Gospel Reflection for Tuesday, April 29, 2025

It Must Be Important to “Be Born Again”

The Gospel emphasizes today the necessity of being “born again,” so let’s reflect on what this means. When we are born, we are like a blank book—all pages waiting to be filled. Yet, even at birth, the “book” already belongs to a particular “library.” The first pages start filling moments after birth, if not before, because we’re born in specific circumstances—one place, not another. It matters whether it’s north or south, a wealthy nation or a poor one, a privileged family or one struggling to make ends meet. The language we start learning soon after birth carries embedded phrases, preconceived notions, and biases. This language shapes not only how we express ourselves but also how we interpret the world and society throughout our lives. This is what we understand as culture.

Culture, in practice, is more than a second skin; it isn’t something we peel off without consequence. Years ago, missionaries heading abroad to spread the Gospel in new lands and cultures adopted the concept of “inculturation.” Yet, this idea sometimes oversimplified the depth of cultural identity—as though learning the language, adopting local foods, clothing, and customs were enough. No matter how much effort they made, these missionaries remained rooted in their own origin—Spanish, Italian, French, American, or whichever.

This sharpens the radical nature of Jesus’ call to be born again. To be born anew means metaphorically erasing all the pages of our life’s book and rewriting them. It calls us to approach the Gospel and encounter Jesus with fresh eyes and an open heart—free from bias, ready to be guided by the Spirit. It’s a bold and challenging proposal, but it’s not impossible. Shall we take the leap?