Proposed Prayer

Many faithful do pray to God using the Holy Rosary - For praying the entire Holy Rosary check out this website here...
In my prayers, I seek the assistance of the Virgin Mary - usually by saying one decade of the Holy Rosary...

The Lord's Prayer: Our Father Who Art in heaven...

One decade of the Holy Rosary...

First, I pray for myself and many other sick people who need the healing of Jesus Christ...

Second, I pray for my family and those that I know to live in joy and love, and hope in God's mercy who through his Spirit urges us to repent...

Third, I pray for those that departed to God especially for his mercy upon my beloved parents and relatives...

Fourth, I pray for persecuted Christians that they may be set free from their oppressors and be witnesses to the truth of Christ through whom alone salvation is possible.

Fifth, I pray for the Catholic Church and her servants of God including Pope Francis, and her other servants of God, and the entire Christian people to be strengthened in faith and to taste the Lord in the sacraments of the Church.

Sixth, I pray for Christian missionaries that through the grace of God they may help non-Christians see the light of Christ, be baptized, and, if possible, come to partake in the sacraments of the Church.

Seventh, I pray for the civilization of truth, love and life to be followed by everyone in raising their consciences to listen to the will of God and abide by him who forbids immoral actions, pray too for the laws of countries of the world and their governments to ban abortion, divorce and assisted-suicide and pray also for assisting atheists, terrorists and criminals to return to God...

Eighth, I pray for the needy that Christian organizations may help them - The Knights of Columbus, Caritas, The Sisters of Charity founded by St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta, and St. Vincent de Paul are good examples...

Nineth, I pray that God, in his mercy, may rescue people from natural disasters, and help through his Spirit the leaders of nations to stop blood shedding in wars...

And finally, I pray that we may have repentance as urged by the Holy Spirit; and that we may recognize the Christian God who loves everyone, adore the Triune-in-One God, and help - through good Christian conduct - everyone else to see the light of Christ who loves mankind to imitate him.

A Life - Can We Perceive the Blessings of God ?

Today is the memorial of St. Augustine of Hippo. His Confessions alone enriched the lives of many Christians - He is mentioned in this website of saints here.The Catholic Encyclopedia wrote about him here.  Years ago I wrote how St. Augustine interpreted the Parable of the Good Samaritan here...A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho;  Adam himself is meant; Jerusalem is the heavenly city of peace, from whose blessedness Adam fell; Jericho means the moon, and signifies our mortality, because it is born, waxes, wanes, an dies; Thieves are the devil and his angels who stripped him, namely; of his immortality; and beat him, by persuading him to sin; and left him half-dead, because in so far as man can understand and know God, he lives, but in so far as he is wasted and oppressed by sin, he is dead; he is therefore called half-dead.  The priest and the Levite who saw him and passed by, signify the priesthood and ministry of the Old Testament which could profit nothing for salvation. Samaritan means Guardian, and therefore the Lord Himself is signified by this name. The binding of the wounds is the restraint of sin. Oil is the comfort of good hope; wine the exhortation to work with fervent spirit. The beast is the flesh in which He deigned to come to us. The being set upon the beast is belief in the incarnation of Christ. The inn is the Church, where travelers returning to their heavenly country are refreshed after pilgrimage. 


Probably the most cherished words on the degrees of love of God come from St. Bernard of Clairvaux; the great French abbot who lived in the 12th century and was a leader in the reform of the Church. St.Bernard wrote his much-loved "The Four Types of Love" that Christians experience as they grow in their relationship with God - They can be read here.

In the Gospel, Jesus tells us that "I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly" (John  10:10). Can we interpret these words of the Lord for us weak humans of today?
It is not up to me to judge anyone. However, I know that I have been blessed by God since I was in the womb of my mother. In her first heavy pregnancy my mother made a vow to Saint George that she would name her first son after him while my dad who wanted to bring the memory of his dad, as per tradition, decided to name his first son after his dad. Surprisingly God brought a twin to the home: the first was called after his dad "Chaker" - "Shaker" in English and the second was named George (me). 
For my health problems that started in 1986, I wrote a post in July 2008 here, followed by another post on June 16, 2019 here. 

Today, I recognize the miracles that the Lord my saviour has been carrying me through. He knows that as we get older, we need Him more. In fact I believe that my health problems helped three close persons suffer for me in my life: my mother of blessed memory; my mother-in-law of blessed memory; and my wife...Suffering is not limited to them but it is the way that I believe God gets us to be close to each other as we are inter-related, and through His love "May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, that through these you may escape from the corruption that is in the world because of passion, and become partakers of the divine nature." (2 Peter 1:2-4). The above is possibly applied to every person that seriously seeks to know God the Merciful and Generous Father of all (here)...

The Significance of the Blessed Virgin Mary Today

There have been recent talks and miracles attributed to the intercession of the Blessed Mother of God.

In the Greek Melkite Catholic parish of St. Symeon the Stylite in Windsor - Canada, an icon of the Virgin Mary called "The inexhaustible Chalice Icon" has continuously exuded oil since August 6, 2019. The church has been since visited by many of the faithful from different cities in Ontario, Canada. The event was triggered when the saintly pastor of the church Abouna Gerard Abi Saab was requested to open the church and pray for a sick person. Greek Melkite Catholic Bishop Ibrahim Ibrahim, known for his pastoral care, investigated it through priests sent from Montreal and found it authentic. I reported the event on my page in Facebook and received many favorable comments of the veneration due to the Blessed Virgin Mary. In the Bulletin of Sunday August 18 at the Greek Melkite Catholic community in Toronto,  a plan was announced that the faithful are invited to visit the church on Wednesday August 28, 2019 to pray for heavenly blessings.

In a yet related event, Myrna Al-Akhras spoke at the Byzantine Cathedral of the Transfiguration to a throng of faithful who attended the Divine Liturgy on the eve of the Solemnity of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary the Theotokos; called also the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. After the Mass, she spoke of the need to continue to be committed to Church and to love one another as God loved us through his Son. Parents are encouraged to pray with their children and be an example for them in order that the young generation too may participate in the Church celebrations. In today's society, she indicated, everyone is preoccupied with his/her work. With computer networks, students and workers may be inclined to pray from time to time, if ever, but lack the commitment to the community of the People of God where the sacraments of the Church are received through the grace of Christ.
I could not attend the event, and sent Myrna an email indicating my heart health issues. This woman, who in Soufanieh, Damascus, received the Stigmata (or the wounds of Christ) in her body and had visions of the Virgin Mary, replied to me with utter humility in Arabic: 

​​​سلامة قلبك اخي جورج انا رجعت إلى مونتريال للأسف إقامتي كانت في تورنتو يوم واحد لاني كنت ملتزمة أن أعود... لكن اعدك ان اذكرك في صلاتي طالبة من الرب ان يستجيب ويمنحك نعمة الشفاء

Related to her story is the "Icon of Kazan", particularly that the Marian Pope Saint John Paul II prayed before the icon frequently before sending it to where it belongs in the Russian Orthodox Church. It appears that Myrna's husband Nicolas Nazzour who is Greek Orthodox received a copy when he visited one of the Orthodox churches in Europe...

The related information may be obtained from this link:

http://www.soufanieh.com/MULTIMEDIA/20070701.rus.eng.a.holy.treasure.rediscovered.wmv

On the 25th anniversary of the Phenomenon of Soufanieh, I wrote a post in June 2008 titled "The Phenomenon of Soufanieh" which the readers are encouraged to read below:

https://todayquestions.blogspot.com/2008/06/phenomenon-of-soufanieh.html

Based on the Fathers of the Church, in the Dogmatic Constitution of the Church (Lumen Gentium), the Second Vatican Council, declared the Blessed Virgin Mary "Mother" of the Church (see # 53 here). She is the Archetype of the Body of Christ and stands in heaven above all creatures, the closest to God...On January 1, 1968, Pope Saint Paul VI dedicated the first day of the year to world peace (see the message here). In  Cairo, one of the Greek Catholic parishes is named after "Our Lady of Peace". It is the parish from which hails Fr. Rafic Greiche the current and highly active pastor of St. Cyril's parish in Heliopolis, Cairo. His picture is shown here...

In 2009 during the Mass of the Solemnity of the Assumption at St. Michael's Cathedral in Toronto, His Eminence Thomas Collins spoke of the Virgin Mary in the Book of Revelation:

The post contains excerpts* from the homily of Archbishop Thomas Collins** in the Mass of the Solemnity of the Assumption which took place at St. Michael's Cathedral - It was also the ordination Mass of our friend Mounir El-Rassi to the priesthood.

[God’s temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant could be seen in the temple. A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was with child and wailed aloud in pain as she labored to give birth. Then another sign appeared in the sky; it was a huge red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on its heads were seven diadems. Its tail swept away a third of the stars in the sky and hurled them down to the earth. Then the dragon stood before the woman about to give birth, to devour her child when she gave birth. She gave birth to a son, a male child, destined to rule all the nations with an iron rod. Her child was caught up to God and his throne.The woman herself fled into the desert where she had a place prepared by God....Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: “Now have salvation and power come, and the Kingdom of our God and the authority of his Anointed One.”] (Revelation 11: 19a; 12: 1-6a; 10 ab). This reading from Apocalypse is a reference to the sign of the woman whose son was destined to rule the nations. She, like any other human, had to escape into the desert in order to deliver her son. She has to suffer like the Israelites suffered in the desert before the glory of her Son should shine. This is Mary the mother of Jesus Christ, crowned with twelve stars referring to the twelve tribes of Israel and the twelve apostles of her Son and God. She is clothed with the sun and the moon is under her feet. That is how the Second Eve brought us salvation after the First Eve brought us the curse. The dragon, that is Satan, lured the First Eve into disobedience, and wanted to lead the Second Eve into disobedience too. But Mary, reminds us Luke, said “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” Mary, like her Son, was assumed to heaven because she surrendered all her life to the will of God. It is because she was willing to give her life to God that he was born of her. This is our mission too: To surrender ourselves, as Mary did, to God. Today, when we are faced with challenges to our faith, let us follow Mary in her path; for we want to hear the angel in our midst “Now have salvation and power come, and the Kingdom of our God and the authority of his Anointed One.”

* The excerpts are my own paraphrasing of parts of the homily.

** Archbishop Thomas Collins is a well-known Biblical Scholar.

With the early Church in mind, let us reflect on the meaning of the "divinity" for Man. In his lecture on "Theosis" delivered at St. Elizabeth of Hungary parish in Toronto in June 2015, the Jesuit scholar Fr. Henri Boulad recalled the importance of the Resurrection in the Fathers thought especially St. Athanasius; Doctor of the Church. It is a magnificent presentation which can be found on my blog here: https://todayquestions.blogspot.com/2015/04/the-resurrection-of-christ-for-todays.html

This morning at Holy Rosary parish in Toronto, the renowned Biblical scholar Msgr. Robert Nusca delivered a challenging homily on the words of Christ "I have come to set the earth on fire" (Luke 12:49) - The holy fire is the one that consumed the Virgin Mary; a young girl; in the love of God and brought the Word of God to dwell in her womb by the power of the Holy Spirit - It is the fire that John the Baptist mentioned when he spoke about Christ's baptism "I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire." (Matthew 3:11)- And St. Paul wrote For no other foundation can any one lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any one builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble–each man’s work will become manifest; for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work which any man has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire. (1 Cor 3:11–15) . In the Epistle to the Hebrews, it is written "Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire." (Heb. 12:28-29).

In the 2nd century, St. Irenaeus wrote against Gnostics who denied the intrinsic value of Man. He wrote "The glory of God is man fully alive and the life of Man is the vision of God". (AH IV, 20, 7).  The more we become human the more we become one with God. According to the Eastern Fathers of the Church, God became man so as to restore us to him. This love of God endures and continues to expand in the entire world thanks to the work of the Holy Spirit in Christian missions.

Indeed, whenever we recite the Lord's Prayer, the Eucharist is significantly present in the words "Give us this day our daily bread"  - In receiving the Body of Christ in the state of grace, it brings the faithful to the communion of saints of whom the Virgin Mother of God is distinguished by her utter closeness to Christ our Saviour, God, and Lord. The reader is encouraged to read it here:

"Give us this day our daily bread" in The Lord's Prayer

https://todayquestions.blogspot.com/2018/08/give-us-this-day-our-daily-bread-in.html

In spite of challenges that we face, let us seek the intercession of the Virgin Mary with her Son for the full unity of Christians, ask her to intercede for our needs for the Lord said "I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly." (John 10:10). It is our hope for God's mercy upon everyone of the living and the dead; for Christ loves humankind.

A Reflection on Man

Today Tuesday August 6, the Church celebrates the feast of the Transfiguration of Christ. The event is written in the Gospel (see Luke 9: 28-36).


This is the feast of the Melkite Catholic parish in Toronto. It was celebrated on Sunday August 4 in the 12:00 noon Divine Liturgy presided over by the visiting former Patriarchal General Vicar over the See of Jerusalem Most Reverend Emeritus J. Jules Zerey at the Byzantine Cathedral of the Transfiguration. 
Let us turn to an inspiring lecture on the transfiguration of Christ:
The Gospel reading recalls to mind not only the transfiguration of Christ but also two great persons who appeared with him on the mountain: Moses and Elijah. In a talk at Jesus the King Church in 2008, Fr. Georges Farah, who earned his doctorate in philosophy from France and taught philosophy in Lebanon, expressed the deep meaning of the transfiguration. Let us contrast the two characters, he said. Moses was the Law maker – He experienced God’s presence at Mount Horeb in a burning bush that never extinguished its light. Moses delivered his people out of Egypt's slavery by mighty signs and gave them the Ten Commandments. Elijah, on the contrary, was the challenger of the Law. Elijah heard the Lord God and delivered his people out of another slavery: that of the false god: Baal. For this, he had to face the tyrant Ahab the king and his queen and their priests. While the Baal’s priests offered offerings to the Baal and prayed all day with no result, Elijah’s word opened heaven and fire descended at once and consumed his offering. He was the greatest prophet of Israel. Both Moses and Elijah transformed the lives of the people of God. Why did they appear and talk with Christ? Here is the question. If we go back to the event, we will find the key: Christ goes beyond the Law maker and the Prophet. The Law maker shows us the past- the Prophet shows the future. Christ is beyond both: He is the eternal one. To him, past and future are present. Eternity is beyond time. And Christ the Divine needs no time. The Law restricts (or regulates) our freedom (You shall not kill…You shall not desire your neighbour’s wife…etc.). Christ’s law goes beyond the Law- The law of Christ is perfect freedom! Christ’s law goes beyond good and evil. There are no categories for people: No one is inherently evil. Recall the healing of the man born blind. For the Jews he was born blind because of his sins or his parents’ sins. For Christ, the reason is utterly different: to make God’s wonders present in him. i.e. to show God’s love to him. Civilizations are tired with the old question of good and evil. Christ’s answer is simple: No human is evil. The more Christian values for human dignity are embedded in human laws, the closer we are to Christ’s law. In the developed world today, capital punishment has been eliminated – Why? Because people started to understand that a murderer is to be treated as a sick man not as a criminal. The Transfiguration offers us a glimpse of divinity’s light. The great light is that in spite of his impending suffering and death, Christ, the Eternal One, lives a life beyond the Law- a life of self-emptying love and joy. He teaches Israel his new law: love to the end. Do you want to start to be like Christ? Love and accept each one you encounter as he is. Treat your intimate husband or wife as you would treat a stranger with respect and dignity. Treat your children as they are with respect. They are not your slaves. They are God’s gift to you. We have nothing here that is not given to us. And receive that joy of life that the Spirit of God gives. Do this and you will experience the Transfiguration. * Based on a lecture by Fr. Georges Farah on Friday August 8, 2008 at Jesus the King Church, Toronto

On Sunday July 21, I was highly impressed by the 12:00 noon Divine Liturgy presided over by Most Reverend Emeritus J. Jules Zerey. In the same Divine Liturgy, sung by the renowned Homsy choir, the parish celebrated the 22nd anniversary of priesthood of Reverend Ibrahim El-Haddad, BSO, Pastor of Jesus the King whose patron is the Prophet Elijah (St. Elias). Following the celebration, the Council of the Knights of Columbus at Jesus the King invited both of them, and me to Jerusalem Restaurant along with many other parishioners. As we shared bread together, Most Reverend Emeritus Zerey gave us a little cross from Jerusalem which I pinned on my shirt, and, on behalf of Jerusalem Students project pioneered by the outgoing Grand Knight at Jesus the King, handed me a nice certificate due to sponsorship of a student in the Patriarchal school near Jerusalem.

On Sunday July 28, the Jesuit scholar Fr. Henri Boulad reflected on how Abraham requested God not to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah and spare the city for the few innocent persons that lived there (Genesis 18: 20-32) and gave an eloquent homily on the dignity of man in God's truth that we miss today (L'Histoire… un scénario écrit d’avance ? here in French).  What he said reminds me of St. Thomas Aquinas who based his reform on Aristotle's philosophy. According to the philosophy of  St.Thomas Aquinas (here), every reasonable person acts according to his inclinations. He is free but must act responsibly to avoid falling into error against his natural end that is in God. God, in creating everything, let it be and grow on its own. i.e. God does not predetermine things but let them exist and grow. He sees everything present to him. Nevertheless he does not normally and directly intervene in the cosmos, except in heavenly acts of healing which are rare, until judgment is passed on the living and the dead (Nicene-Constantinople Creed) when every person does an account for his life here according to his conscience. Yes, we are responsible for our acts. The Texas Walmart shooting of innocents on Saturday August 3 was a free act. It resulted in the death of 20 persons (see BBC report here). In Toronto reports show gun violence that injured 17 persons in the long weekend that ended on Monday August 5 (reported here), Man can be an Islamic terrorist or a White supremacist or some other kind of vengeful actors. Yet  a free person can attain many good things. The Church continues its mission to bring Christ to non-Christians through her missionaries everywhere in the world. Count only the Congregation of the "Sisters of Charity" founded by Saint Mother Teresa of Calcutta. The nuns serve the poor of the poor and when hospitalized they preach to them the wounds of Christ through which we are healed (see my post here) The Church continues to help every needy in the name of Christ. Some examples include the many hospitals run by nuns and Dominican priests, and here too in Toronto, visit Covenant House in which the Archdiocese of Toronto receives youths who have been expelled from their homes by their parents (see its programs here). I wish to share here a post I wrote in 2017 about the quantum universe that will surely attract the readers attention since it shows how the entire universe and us in it are achieving things because in us God reflects his love for all (see the post here).  And without doubt we can also reflect on God's work with two great mystical theologians on the 20th century namely the Jesuit scientist Teilhard de Chardin; and the great mystical theologian Hans Urs von Balthasar regarded as great contributors to the unfolding of Christ's mystery by one of the most eloquent theologians in contemporary Catholicism namely Joseph Ratzinger/Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI (the post is written in May 2019 - see it here).
In the Gospel Jesus speaks of weeds in a way that tells the disciples about the choices that men make and how everyone chooses his/her eternity based on their deeds here and the attempts of the evil  enemy of humankind to lure them away. It can be found here:

"The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. And the servants of the householder came and said to him, `Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then has it weeds?' He said to them, `An enemy has done this.' The servants said to him, `Then do you want us to go and gather them?' But he said, `No; lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. Let both grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.'" (Matthew 13:24-30).

This past Sunday, August 4, the Gospel reading was that of the Parable of the Rich Fool (Luke 12:16- 21). In his homily at the 10:00 am Mass at Holy Rosary parish in Toronto the parish pastor and renowned Biblical scholar Msgr. Robert Nusca advised parishioners to give out of their earnings to the needy in society and to support parish programs in which young ones and older ones are being helped and taught. The author of "The Christ of the Apocalypse: Contemplating the Face of Jesus in the Book of Revelation" warned parishioners not to waste time and money on things that perish but "If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me." (Matthew 19:21).   In Cairo, Egypt, Fr. Boulad spoke about being vigilant (in French here "Vanité des vanités… tout est vanité ..."). Christ said to his disciples to be vigilant "for the Son of man is coming at an hour you do not expect."(Matthew 24:44). Fr. Boulad said that he finds this awaiting attitude in John the Baptist, the forerunner of Christ. "He came for testimony, to bear witness to the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness to the light." (John 1:7-8). In the same vein of being vigilant, Fr. Boulad remembered Simone Weil (d. 1943); a French visionary, mystic, and philosopher considered "the only great spirit of our times" by the "Philosopher of the Absurd" Albert Camus. For Fr. Boulad, evolution is a theory that shows that humanity goes forward always. It is the Christian eschatology that made humanity's hope comes close to men's hearts and minds...We find it in the Virgin Mary's attentive reception of God incarnate in her womb...The Lord who was, is and always will be! The "Phenomenon of Man" is Teilhard's evolutionary paradigm from the atmosphere, to the biosphere, and finally to the leap into the noosphere in humanity  - it is also in the vision found in Christian eschatology revealed in Christ "the Alpha and the Omega...the One who is and who was and who is to come; the almighty" (Revelation 1:8). In the vision of Teilhard de Chardin, Christ is the "Omega Point." "The One who sat on the Throne said 'Behold, I make all things new'" (Revelation 21:5).

"Maran Atha" (Come Lord Jesus) writes the visionary of the Book of Revelation (Revelation 22:20). Awaiting Him "through whom all things came to be" (John 1:3).

We must not despair for the Judge is Christ who tasted being alone on the cross when his disciples escaped. Following the great theologian Hans Urs von Balthasar, we also hope in God's mercy.

Let us conclude with this magnificent hymn sung at St. Anne in Belfast (named Love Divine):
"Finish then thy new creation - pure and spotless let us be" here.

Ron Rolheiser,OMI : WHAT DOES IT MEAN “TO BE BORN AGAIN”?

What does it mean to “be born again, to “be born from above”? If you’re an Evangelical or Baptist, you’ve probably already answered that for yourself. However, if you’re a Roman Catholic or a mainline Protestant then the phrase probably isn’t a normal part of your spiritual vocabulary and, indeed, might connote for you a biblical fundamentalism which confuses you.

What does it mean to “be born again”?  The expression appears in John’s Gospel in a conversation Jesus has with a man named, Nicodemus. Jesus tells him that he “must be born again from above”.  Nicodemus takes this literally and protests that it’s impossible for a grown man to re-enter his mother’s womb so as to be born a second time. So Jesus recasts the phrase metaphorically, telling Nicodemus that one’s second birth, unlike the first, is not from the flesh, but “from water and the Spirit”.  Well … that doesn’t clarify things much for Nicodemus, or for us. What does it mean to be born again from above?

Perhaps there are as many answers to that as there are people in the world. Spiritual birth, unlike physical birth, doesn’t mean the same thing for everyone. I have Evangelical friends who share that for them this refers to a particularly powerful affective moment within their lives when, like Mary Magdala in the Garden with Jesus on Easter Sunday, they had a deep personal encounter with Jesus that indelibly affirmed his intimate love for them. In that moment, in their words, “they met Jesus Christ” and “were born again”, even though from their very childhood they had always known about Jesus Christ and been Christians.

Most Roman Catholics and mainline Protestants do not identify “knowing Jesus Christ” with one such personal affective experience. But then they’re left wondering what Jesus meant exactly when he challenges us “to be born again, from above”.

A priest that I know shares this story regarding his understanding of this. His mother, widowed sometime before his ordination, lived in the same parish where he had been assigned to minister. It was a mixed blessing, nice to see her every day in church but she, widowed and alone, began to lean pretty heavily upon him in terms of wanting his time and he, the dutiful son, now had to spend all his free time with his mother, taking her for meals, taking her for drives, and being her one vital contact with the world outside the narrow confines of the seniors’ home within which she lived. During their time together she reminisced a lot and not infrequently complained about being alone and lonely. But one day, on a drive with her, after a period of silence, she said something that surprised him and caught his deeper attention: “I’ve given up on fear!” she said, “I’m no longer afraid of anything. I’ve spent my whole life living in fear. But now, I’ve given up on it because I’ve nothing to lose! I’ve already lost everything, my husband, my youthful body, my health, my place in the world, and much of my pride and dignity. Now I’m free! I’m no longer afraid!”

Her son, who had only been half-listening to her for a long time, now began to listen. He began to spend longer hours with her, recognizing that she had something important to teach him.  After a couple of more years, she died. But, by then, she had been able to impart to her son some things that helped him understand his life more deeply. “My mother gave me birth twice; once from below, and once from above,” he says. He now understands something that Nicodemus couldn’t quite grasp.

We all, no doubt, have our own stories.

And what do the biblical scholars teach about this?  The Synoptic Gospels, scholars say, tell us that we can only enter the kingdom of God if we become like little children, meaning that we must, in our very way of living, acknowledge our dependence upon God and others. We are not self-sufficient and that means truly recognizing and living out our human dependence upon the gratuitous providence of God. To do that, is to be born from above.

John’s Gospel adds something to this. Raymond E Brown, commenting on John’s Gospel, puts it this way: To be born again from above means we must, at some point in our lives, come to understand that our life comes from beyond this world, from a place and source beyond out mother’s womb, and that deeper life and deeper meaning lie there. And so we must have two births, one that gives us biological life (births us into this world) and another that gives us eschatological life (births us into the world of faith, soul, love, and spirit). And sometimes, as was the case with my friend, it can be your own birthmother who does the major midwifing in that second birth. Nicodemus couldn’t quite get past his instinctual empiricism. In the end, he didn’t get it. Do we?