The Mystery of
Being Born-Again
In the quiet of night, Nicodemus approached Jesus seeking wisdom, only to be met with a profound truth that would challenge his understanding: "Unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." This declaration from Jesus reveals the fundamental transformation required of every soul seeking God's kingdom. It is not a physical rebirth as Nicodemus initially understood, but rather a spiritual regeneration that comes from above. This mysterious second birth transcends our temporal existence, pointing to something entirely new that God initiates within us.
The wind blows where it wishes, Jesus tells us, and we hear its sound without knowing where it comes from or where it goes. So too is the nature of spiritual rebirth—mysterious, sovereign, and beyond our control. This beautiful metaphor illuminates how the Holy Spirit works in ways that cannot be fully comprehended or predicted, yet produces visible effects in the lives of believers. We cannot manufacture this transformation; it remains the sovereign work of God's grace, which calls for our humble reception rather than our proud achievement.
Through our baptism, we participate in this divine mystery as water and Spirit. The sacramental waters become the womb of the Church, where souls are regenerated and born into new life. This new birth is not merely a change in behavior or perspective, but an ontological transformation - we become new creations, adopted children of the Father, incorporated into Christ's mystical body, and temples of the Holy Spirit. The grace of baptism plants within us the seeds of virtue, faith, hope, and charity, which must be nurtured throughout our earthly pilgrimage.
To be born again is to enter a journey of continual conversion, where the Spirit's life-changing work reshapes us into the image of Christ. This rebirth initiates us into a new way of seeing reality - through the eyes of faith - and a new way of living - guided by the Holy Spirit. As we surrender to this Borm-Again life within us, we become witnesses to the world of this profound mystery: that God desires not merely to improve us, but to make us entirely new. I was born again in 1983.
©2025 James Dacey Jr.
