Those who are wicked prefers darkness

Acts 5:17-26, Jn 3:16-21. The Sanhedrin attempted to crush the early Church as much as possible by arresting the Apostles and disciples. However, the Lord was with His servants and His beloved ones and He protected them, sending them His Angels to rescue them from prison, breaking free their chains. In today's first reading, after being freed from prison, Peter and John returned to the Temple and proclaimed the message of the risen Christ to an enthusiastic audience. They seem to ignore their recent escape and risked their lives again for the Gospel. When the Temple police came to stop them, they showed restraint “for fear of being stoned by the crowd.” The obvious sincerity of the Apostles won the warm support and approval of ordinary Jews. The Lord told His disciples to continue to proclaim His truth and love among the people of God and not to be afraid of those who tried to dissuade them to abandon their missions. Hence, those same disciples of the Lord continued to preach the goodnews of God’s salvation fearlessly and saved numerous people.

The attitude of the Apostles reflects the message in today's Gospel: those who do wrong prefer darkness, while those who do right, will act in the light of day. In His dialogue with Nicodemus, Jesus emphasises the honesty and sincerity of His message. Nicodemus had come at night to ask some doctrinal questions and discuss matters of faith with Him, while the Lord revealed to him many things about Himself. The Lord loved His people so much that He would be willing to endure the toughest challenges and trials for our sake, in order to call us back into the Light. Jesus did these because He does not want us to fall into eternal damnation and be lost from Him forever. Hence, He has given us the means to leave behind our past, sinful existence and enter into the new existence in His light and truth. Through Him and His teachings, He has called on us to return to the path of justice and righteousness, abandoning our rebellious and wicked attitudes, obeying once again the Law and the Commandments of God wholeheartedly.

May the Lord strengthen us to do His will faithfully, so that we will be able to take a stand and boldly proclaim our relationship with God! Amen!! Good morning, and have a pleasant day!!!