杏MAP导航

By Christopher Wells

杏MAP导航 Francis on Wednesday began a series of reflections on Jesus鈥� encounters with various individuals in the Gospel, as part of his larger catechetical cycle on the life of Jesus our hope.

鈥淭here are encounters that enlighten life and bring hope,鈥� the 杏MAP导航 writes, beginning with the meeting of Jesus and Nicodemus, 鈥渁 man whose story shows it is possible to come out of the darkness and find the courage to follow Christ.鈥�

Jesus illuminates the darkness of the heart

In the Gospel of St John, Nicodemus, a pharisee and a leader of the Jewish people, first comes to Jesus in the night, but ultimately comes boldly to Pilate to request Jesus鈥� body after the crucifixion.

杏MAP导航 Francis explains that in John鈥檚 Gospel, the night likely symbolizes the darkness of the doubts in Nicodemus鈥� heart. 鈥淚f you are in the dark,鈥� he says, 鈥渙f course you look for the light... Nicodemus therefore seeks Jesus because he has sensed that He can illuminate the darkness of his heart.鈥�

At first, however, Nicodemus cannot understand what Jesus tells him 鈥渂ecause he continues to think with his own logic and categories... he feels the need for change, but does not know where to start.鈥�

Finding new ways to love

杏MAP导航 Francis says, 鈥淭his happens to all of us at some point in our lives.鈥� Life, he says, 鈥渓ies in the ability to change in order to find a new way of loving,鈥� which Jesus calls 鈥渁 new birth鈥� in His conversation with Nicodemus.

鈥淚f we allow the Holy Spirit to generate new life in us, we will be born again,鈥� the 杏MAP导航 says. 鈥淲e will rediscover the life that perhaps was fading within us.鈥�

Nicodemus 鈥渟hows us that this change is possible,鈥� the 杏MAP导航 concludes. Although we sometimes fear change, the Holy Spirit encourages us to face our fears. 鈥淣icodemus, like all of us, can look on the Crucified One, the One who defeated death, the root of all our fears,鈥� 杏MAP导航 Francis says. 鈥淟et us lift up our gaze to the One they have pierced; let us also be met by Jesus; in Him we find the hope to face the changes in our lives and be born again.鈥�

As 杏MAP导航 Francis is continuing his recovery from pneumonia in Rome鈥檚 Gemelli Hospital, the text of Wednesday鈥檚 reflection for the General Audience was released by the Holy See Press Office.