TGIMMlocked

Song: "Locked Out of Heaven" -- Bruno Mars

BORN AGAIN

The Gospel

JOHN 3:4-8

Nicodemus said to Jesus: "How can a person once grown old be born again? Surely he cannot reenter his mother's womb and be born again, can he?" Jesus answered, "Amen, amen, I say to you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. What is born of flesh is flesh and what is born of spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed that I told you, 'You must be born from above.' The wind blows where it wills, and you can hear the sound it makes, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes; so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit."

Gospelthink: I tell Nicodemus that he must be born from above, as every human. Do I remember my Baptism by living out the promises as often as I should?

"Never had much faith in love or miracles. Never wanna put my heart on the line, but swimming in your water is something spiritual: I’m born again every time you spend the night. 'Cause your love takes me to paradise, yeah, your love takes me to paradise and it shows 'cause you make me feel like I’ve been locked out of heaven for too long." [lyrics adjusted]

Jesus was interested in making people feel better about themselves, wanting them to feel that "all is right" with life. He used the idea of being "born again" to express it. The person who is "born again" or "born from above" feels that "all is right" with our present and future world. In Christian terms, the sacrament of Baptism leads us to understand that "all is right" while we live because we have brought Jesus, the source of all that is good, into our lives.

Bruno Mars' song "Locked Out of Heaven" uses the same term that Jesus uses--"born again"--to describe a physical relationship that one has with another. The song implies that a complete physical giving of self will bring happiness to a couple in love. Indeed, if a relationship is truly a love relationship, it should make both people feel "born again," that "all is right" with life.

When Jesus spoke of a physical giving of self, he always spoke of it within the confines of marriage, and he did it for good reason. The total commitment of one to another in a physical way implies that the couple involved has made a permanent life-style change. It is a contradiction to express physically something that has not occurred in the lives of the couple.

The endeavor to make the feeling that "all is right" is one of the goals of good living. If we feel "born again" or "born from above," we will achieve it. Truly loving relationships can bring it about, as it does for the couple in Bruno Mars' song, and it is an attitude that must spread throughout one's whole life. If we are "born again" with the attitude that "all is right" no matter what, our lives will be infinitely better.

To be "born again" can describe the natural love of two people but it also describes a spiritual way of living that "all is right" in everything we do.

PRAYER

Good and gracious God, you have given us the gift of being "born again" when we accepted your Son. Give us the grace to truly make your Son present in all that we do. Be with us, we pray.

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GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT

Theme: To be "born again" means that "all is right" in life.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. Give your own definition of "being born again."
2. Jesus speaks of the Kingdom throughout the Gospels. Project: make a presentation on the meaning of the Kingdom. See Catechism of the Catholic Church, second edition, numbers 2816-2821 and references.
3. The reference to water usually calls to mind the sacrament of Baptism. Make a presentation on the sacrament of Baptism. See Catechism, numbers 1213-1274.
4. How can a love relationship make a person feel "born again"?
5. Analysis: the song seems to say that sex before marriage is a good thing. In your opinion, do most people agree with the statement? Yes or no and why?
6. The meditation uses the phrase "all is right." If "all is right" in the world, primarily what would it mean about the world?
7. The meditation gives the reason of "contradiction" as an argument against having sex outside of marriage. What are some other arguments against having sex outside of marriage?
8. If it is true that most Americans have had sex before marriage (as most reports suggest), what effect, if any, does it have on marriage?
9. Is it offensive to you when a love situation is described in spiritual terms as in Bruno Mars' song? Yes or no and why?
10. What does the song "Locked Out of Heaven" teach young people?

Questions, comments? Let me know. Email Fr. Mike