To be born again, from above, involves a gestation process, namely, being hooked up to a new umbilical cord, one that begins to nurture us in such a way that our old support systems (the meaning and security we draw from our achievements, successes, material possessions, recognition, good name, good health, good looks, and sexual attractiveness) are no longer what ultimately gives us life. We still want these things, but we no longer build our lives around the fear of losing them. They still provide some life and nourishment, but we now begin, bit by bit, to draw life from something beyond them. We sense ourselves as hooked to something deeper, a spirit and a person who offers us a meaning that dwarfs what we now have.<\/p>\n
The more we begin to draw life and nourishment from this new source, the more we begin to give up on fear because what we are now receiving is not experienced as precarious, as is the case with our present meaning and joy. We are being pushed through a new birth canal and as this happens we begin, little by little, to sense that in this new place we don’t need to possess things, defend ourselves, cling so desperately to health, youth, and good looks, or fear that joy and meaning can be taken away from us.<\/p>\n
Being born again is about seeds growing silently when nobody is watching, about unseen yeast leavening a batch of dough, and about an umbilical cord inside a dark womb supplying nutrients for an unknowing child to grow and be born. Gestation takes time. Growth works slowly. Life, whether in the body or in the spirit, has the same dynamics.<\/p>\n
To read more click here<\/a> Ronald Rolheiser, a Roman Catholic priest and member of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, is president of the Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio, Texas.<\/p>\n He is a community-builder, lecturer and writer. His books are popular throughout the English-speaking world and his weekly column is carried by more than seventy newspapers worldwide.<\/p>\n For more information please visit my\u00a0website<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" BEING BORN FROM ABOVE To be born again, from above, involves a gestation process, namely, being hooked up to a new umbilical cord, one that begins to nurture us in such a way that our old support systems (the meaning … Continue reading
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\nhttp:\/\/www.ronrolheiser.com\/About Ron Rolheiser OMI<\/h2>\n