because he was afraid of the Jews – asked Pilate to let him remove the body of Jesus….Nicodemus came as well…” (19:38-39)

It’s hard to read Nicodemus’ intentions or to know where he stands.  There always seems to be an air of mystery that surrounds him.  He comes at night, and moves in the shadows and background of the stories.  It is as though he never quite declares his full thoughts or beliefs.  He never comes into full light.  He never publicly confesses his belief in Jesus, but we hear of him enough to know that he is searching. 

The first time he meets Jesus, Jesus is alone.  Jesus was probably walking home through the narrow streets of the old city after a long day of preaching.  All of a sudden a man whom Jesus doesn’t know emerges out of a shadowy doorway or dark alley.  Even though Jesus doesn’t know his name, Jesus can tell he is a religious leader by his clothing.  Pharisees wore long robes with tassels.  But why had Nicodemus come at night?  He certainly could have broken away from his busy schedule during the day when Jesus was preaching in the marketplace or teaching in the synagogue.  It would have been much easier and more convenient to find Jesus in a public place, rather than track him down after dark.  So why did Nicodemus come at night?  And why did he approach Jesus when Jesus was by himself?

The gospel doesn’t tell us, but we can presume that this meeting wasn’t by chance.  It’s no accident that Nicodemus comes in the dark when Jesus was alone.  Nicodemus was a Pharisee and even though the Pharisees have a bad reputation, they agreed on some of the beliefs and religious practices that Jesus taught.  They worshipped at the same temple.  They prayed the same prayers – the psalms.  They too, like Jesus, taught and believed in the resurrection of the dead.  But they also disagreed with Jesus on some major religious issues.

The title Pharisee is a code name for those who lean heavily on external observances of the law.   They study the law and scrupulously interpret it – every jot and tittle.  They were the religious group within Judaism that believed that it was through the law that a person was justified.  In other words, they taught that by assiduously following the law a person was made holy.  And there’s the rub!

On the one hand, Nicodemus could call Jesus “Rabbi”, teacher, which is a sign of respect.  Nicodemus recognized the power that Jesus had to heal and cure people.  On the other hand, Nicodemus was scandalized by Jesus’ practices and teachings.  Jesus healed on the Sabbath which was against the law.  He ate with gentiles and sinners and this, too, was forbidden by the law. These issues alone would have stirred up confusion even resistance within Nicodemus or any conscientious Pharisee, but there was more!

Jesus often spoke about the kingdom or reign of God.   These parables, religious riddles about God, were confusing.  Could God really be as forgiving and generous as a father who forgives his prodigal son even before the son asks for forgiveness?  Could God really be as illogical, according to our way of thinking, as a shepherd who leaves ninety- nine sheep unattended to go after the one lost sheep?  And in this conversation with Nicodemus Jesus talks about being born again?  Nicodemus is shocked by this idea and we can’t blame him because most of us struggle with it too.  Nicodemus made his point well.  Once we are born there is no going back into the womb.  We are who we are – with our unique histories and personalities.  And yet, if we listen more closely to Jesus we might be able to begin to understand what he is talking about.

This being born from above, the promise of new life, is a big leap of faith.  It’s a promise that says we are able to start over again.  Like a new born infant, Jesus says we can begin with a clean slate.  And even more Jesus offers Nicodemus and us a new Spirit who doesn’t just come only once in our lives.  This spirit is special, but not rare.  It doesn’t just come at Baptism, Confirmation or even Pentecost.  This Spirit dwells in us.  It will never leave us and it wants to continually transform us: make us new.

It is hard to understand or get our minds around the power of this Spirit.  But at times we get a glimpse of what it looks like.  Jesus describes this Spirit as a free gift who comes as a strong driving wind who breathes new life in us.  This Spirit is life altering, Jesus says, a breath that gives us a new energy to face our daily routines and struggles.  If we feel stuck in patterns that are destructive, this Spirit will help break through our hard and fast habits.  If we feel held back by negative images of ourselves or experiences that have been harmful to us, this Spirit will bring healing.  If we feel dulled by the burdens of our everyday lives, this Spirit will renew our desire to fulfill the commitments we have made. If we feel tentative about our faith and our religious practices have become merely external exercises, this Spirit will help our relationship with God become more meaningful and real. 

This Spirit according to Jesus is not an idle visitor or silent observer, but initiates new life.  A woman told me recently, that when she was growing up she thought religion was just a list of rules.  But now that she is an adult and is involved in her parish, she has come to realize that faith and religion are about relationships – our relationship with God.  Through her studies and prayers she has come to know a loving and compassionate God and this compassion has helped her reach out to others.  She said, “We need to put effort into our relationship with God, just as we do with other relationships.  But over the years I have come to know that it is God who saves, not the law.”

In many ways we can identify with Nicodemus.  We, too, have many unanswered questions about our lives, our families, the crisis within the church and our world.  But unlike Nicodemus we are not people who fade back into the darkness of the night.  In fact, we are the people who gathered around the new Easter fire as a sign of our desire for light and guidance.  We, too, were washed with the Easter waters that remind us not only of the sacredness of all creation, but also that nature’s cycles of life and death touch our lives as well.  These experiences of community and God’s faithfulness stir up our trust.  They remind us that on this feast, the greatest feast of the year, God promises more than just a momentary sense of blessing.

Christ promises to send a Holy Spirit – a Spirit who will not only sustain us, but move within us and stir up feelings of gratitude and joy.  This Spirit fills us with appreciation for just being alive.   Through our daily cycles of death and life, this Spirit promises to awaken in us new energy and a desire to share ourselves and our goods with others, even strangers and especially those who are in need.  Because of this Spirit we become more aware of both the beauty and the bounty that surround us and our duty and responsibility to care for them well.  With this Spirit we can behave as St. Catherine says, “like a person in love.” 

The melodies of “Christ our light” and “Alleluia, Alleluia” might be fading, but Jesus’ promise is alive because Jesus behaved “like a person in love!”  And his love goes beyond death and the grave.  “Behave like a person in love!” Why not write that sentence on a piece of paper and place it on your desk or refrigerator.  Perhaps if we prayed this prayer from now until Pentecost, Love might transform our hearts. 

Pedro Arrupe, SJ, a former Superior of the Society of Jesus, said,

“Nothing is more practical than finding God, that is, than falling in

a love in a quite absolute, final way. What you are in love with, what

seizes your imagination will affect everything. It will decide what will

get you out of bed in the mornings, what you will do with your evenings,

how you spend your weekends, what you read, who you know, what breaks

your heart, and what amazes you with joy and gratitude. Fall in love,

stay in love, and it will decide everything.”

Happy Easter Season.

 Special thanks to Sharon Grant, Mary Ellen Green and Jeanne Keating who have helped in editing this article.

"Stories Seldom Heard" is a monthly article written by Sister Patricia Bruno, O.P.  Sister is a Dominican Sister of San Rafael, California.  This service is offered to the Christian community to enrich one's personal and spiritual life.  The articles can be used for individual or group reflection.  If you would like "Stories Seldom Heard" sent to a friend, please send a note to "purple115@juno.com".  If you would like to support this ministry, please send tax deductible contributions to Dominican Sisters of San Rafael, c/o Sister Patricia Bruno, O.P., 1520 Grand Avenue, San Rafael, CA,   94901

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