All Catholics are “born again” because they became a new person when they received the Holy Spirit at their Baptism with water. This is the true meaning of being born again according to the Bible.
When speaking about what is required to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, Jesus was adamant that a new spiritual birth from above was needed, brought about by the power of the Holy Spirit and delivered through baptismal water.
More than just a symbolic washing, Jesus said that those who believe and are baptized will be saved. Not only does Baptism wash away the guilt of original sin, but the soul is infused with sanctifying grace and the baptized person receives a new destiny.
Although the term “born again” is not often used, baptized Catholics are transformed, beginning a new supernatural life in Jesus Christ as children of God, heirs to the Kingdom of Heaven, and members of Christ’s mystical body.
Having received the grace of Baptism, Catholics regularly renew their personal commitment to Jesus through prayer and worship, leading lives of continual conversion strengthened by the saving grace provided by the other sacraments.
How God starts something new:
Born anew, again, and from above:
Jesus answered and said to him, “Amen, amen, I say to you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a person once grown old be born again? Surely he cannot reenter his mother’s womb and be born again, can he?” Jesus answered, “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. The wind blows where it wills, and you can hear the sound it makes, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes; so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
John 3: 3-8
When grace breaks through into this world:
Born from above into a whole new life:
This sacrament is also called “the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit,” for it signifies and actually brings about the birth of water and the Spirit without which no one “can enter the kingdom of God.”
Catechism of the Catholic Church 1215
A new person but not another person:
The symbolism and effect of the water of rebirth:
Being Christian means living like this, but this kind of life involves a rebirth: to be reborn from on high, from God, from Grace. This rebirth is the Baptism, which Christ gives to the Church in order to regenerate men and women to new life. An ancient text attributed to St Hippolytus states: “Whoever goes down into these waters of rebirth with faith renounces the devil and pledges himself to Christ. He repudiates the enemy and confesses that Christ is God, throws off his servitude, and is raised to filial status”
Pope Benedict XVI, Angelus Address, 13 January 2013
A clear reference to Christian Baptism:
Jesus refers to the water of Baptism:
The Truth, Goodness, and Beauty of the Catholic Church
Found difficult and left untried:
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