"Wala sing tawo nga masakop sa paghari sang Dios, kon indi siya matawo liwat"

Ebanghelyo subong nga Adlaw (Juan 3:1-8)

May isa ka tawo nga ang iya ngalan si Nicodemo. Ini nga tawo isa sa mga manugdumala sang mga Judio, kag miembro siya sang grupo nga ginatawag nga Pariseo.

Isa sadto ka gab-i nagkadto siya kay Jesus kag nagsiling sa iya, "Rabbi, nahibaluan namon nga ikaw manunudlo nga ginpadala sang Dios, tungod kay wala sing may makahimo sang mga milagro nga pareho sang imo ginapanghimo kon ang Dios wala nagaupod sa iya."

Nagsabat si Jesus, "Sa pagkamatuod, ginasugid ko sa imo nga wala sing tawo nga masakop sa paghari sang Dios kon indi siya matawo liwat."

Nagpamangkot si Nicodemo, "Ti, paano ang pagkatawo liwat sang tawo kon tigulang na siya? Indi na siya puwede nga magsulod sa tiyan sang iya iloy agod magpakatawo liwat."

Nagsabat si Jesus, "Sa pagkamatuod, ginasugid ko sa imo nga wala sing tawo nga masakop sa paghari sang Dios kon indi siya matawo paagi sa tubig kag sa Espiritu Santo.

Ang ginbata paagi sa tawo, tawhanon, pero ang ginbata paagi sa gahom sang Espirito Santo, espirituhanon.

Gani indi ikaw matingala sa akon ginsiling sa imo nga kinahanglan matawo kamo liwat.

Nagahuyop ang hangin sa bisan diin nga iya gusto. Mabatian ta ang iya huni, pero wala kita makahibalo kon diin ini nagahalin kag kon diin ini nagapakadto. Pareho man sini sa tawo nga natawo paagi sa Espiritu Santo".

Prayers:

"Lord Jesus Christ, you offer us a new birth in the Holy Spirit. Renew in me the gift of faith and new life in your Holy Spirit. Help me to draw near to you and to believe in your life-giving word. May your kingdom come and may your will be done in my life today and always."

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Reflection of the Daily Gospel:

Do you nourish your faith with regular reading and prayerful reflection of the word of God? Nicodemus was hungry for God's word and became a closet disciple of Jesus. He sought Jesus out, though surreptitiously in the dead of the night. Why? Nicodemus was a "leader of the Jews", "a teacher of Israel" (John 3:10), and a member of the religious party most opposed to the teaching of Jesus. In fact, John’s gospel account states that it was Nicodemus' own group, the Pharisees, which intimidated the authorities against confessing Jesus (John 12:42).Instead he engaged him in a seemingly unrelated topic of conversation. Jesus said that rebirth was necessary to enter the kingdom of God. Of course, Nicodemus the Pharisee had already found religion, so he thought that Jesus must have referred to physical rebirth. No, Jesus responded, someone who is reborn spiritually knows the experience as surely as one who has been refreshed by an invisible breeze. How can a respected rabbi among the Jews not know this? And that is precisely the point. Nicodemus is the first of what we might loosely call the official clergy with whom Jesus has personal engagement. The Gospel portrays Nicodemus as a defender of Jesus' right to a fair trial (John 7:-51). Nicodemus also helped to bury Jesus with honor. Nicodemus did not understand the new birth which Jesus spoke of until after the resurrection.

What does it mean to be reborn? The new birth Jesus speaks of is a spiritual birth to new life and relationship with God as his sons and daughters. This new birth is made possible when one is baptized into Christ and receives the gift of the Holy Spirit. God wants to renew all his people in the gift of new life in his Holy Spirit. This new life brings us into God's kingdom or heavenly rule. What is God's kingdom? God's kingdom is that society in which God's will is done on earth as it is in heaven. To be reborn is to enter that society in which God is honored and obeyed, to live as his son or daughter, and to enter into possession of that life which comes from God himself, a never-ending life of love, peace, joy, and freedom from sin and the fear of death. Do you know the joy and freedom of new life in Jesus Christ?