First Reading: Acts 4:32-37
The community of believers was of one heart and mind,
and no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own,
but they had everything in common.
With great power the Apostles bore witness
to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus,
and great favor was accorded them all.
There was no needy person among them,
for those who owned property or houses would sell them,
bring the proceeds of the sale,
and put them at the feet of the Apostles,
and they were distributed to each according to need.
Thus Joseph, also named by the Apostles Barnabas
(which is translated Ason of encouragement”),
a Levite, a Cypriot by birth,
sold a piece of property that he owned,
then brought the money and put it at the feet of the Apostles.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 93:1AB, 1CD-2, 5
R. (1a) The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.
The LORD is king, in splendor robed;
robed is the LORD and girt about with strength.
R. The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.
And he has made the world firm,
not to be moved.
Your throne stands firm from of old;
from everlasting you are, O LORD.
R. The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.
Your decrees are worthy of trust indeed:
holiness befits your house,
O LORD, for length of days.
R. The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.
Gospel: John 3:7B-15
Jesus said to Nicodemus:
“‘You must be born from above.’
The wind blows where it wills, and you can hear the sound it makes,
but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes;
so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
Nicodemus answered and said to him,
‘How can this happen?”
Jesus answered and said to him,
“You are the teacher of Israel and you do not understand this?
Amen, amen, I say to you,
we speak of what we know and we testify to what we have seen,
but you people do not accept our testimony.
If I tell you about earthly things and you do not believe,
how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things?
No one has gone up to heaven
except the one who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man.
And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert,
so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.”
NAB
To what lengths am I willing to go, to show my trust? Am I willing to give up anything and everything? Especially if I trust in the Lord? For him, will I give up even my life?
"Your decrees are worthy of my trust."
The Levite Barnabas, a Cypriot, was willing—even eager!—to give it all up. His trust stands in contrast to Nicodemus, who doubted. We know he had this great trust because he took a portion of his property, sold it, and gave the money to the Apostles. He gave to help the entire group of new Christians, and spread the word of God.
Now pause and change gears with me for a moment. When Jesus speaks of trust, He talks a lot about children. Children who trust their parents to catch them if they fall, to teach them to ride a bike, to be there when they wake from a bad dream. Jesus says our trust should be like the trust of a child. Is it?
I imagine that Barnabas' trust was like a child's. He trusted in the Father to continue to take care of him, even after selling a portion of his property. I want to be like Barnabas.
Yet, I'm more often like Nicodemus. Is it that I am afraid or unwilling to trust? Is it that I don't allow myself to be like a child and trust in my God, even and especially when I can't see past today? I sigh to myself and wish I trusted more.
Jesus tells us that with belief, comes eternal life. The Psalmist declares that the Lord's decrees are worth of trust. What is holding me back, then? Lord, soften my heart. Increase my trust. Let me be like Barnabas, who trusted in your promise.
Am I willing to give up anything and everything? For him, will I give up even my life?Click to tweet
Think about how Barnabas gave something up, as a display of his trust in our Lord. What can we give up? What can we give back to Christ, placing our trust in Him with all we have and are?
Gina Fensterer is a wife, daughter, mother, friend, homeschooling mama, and Colorado native. You can find out more about her here.
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