Can you be born again in this life itself? Or is birth once and once for all? Some would say that there is rebirth. We however ask is it possible within this biological life itself and Jesus indicates that this is possible.

Jesus told the Pharisee Nicodemus who had come to see him at night: "no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above." Nicodemus said to him, "How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother's womb and be born?" Jesus answered, "Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit." (Cf. Jn 3.3-5).

So a spiritual rebirth is possible within this biological birth and span of life. It is an opportunity to begin my life afresh in God's presence with a clean slate having given up the past deeds which may be oppressing me and acting as a heavy burden on my conscience. I begin it by receiving this birth in water and Spirit i.e., baptism.

This is free gift and given only to those who voluntarily ask for it and it is the necessary means to ask for the other Sacraments e.g. the Holy Eucharist. Just the other day I was asked by well meaning postgraduate students of an institution why they were refused the Eucharist. They asked me: are we not all equal? Why are you making the distinction and not giving it to all who ask for it? Why this painful discrimination? Whatever I may say as an explanation was not going to satisfy them and so I posed a simple question: they were post graduate students; suppose another young man of similar age but who has only S.S.L.C as a qualification asks to be admitted to the post-graduate class and when he is refused admission he quarrels with the authorities saying that they are not treating him as equal with the others and are discriminating, what could we say to him?

 Perhaps we could tell him that we have no difficulty in admitting him to the post-graduate class if he were to complete everything that goes before it. Similar then is the situation of one who wants the Eucharist and is not baptised. All that we say is be baptised, start a new way of life, start afresh. We treat you as equal with all the others now and you could receive the Eucharist like every other baptised person.