“Born and Reborn”
How many times are we born? This may seem like a superfluous question, as the answer would appear to be obvious: we are only born once. However, in light of today’s feast, the Baptism of the Lord, Christians can give another answer. In the course of your life, you are given birth three times.
The first, of course, is the date we all remember each year and have on our identification documents. It is the day our mother brought us into this world and our families rejoiced at our arrival. But just as important as that birth, or even more so, is that birth “of water and the Spirit,” our baptism, the date of which we should all also remember with deep gratitude. When the Pharisee Nicodemus, a teacher of the Law and a good man, went to see Jesus at night, he received this instruction from the Lord: “Amen, amen, I say to you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” (Jn 3:3). To the natural objection Nicodemus had of not being able to reenter one’s mother womb, Jesus insisted: “Amen, amen, I say to you, 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. Do not be amazed that I told you, ‘You must be born from above.’” (vv. 5-7). Water and the Spirit, the two realities we see in today’s Gospel: “After Jesus was baptized, he came up from the water and behold, the heavens were opened for him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming upon him.” (Mt 3:16) With this action he transformed the meaning of baptism: from a sign of repentance as John performed it, into a transformative action performed by the Spirit.
“Whoever is in Christ is a new creation: the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come” (2 Cor 5:17) Saint Paul told the Corinthians. And as he wrote to Titus, he also used the concept of rebirth: “he saved us through the bath of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit,” (Ti 3:5). This rebirth implies the death of 1the old man and a being buried (which is clearly symbolized when the person is immersed in the baptismal water: in Greek βαπτίζειν: “submerge”). “Are you unaware that we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were indeed buried with him through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might live in newness of life.” (Rom 6:3- 4).
This also gives us the opportunity to mention our third birth, or rebirth: our death. It may seem contradictory to speak of our death as a new birth, for there are no two things more opposite in our experience than birth and death. But those who believe in Jesus Christ can say with St. Therese of Lisieux: “I am not dying; I am entering life”. Let’s listen to the Catechism: “Because of Christ, Christian death has a positive meaning: “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” (Phil 1:21). “The saying is sure: if we have died with him, we will also live with him.” (2 Tim 2:11).
What is essentially new about Christian death is this: through Baptism, the Christian has already “died with Christ” sacramentally, in order to live a new life; and if we die in Christ’s grace, physical death completes this “dying with Christ” and so completes our incorporation into him in his redeeming act.” (CCC #1010) In this regard, I never cease to be amazed by the parallels that exist in the liturgy between the baptism ceremony and the funeral. Both are celebrations of the Paschal Mystery, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, which is made visible by the predominant presence of the Paschal Candle in both ceremonies. Both liturgies start at the entrance of the church where both, the one to be baptized, and the body of the deceased are welcomed. In that place, the celebrant will ask the parents (or the person himself if the candidate is an adult catechumen) for the name, or he will mention the name in the funeral liturgy. In both ceremonies the body is ‘vested’ with a white garment (the pall at the funeral). In the funeral liturgies the casket or the ashes are sprinkled with holy water several times, like at the entrance while the celebrant says “In the waters of baptism N. died with Christ and rose with him to new life. May he/she now share with him eternal glory”. Also, in the church’s entrance, the baby or the catechumen are signed with the cross of Christ on his/ her forehead, or a cross is placed on the casket as the following is prayed: “In baptism N. received the sign of the cross. May he/she now share in Christ’s victory over sin and death”. Later, at the end of the funeral, the priest will incense the body or the remains of the deceased one in memorial of the dignity of that body which was a temple of God because of baptism.
Now it doesn’t surprise us that the ancient Christians in the tombs of their dear ones used the expression Dies Natalis (literally “birthday”) to indicate the day of their passing.
Blessings,
Fr. Javier Nieva, DCJM
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Previous Letters:
January 4, 2026: What’s the Price of a Mass?
December 28, 2025: Families Serving Families
December 21, 2025: Decisions
December 14, 2025: Make Firm
December 7, 2025: Hope and Justice
November 30, 2025: Armor of Light
November 23, 2025: Behold Your King
November 16, 2025: Remember Your Dignity
November 9, 2025: St. Leo and the Cross of Christ
November 2, 2025; Dying in Christ
October 26, 2025: Forgive Us
October 19, 2025: Pray For Us
October 12, 2025: Pillar of Faith
October, 5, 2025: Compendium of the Gospel
September 28, 2025: Failed to Do
September 21, 2025: An Enemy Did This
September 14, 2025: In Hoc Signo
September 7, 2025: My Son Carlo
August 31, 2025: Humility?
August 24, 2025: How Difficult?
August 17, 2025: Politically Incorrect
August 10, 2025: Got Faith?
August 3, 2025: Greed
July 27, 2025: Ask and You Shall Receive
July 20, 2025: The Better Part
July 13, 2025: Who is the Samaritan
July 6, 2025: Joy and Spoons
June 29, 2025: In Fire
June 22, 2025: A Beating Heart in the Tabernacle
June 15, 2025: The Mirror
June 8, 2025: Filled With the Holy Spirit
June 1, 2025: He Loved Us
May 25, 2025: Servant of Your Faith and Joy
May 18, 2025: Leo
May 11, 2025: The Deposit of Faith
May 4, 2025: Costly Mercy
April 27, 2025: Who is Peter?
April 20, 2025: I Make All Things New – Arise!
April 13, 2025: I Make All Things New – To Do My Penance
April 6, 2025: I Make All Things New – I Declared My Sin to You
March 30, 2025: I Make All Things New – I Firmly Resolve
March 23 2025: I Make All Things New – I am Sorry for Offending You
March 16, 2025: I Make All Things New – Examining Your Conscience
March 9, 2025: I Make All Things New
March 2, 2025: Pruning
February 23, 2025: The Anointed of the Lord
February 16, 2025: Be My Valentine
February 9, 2025: Wash Away My Guilt II
February 2, 2025: Wash Away My Guilt I
January 26, 2025: Catholic Education
January 19, 2025: Shall Marry You
January 12, 2025: Called by Name
January 5, 2025: Pilgrims of Hope
December 29, 2024: Priests for the Family
December 22, 2024: Messengers of Joy
December 15, 2024: Blessed Are the Poor
December 8, 2024: Love, Hope and Joy
December 1, 2024: Hope Does Not Disappoint
November 24, 2024: Are You King?
November 17, 2024: Seven Words
November 10, 2024: Tu es Petrus
November 3, 2024: Pray For Those Authority
October 27, 2024: These Are the Feasts
October 20, 2024: Someone Else
October 13, 2024: Be Prudent
October 6, 2024: Project and Dreams II
September 29, 2024: Projects and Dreams I
September 22, 2024: Pastor
September 15, 2024: Take Up Your Cross
September 8, 2024: Guardians of Shared Memory
September 1, 2024: From Their Hearts
August 25, 2024: The Cost of Discipleship
August 18, 2024: For Real?
August 11, 2024: Too Long For You
August 4, 2024: A New Manna
July 28, 2024: Bread of Life
July 21, 2024: Shepherds After My Own Heart
July 14, 2024: Woe to Me…
July 7, 2024: Come and Rest (II)
June 30, 2024: Come and Rest (I)
June 23, 2024: Storms
June 16, 2024: I Will be a Father to You
June 9, 2024: Burning Furnace of Love
June 2, 2024: In the Midst of Him
May 26, 2024: Forever I Will Sing the Goodness of the Lord
May 19, 2024: Through the Holy Spirit
May 12, 2024: The Ark of the Covenant
May 5, 2024: Source and Summit
April 28, 2024: Rejoice Always
April 21, 2024: I Believe in the resurrection of the body Part II
April 14, 2024: I Believe in the Resurrection of the Body Part 1
April 7, 2024: Rich in Mercy
March 31, 2024: Sine Dominico Non Possumus About Sunday
February 11, 2024: I Was Ill and You Cared For Me
February 4, 2024: Why Evil?
January 28, 2024: Catholic Schools Week
January 21, 2024: Attachments
January 14, 2024: The LORD Shines
January 7, 2024: Epiphany 2024
December 31, 2023: A Family of Families
December 25, 2023: New Beginnings
December 17, 2023: Christmas
December 3, 2023: Watch
November 26, 2023: Be Healed
November 19, 2023: Sealed
November 12, 2023: Religious?
