ARE YOU BORN AGAIN? (Homily for January 9, 2017. The Baptism of the Lord. Year A).

Bible Study: Isaiah 42, 1 to 7 and Matthew 3, 13 to 17.


Long before the era of the Gospel of prosperity, the most common question you would hear from the lips of our Christian brothers and sisters who were known for home to home visitation was: “Are you born again?” And I guess, many of us still remember trying to answer that question. Anyway, that was back in the days; the days of real evangelization; the days were men of God were literally church rats; the days before typing “Amen” to a picture on social media meant that God will do something specially for you; the days before a refusal to send a message to 10 of your contacts meant that something bad was going to happen to you.

The simple fact that we no longer hear that question today shows that Christianity in this time has shifted focus. Like a baby born abroad, it has forgotten its original roots. It has taken on a new identity. Dear friends, today we celebrate the baptism of our Lord Jesus Christ, in other words, the day that Jesus was born again not physically, but with water and the Holy Spirit.

According to St. Maximus of Turin, “At Christmas, Jesus was born a man; today he is reborn sacramentally. Then he was born from the Virgin; today he is born in mystery. When he was born a man, his mother Mary held him close to her heart; when he is born in mystery, God the Father embraces him with his voice when he says: This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased: listen to him. The mother caresses the tender baby on her lap; the Father serves his Son by his loving testimony. The mother holds the child for the Magi to adore; the Father reveals that his Son is to be worshiped by all the nations.”

Today, our liturgy reminds us of our own baptism and what baptism means. To be baptised is to be reborn, it is becoming a baby once again free from the stain of Original Sin which all mankind inherit from Adam and Eve. Now, why did Jesus go for baptism? He was not born with original sin neither did he commit any sin. Even John the Baptist resisted Jesus but as we are told, Jesus said: “Let it be so now; for thus it is fitting for us to fulfil all righteousness.” In this way, Jesus teaches us by example of the importance of baptism.

Hence, in John 3:5, Jesus says: “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit.” Just as no one can be reborn to life without first dying, in baptism we die to our old self, we die to our past life, we die to our former habits, we die to our sinful inclinations and we become new creatures. This death is concretized in the baptismal promises to which we respond “I do.”

I reject Satan. I reject everything that Satan has to offer. I refuse to listen to Satan’s promises. I reject sin. I live in freedom as a child of God. I reject the glamour of evil. I am not envious of evil people. I am not carried away by the glamour of evil. I refuse to be mastered by evil. I refuse to form any sinful habit. I reject darkness. I refuse to be worldly minded. I stand for Christ, I walk in his light. I believe in God.

I acknowledge that it is God who created heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus his son, who was born of the Virgin Mary, was crucified, buried, rose from the dead and is now seated at the right of the father. I believe in the Holy Spirit. I believe in the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and life everlasting.

Being born again is not a matter of going from church to church. Being born again is saying “No” to sin - a heavy and concrete “No” that issues straight from the heart. The Grace of God builds upon this firm attitude of the mind. The heart has to reject sin first before Grace comes in to strengthen this rejection. The grace of God does not prevent us from committing sin, it is only there to train our hearts and support our disposition to doing good. As St. Paul says: “For the grace of God has appeared…training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions, and in the present age to live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly. Titus 2, 11 to 12.

It is not enough to have baptismal card. It is not enough to tell me you were baptised by the Pope or by the first white missionaries, the issue is: “Is your life that of one who is born again?”

Let us pray: Lord Jesus, renew my spirit and deepen my resolve to reject sin. Amen.

Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. Happy Sunday.


Fr. Abu.

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