What Does It Mean to Be ‘Born Again’?

The feast of the Maternity of the Blessed Mother honors Our Lady under her greatest title – Mother of God. He Whom the whole world could not contain shut Himself up in her womb. It is because the human nature of Christ, along with all the actions performed by it, belong to God, that Our Lady truly can be called the Mother of God.

The modern concept of a ‘Born-again Christian’ comes from the teachings of Martin Luther who defined faith, not as belief in a body of doctrines, but as reliance on God and His forgiveness. It is believed by many non-Catholic groups that a certain emotional experience of God’s love at the moment of our accepting Him results in this ‘second birth’ and certainty of salvation. However, this is a far cry from the words of Our Lord to Nicodemus: “Unless a man be born again of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” It is through the waters of baptism and the power of the Holy Spirit that we are given new life - the supernatural life of Sanctifying Grace. It is a created participation in the life of God Himself through which the Holy Trinity dwells within us. Whether we are saved or not, depends on how faithful we are to the new life we have been given. When we are adopted as children of God, it results in more than a simple legal fiction, because He gives us a created share in His very life. Truly can we say, “Our Father Who art in Heaven….”