Word of the Week

Third Sunday of Advent

Regeneration: palingenesia (Gk.): meaning "rebirth”, “restoration”, or “renewal”

The sacrament of Baptism has also been called the “washing of regeneration” (CCC 1215). In this sacrament of spiritual rebirth, “there is a washing of the body that acts as an efficacious sign of the invisible work of the Holy Spirit” (Hahn and Minch, 59), whose action in the sacrament restores our fallen nature with divine grace so that we may participate in his likeness. Regenerationis the grace of Justification acquired through Baptism that enables us to live in moral virtue and act according to the promptings of the Holy Spirit (CCC 1265-1266).

Regeneration is used twice in all of Sacred Scripture, both in the New Testament. In Titus, Paul linksregenerationwith the baptismal washing that cleanses us of our sin and restores our family status with God. Paul highlights that regeneration flows from his mercy, not by what we think we deserve because of our righteous acts, but by his own graciousness (Tit.3:5). Matthew inserts the usage of regenerationin his treatment of restoring a new world in which the twelve apostles will judge the twelve tribes of Israel (Mt.19:28). What is the new world? The Catholic Church, the Kingdom of David, the people of God made anew through the regenerative force of the Holy Spirit. It is interesting to note that the great Jewish historian, Josephus, selected the word regeneration when addressing the restoration of Israel after a period of exile (Hahn and Minch, 59).

The season of Advent annually reminds us of the centrality of the Incarnation in our faith. The Incarnation is the great gift that God shares with his people. It is a gift of both truth and light…and the light that beamed from heaven Christmas day was a light for the world …a light of recreating the world, a light of regeneration.

Furthermore, the liturgical season of Advent is an important period towards understanding the larger than life figure John the Baptist. This fiery preacher brings with him the call of repentance and the need to continue to re-examine the meaning of Baptism. In this Third Sunday of Advent, we go deeper into the sacramental design of God’s plan and how he desires to renovate our souls with grace and truth. Simply put, God’s design is one patterned after himself, one of relationship!

Restoration of relationship is the central motif of all Sacred Scripture. Fatherhood and sonship are the richest and deepest themes of the Bible. As Christians, we must identify that Baptism is the most fundamental requirement to enter into the mystery of Christ. In this sacrament of spiritual adoption, we receive the sanctifying grace necessary to do good works. In this vein, we must also recognize the need to nourish the grace we have received in and through a life of prayer. Our souls must be under constant reconstruction for the sake of the sake of the Kingdom of God.

“The grace of regeneration washes away all past sin and all original guilt.”

-- St. Augustine

Primary Texts Consulted

• Catholic Bible. Suggested trans. Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition.
• Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2nd Edition, 1997.
• Hahn, Scott and Minch, Curtis. Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: The Letters of Saint Paul to the Thessalonians, Timothy, and Titus, RSV 2nd ed. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2006.

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