SPEAKER_00: There's a very simple contrast in today's readings.
SPEAKER_00: In the gospel you have a man who comes at night.
SPEAKER_00: In the first reading, you have men who walk out into the world with boldness.
SPEAKER_00: Same faith, very different posture.
SPEAKER_00: Nicodemus comes to Jesus at night, not because he's evil, but because he's cautious, curious, but careful, interested, but not ready to be seen.
SPEAKER_00: And Jesus doesn't reject him, but he does challenge him.
SPEAKER_00: He says, You must be born from above.
SPEAKER_00: In other words, it's not enough to admire this.
SPEAKER_00: It's not enough to understand it.
SPEAKER_00: It's not enough to stay where you are and just be a good person.
SPEAKER_00: Something in you has to change.
SPEAKER_00: And Nicodemus struggles with that.
SPEAKER_00: How can I start over?
SPEAKER_00: And it's a very legit real question.
SPEAKER_00: How do I become new?
SPEAKER_00: When am I ready to set my ways?
SPEAKER_00: Now hold on to that because in the first reading you see the answer.
SPEAKER_00: Peter and John have been threatened, told to stop speaking about Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: And what do they do?
SPEAKER_00: They don't pray for safety.
SPEAKER_00: They don't pray for protection.
SPEAKER_00: They pray for one thing, boldness.
SPEAKER_00: That's striking.
SPEAKER_00: Because most of us, if we're honest, would pray, oh Lord, make this easier.
SPEAKER_00: Lord, I don't want to go through any hardship.
SPEAKER_00: Lord, remove the pressure.
SPEAKER_00: Lord, take this away.
SPEAKER_00: But they pray, give us courage.
SPEAKER_00: And then something happens.
SPEAKER_00: The place shakes.
SPEAKER_00: They're filled with the Holy Spirit.
SPEAKER_00: And they go out and speak.
SPEAKER_00: That's what it means to be born from above.
SPEAKER_00: It's not emotional.
SPEAKER_00: It's not symbolic.
SPEAKER_00: It's not, it's not this goofy feeling of no, no, it's a real shift.
SPEAKER_00: You stop living cautiously and you start living with conviction.
SPEAKER_00: And here's where this hits us.
SPEAKER_00: Because a lot of people today are like Nicodemus, good, faithful people, but quiet, private, careful.
SPEAKER_00: We believe, but we stay in the shadows.
SPEAKER_00: We follow, but we don't want it to cost us anything.
SPEAKER_00: We keep our faith, but we don't let it change how we live publicly.
SPEAKER_00: That would be giving up control.
SPEAKER_00: But Jesus says that's not enough.
SPEAKER_00: You must be born from above.
SPEAKER_00: Meaning your faith has to move from something you think about to something that redefines who you are.
SPEAKER_00: Because when the Holy Spirit takes a hold of you, you don't just believe differently, you live differently, you speak differently, you respond differently, you become someone who is more patient than you used to be, more courageous than you thought you could be, more faithful when it would be easier to stay quiet.
SPEAKER_00: That's the evidence, not words, but real change.
SPEAKER_00: So here's the question for you today.
SPEAKER_00: Are you still in the night like Nicodemus?
SPEAKER_00: Or are you stepping into the light slowly, like the apostles?
SPEAKER_00: And don't overcomplicate this.
SPEAKER_00: Being born from above doesn't mean becoming someone else overnight.
SPEAKER_00: It means taking one step out of the shadows, baby steps, one act of courage at a time, one moment where you choose to live your faith instead of just thinking about it.
SPEAKER_00: Because the same spirit that shook that room is available to you.
SPEAKER_00: Ask for it.
SPEAKER_00: Pray for it.
SPEAKER_00: Not for comfort, not for ease, but for boldness.
SPEAKER_00: Because when the Holy Spirit takes over, you don't stay hidden.
SPEAKER_00: You become a witness.
SPEAKER_00: And that's the beginning of a new life.
SPEAKER_00: Not someday, but today.
SPEAKER_00: Amen.