Born Again?

Talking with family last night the question of being 'born again' came up. If someone were to ask us if we were born again, how would we respond?  What does that mean to us? How can we be born again? It's similar to another question that could arise. The question of, 'Are you saved'? There is some confusion in dialogue at times between Catholics and Protestants when answering these questions. My answer would be that I am saved, I am being saved, and I hope to be saved. But don't take my word for it, take God's. Eph. 2:4-8 says, "But God, who is rich in mercy, because of the great love he had for us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, brought us to life in Christ (by grace you have been saved), raised us up with him, and seated with him in the heavens in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not from you; it is the gift of God", (am saved). Again he says in Phil. 2:12, " So then, my beloved, obedient as you have always been, not only when I am present but all the more now when I am absent, work out your salvation with fear and trembling", (being saved). Lastly in  Matt. 24:13 we hear, "But the one who perseveres to the end will be saved", (hope to be saved). The two questions of being born again and being saved are connected and I'm reminded of two things that link them. Singing at funerals and a poem I wrote shortly after becoming Catholic.

Being a cantor, I sing for many funerals, preferring to sing for them over singing for weddings. The reason being is that when I sing for a funeral, I feel as if I have truly met the dear soul who has passed and I offer my prayers in song for a smooth transition from death to eternal life. When I first began as a cantor, our priest at the time gave beautiful homilies about why we pray for the souls passing as they wait in Purgatory which prepares them for the Beatific Vision. He said that it's similar to our earthly birthing process. The babe in the womb is warm and protected. Birth can be painful and our entrance into the world with the cold and bright lights takes adjustment. We all pray for healthy deliveries and as the frightened child is place on it's mothers chest, it is comforted and begins to adjust. Even when a soul has taken it's own life and prematurely confronts eternity for better or worse, we entrust those precious souls to the Lord's Mercy, as only He knows the state of their soul. These souls need more prayer, just like a little preemie would. What a great grace the Lord gives us in being so connected. We believers are all a part of the body of Christ and in need of each others prayers, wherever we are on the path to union with God.


So then, what can be said of being born again? In this life we have our earthly mother who hopefully will guide us, pray for us, teach us to pick up our cross and follow Christ. We also have the gift of our Heavenly Mother, who wants nothing more than to take us to her Son. The quickest way that I have found is through praying the rosary. Who knows the life of Christ better than His mother? Praying the rosary is a meditation on His life. The rosary, when laid out, is the shape of a womb. The beads, like an umbilical cord, nurturing us spiritually in much the same way that we are nourished within our earthly mothers. We must be born from our mothers womb and as Nicodemus rightly said, a grown man can't go back. But, we can be nourished through the rosary. The Blessed Mother nourished the Christ Child in Her blessed womb to give Him to us. She nourishes us through the mysteries of the rosary to become more like Him, and then in turn, gives us over to her Son, as we are born into Eternal Life. What a beautiful gift God has given us!

What is my answer then? I am saved, I'm being saved, and I have hope to be saved, and born into Eternal Life, in union with the saints. I have a long way to go to be transformed and pray the process is complete before I die, but if I'm not fully incubated, please pray for me in the Heavenly ICU (Purgatory), and I promise, I'll pray for you too.


                                                                  The Womb

Cold is this world.

How can we return to the warmth of the womb?

Liquid balm, nurturing mothers sacrifice.

“You must be born from above”

How can this be?

I am old, long in this world.

Can it be that I can return to the womb?

“You must be born from above”

The Womb of Spirit and Light.

Who is The Mother of such a mystery?

“Woman, behold, Your son.”

“You must be born from above”

Mother, Fantastic Vessel,

Eternal, exchange of nourishment between Father and Son.

The umbilical of eternal life.

What is that for me?

Decades have passed.

Where is this lifeline of the womb for me?

Eternal nourishment, warmth, balm.

Decades…

I pray for a return to The Womb.

The beads, soft and warm in my hand.

They are shapely, round…as a womb.

I am fed. I am healing in an eternal exchange.

I see a single cell, elevated.

Consecrated in The Womb, It multiplies.

Hosts move forward, pulsating, as blood flows,

Receiving endless nourishment from the Heart of Christ.

“Have you been born again?”

Thoughtless and prejudice, sons of heretics, centuries past.

They know not why.

“You must be born from above.”

Where is your Mother?

What are your prayers?

Your wombs, long dry, lifeless, and barren.

Not a single cell to nourish you.

Go back to The Womb.

Return to your Mother’s womb, born from above.

Liquid balm of the nurturing Mother’s sacrifice.

“Son, behold your Mother.”

BVM

Betty Parquette