Real Life Disciples: This new birth

A friend of mine recently observed that I am “always” recommending a new book. He seemed annoyed, but it was a somewhat humorous jibe that’s true. I am typically reading two or three books at a time, often struggling to remember where I was in each of them. And, on the other side of a good read, I do find myself wanting to share what I have read with others. It’s kind of like evangelization. How could we help but share the great gift that we have received! (I Cor. 9:16).

If you’re still looking for a stocking stuffer, here’s a great idea! One book I have been reading the past year or so has been remarkable, “From Christendom to Apostolic Mission” (University of Mary, Bismarck, N.D.). I’ve talked about it in this column numerous times. I’ve given away a lot of books in my life, but never a couple thousand copies like I have with this book.

I have found the articulation of our current reality to be profoundly accurate and insightful. The state of the world, of the Church, and even the condition of the individual person. The premise of the book is that we are at a major turn in history from an era of Christendom to an era of apostolic times.

We have seen this shift happening for years, but the full decline is gaining momentum rapidly these days. We are finding our modern culture to be one almost completely devoid of the Christian roots that used to be taken for granted. A Christian today is going to find themselves in an environment of increasing hostility toward the faith similar to the times of the early Church, which was another era of history that could be labeled an “apostolic time.” Jesus was born into such a time. His birth, you could say, launched the first apostolic time and altered the course of history.

One of the unique characteristics of these apostolic times throughout the history of the Church is the incredible outpouring of the Holy Spirit that typically marks them. Jesus’ birth was the result of one of these outpourings over Mary.

“The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the most high will overshadow you” (Luke 1:35). Pentecost would have been the second outpouring. The New Testament is filled with more stories of such power – the power of God, manifested through the Holy Spirit. If we are indeed moving into a new era of apostolic times, this is one of the things we should be expecting.

Apostolic times call for a great shift from maintenance to mission, and the primary driving force of that mission is the Holy Spirit: unique gifts and charisms for evangelization, signs of power and healing, powerful conversions and forgiveness of sins, etc. In a world that is growing increasingly darker, these are exactly the kinds of things that are needed!

As this Advent Season comes to an end and we get ready to celebrate the mystery of Christmas and the birth of Christ, let this power have its full effect on you! Just as Jesus was born, he desires a “new birth” for all of us. For each of us, there was an effect in our baptism that needs to have an “adult awakening,” a second birth you could say. This is what Jesus was talking about with Nicodemus in the third chapter of John’s Gospel.

“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born anew, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3).

To fully grasp the impact of this, we need to understand the “effects” of the sacrament of Baptism. The Catechism tells us the “principal effects of Baptism are signified by the perceptible elements of the sacramental rite. Immersion in water symbolizes not only death and purification, but also regeneration and renewal. Thus, the two principal effects are purification from sins and new birth in the Holy Spirit” (CCC, 1262).

“Baptism not only purifies from all sins, but also makes the neophyte ‘a new creature,’ an adopted son of God, who has become a ‘partaker of the divine nature,’ member of Christ and coheir with him, and a temple of the Holy Spirit” (CCC, 1265).

Yet, doesn’t it seem that these “effects” are diminishing in our modern times. How can it be that these powerful effects, done by God and the work of grace, are not more evident in the world today?

Father Raniero Cantalamessa, the papal household preacher, wrestles with this exact question and comes to the conclusion that the Sacraments of Initiation can become “tied” in a person when living in an environment that does not support the work of grace that is operating in them. He says, “Catholic theology recognizes the concept of a valid but “tied” sacrament. A sacrament is called tied if the fruit that should accompany it remains bound because of certain blocks that prevent its effectiveness.” Grace builds on nature as Aquinas says.

Cantalamessa goes on to explain, “The opus operatum of baptism, namely, God's part or grace, has several aspects – forgiveness of sins, the gift of the theological virtues of faith, hope and charity (these, however, only as a seed), and divine sonship – all of which are operated through the effective action of the Holy Spirit.

But, what does the opus operantis in baptism, namely, man's part, consist of? It consists of faith! Whoever believes and is baptized shall be saved (Mark 16: 16). At the side of baptism, therefore, there is another element: the faith of man.”

What a dilemma! All these powerful effects of the sacrament, but those graces “tied up” and not bearing the full intended fruit. Don’t you sometimes feel that in your life? This is the significant role of the Holy Spirit.

Cantalamessa continues, “This is God's answer to this malfunctioning that has grown up in the Christian life in the Sacrament of Baptism.” The release of the power of the Holy Spirit is effective in reactivating the graces of baptism – like a “new birth!”

“Finally, man contributes his part – namely, he makes a choice of faith, prepared in repentance that allows the work of God to set itself free and to emanate all its strength. It is as if the plug is pulled, and the light is switched on. The gift of God is finally “untied,” and the Spirit is allowed to flow like a fragrance in the Christian life.”

I pray that we all can let the full impact of this grace be ours this Christmas season. The new birth of Christ in us through the power of the Holy Spirit! “In such a time as this” (Esther 4:14), these apostolic times, these are the kinds of graces that are so desperately needed!

Merry Christmas to you and your family and Happy New Year!