of Easter: April 13, 2026
Acts 4:23-31 | John 3:1-8
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| Photo created by J. Dacey Jr. using M365 Co-Pilot. |
Today’s
Readings
Acts
4:23-31 After
Peter and John were released, they returned to the community and reported what
had happened. The whole group raised their voices to God in prayer, asking for
boldness to speak the word. When they finished praying, the place where they
were gathered shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued
to speak the word of God with boldness.
John
3:1-8 Nicodemus
came to Jesus by night and said, Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has
come from God. Jesus answered, no one can see the kingdom of God without being
born from above. Nicodemus asked, how can a person be born again when they are
old? Jesus answered, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of
water and Spirit. What is born of flesh is flesh, and what is born of Spirit is
spirit.
Today's Thread: The Holy Spirit doesn't whisper, He shakes the room.
The early
community prayed together, and the building shook. They didn't ask for safety or
comfort; they asked for boldness. And God answered so powerfully that the very
ground moved beneath them. Nicodemus came looking for answers in the dark, and
Jesus told him the most radical thing imaginable: You have to start over. You
have to be born again from above. The Spirit transforms you from the inside out.
Living It Today:
Where are you
playing it safe with your faith right now? The early Church prayed for boldness, not protection. They wanted to go deeper into the risk, not around it. And
Nicodemus, who came in the dark, eventually became the man who helped bury Jesus
publicly. That midnight conversation changed everything. What conversation with
the Lord have you been saving for the dark? Bring it into the light today.
Something to sit with today:
Being
bold and standing up for what you believe will not always be easy. There will
be moments of resistance, silence, and even rejection. But do not be surprised
by this. Jesus Himself told us plainly: "Whoever
wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow
me." (Mark 8:34) And He warned us with honesty and love: "If the world hates you, know that it
hated me before it hated you." (John 15:18) The cross is not a
symbol of defeat; it is the mark of a disciple who refused to be silent.
The same Spirit that shook the walls where
the early Church prayed is the same Spirit living inside of you right now. You
are not alone in this. You were never meant to carry your faith in secret or
whisper your convictions in the shadows.
So today, be bold. Speak up. Stand firm.
Let the Holy Spirit do what He does best. Shake the room.
What would you change in your home, your
workplace, your relationships, if today you stopped managing your faith quietly
and instead asked the Holy Spirit to make you bold? Remember, even the early
Church prayed together, surrounded by one another, strengthened by one another.
Who are the like-minded devout Catholics in your life walking this journey with
you? Because the road of discipleship was never meant to be walked alone.
Rosary Man Jim 🌹
