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Office Of Readings | Week 15, Monday, Ordinary Time | A Reading From The Treatise Of Saint Ambrose On The Mysteries | We Are Born Again Of Water And The Holy Spirit
‘We are born again through water and the Holy Spirit.’
Saint Ambrose’s catechesis on baptism, drawn from his treatise On the Mysteries, offers a rich theological and scriptural reflection on the rite of Christian initiation, weaving together typology, sacramental theology, and pastoral instruction. Addressed to the newly baptized in fourth-century Milan, this passage exemplifies the mystagogical tradition — the Church’s practice of interpreting the mysteries of the sacraments only after the faithful had experienced them.
The Sacramental Event | Visible Signs And Invisible Grace
Saint Ambrose begins by urging his catechumens not to limit their perception to what they see — water, deacons, and the bishop — but to discern the invisible realities conveyed through these visible signs. This principle, echoing Saint Paul’s teaching (2 Corinthians 4:18), underscores a central sacramental axiom: the material elements of baptism convey divine grace because God Himself is present and acting through them. This is no mere symbolic ritual; it is an encounter with the living God, whose Spirit both initiates and perfects the work of salvation.
Ambrose anchors this sacramental realism in Scripture: ‘Since the creation of the world, the invisible attributes of God… are understood through the things that he has done.’ (Romans 1:20) The invocation of this Pauline text signals Ambrose’s conviction that the whole created order speaks sacramentally of God’s action, culminating in baptism.
Biblical Typology | Creation, Flood, And New Birth
Ambrose’s exposition turns to typology — a hallmark of patristic exegesis. He sees the origins of baptism prefigured in the Spirit hovering over the waters at creation (Genesis 1:2): this primordial image suggests that the Spirit’s creative power has been present since the beginning and now brings about a new creation in the baptized.
Next, Ambrose draws on the story of Noah’s flood (Genesis 6–8), an image widely used in early Christian literature to symbolise both judgment and renewal. The ark becomes an image of salvation, the floodwaters prefigure the waters of baptism that wash away sin, and the dove bearing the olive branch anticipates the descent of the Holy Spirit at Christ’s baptism in the Jordan. Here Ambrose underscores that what the flood prefigured, Christ has fulfilled.
This typological method situates baptism within a continuum of salvation history. Ambrose’s catechumens are invited to see themselves as inheritors of this divine narrative: like Noah and his family, they have been delivered from the corrupt world; like Christ in the Jordan, they have passed through water and received the Spirit.
Trinitarian Theology And Ecclesial Context
Ambrose’s emphasis on the Trinity, ‘the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit’, reflects the deepening Trinitarian consciousness of the fourth-century Church, shaped by the Arian controversies of the time. His clear articulation that the same Spirit present at creation and the flood is the Spirit at work in baptism reinforces the continuity of God’s saving action throughout history.
Moreover, his comparison of deacons and bishop to the Levites and high priest situates the liturgical action within a sacred order and draws an implicit parallel between the Old Testament Temple cult and Christian worship. Yet, as Ambrose’s exegesis shows, the Christian mystery surpasses the old: whereas the Temple sacrifices prefigured God’s saving work, baptism actually confers divine life.
Moral Exhortation | Purification And Peace
Ambrose also integrates moral exhortation into his exposition. He reminds his hearers that ‘carnal impurity and the pollution of grave sin turn away the grace of the Spirit’. Baptism, then, is not merely an outward washing but demands interior conversion — a purification of heart and mind that enables the soul to be receptive to the indwelling Spirit.
This ethical dimension is further expressed in his closing reflection on the dove as symbol of peace and calm. The Spirit who descended on Christ in the Jordan and who comes upon the baptized brings not only forgiveness but also peace — a peace that reorients the soul towards God.
A Reading From The Treatise Of Saint Ambrose On The Mysteries | We Are Born Again Of Water And The Holy Spirit
What did you see at the baptism? Water, certainly, but not water alone; you saw the deacons (like the Levites of old) exercising their ministry and the bishop (like the chief priest of old) asking questions and bestowing sanctification.
The Apostle Paul taught you to look not at what is visible but at what is invisible; for visible things will pass away but the invisible things are eternal. As you read elsewhere: Since the creation of the world, the invisible attributes of God, his eternal power and his divinity are understood through the things that he has done. The Lord himself says: If you do not believe in me, believe in my works. So here, at baptism, believe that the Godhead is present. Can you believe that God is at work and yet deny that he is present? How can any work happen unless the one who performs it is already there?
Consider how ancient this mystery is; for it is prefigured even in the origin of the world itself. In the very beginning, when God made the heaven and the earth, it is said: The Spirit moved upon the waters. He who was moving over the waters, was he not acting on them as well? You can recognise that he was working in that moment of creation, when you see how the prophet says: By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, and all their strength by the spirit of his mouth. There is as much support from the prophets for one thing as for the other. Moses says that the spirit of God was moving and David the psalmist testifies that he was working.
Here is another piece of evidence. By its own iniquities all flesh was corrupted. And God says: My Spirit shall not remain among men, because they are flesh. This goes to show that carnal impurity and the pollution of grave sin turn away the grace of the Spirit. Since that had happened, God sought to repair his disfigured creation. He sent the flood and commanded Noah, the just man, to go up into the ark. As the waters of the flood were receding Noah sent first a raven (which did not return) and then a dove, which came back with an olive branch, as we read in the scriptures. And now you see the water, you see the wood, you see the dove, and you still doubt the mystery?
The water is the water into which the flesh is dipped, to wash away all the sins of the flesh. And so is all sin buried.
The wood is the wood on which the Lord Jesus was fastened when he suffered for us.
The dove symbolizes the Holy Spirit’s taking on the form of a dove, as you have learnt from the New Testament: the Spirit who brings peace to your soul and calm to your troubled mind.
Prayer With Jesus
Heavenly Father,
we praise You for the gift of baptism,
through which You make us a new creation in Christ
and breathe into us Your Holy Spirit.
Grant that we may never take for granted this grace,
but live lives worthy of the calling we have received.
As You hovered over the waters at creation,
so hover over our hearts,
cleansing us from sin, calming our restless minds,
and filling us with the peace of Your Spirit.
May we, who have passed through the waters of new birth,
walk always as children of light,
and bear witness to Your saving power,
until we come at last to the fullness of life with You.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
God forever and ever.
Amen.
Glossary Of Christian Terms
Catechesis: Religious instruction given to those preparing for baptism or recently baptized.
Mystagogy: The period of post-baptismal teaching explaining the sacraments and deepening the understanding of faith.
Typology: A method of biblical interpretation where Old Testament events, persons, or symbols are seen as prefigurations of Christ and the sacraments.
Levites: Members of the tribe of Levi, assigned liturgical duties in the Temple in the Old Testament.
Prefigure: To foreshadow or symbolically anticipate a future reality.
Theophany: A visible manifestation of God to humans.
Effetha: An Aramaic word meaning ‘be opened’, used by Jesus when healing the deaf man (Mark 7:34) and used symbolically in baptismal rites.
Dove (symbol): A symbol of the Holy Spirit, peace, and purity.
Trinitarian: Relating to the doctrine of the Trinity — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Ark: In this context, Noah’s ark — a biblical image of salvation and refuge.
Jesus’ journey has taken him to Bethany, the village where Lazarus, Martha and Mary live. There is clearly a feast happening. So often we find Jesus’ ministry associated with great banqueting, on what must have been quite a lavish scale, considering the milieu, the poverty suffered by many in the Holy Land. The story that follows has a similar shape to one of Jesus’ parables, but this is a real event in the life of our Lord. There is a certain contrast between the doings of Martha and Mary, which have symbolic significance, in ways which might seem initially counter-intuitive [ … ]
Sometimes, when I read my Bible, I pause in the reading and say to myself: ‘This bit’s real.’ It would be fair to say, I have issues with Mary, because, contrary to what we are taught to say, Mary isn’t my mother. Rather: Mum is. One bit of the Bible-text says this: And when his family heard it, they went out to seize him, for people were saying, “He is beside himself.” … And his mother and his brothers came; and standing outside they sent to him and called him. And a crowd was sitting about him; and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers are outside, asking for you.” And he replied, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” And looking around on those who sat about him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does the will of God is my brother, and sister, and mother.” (Mark 3: 21; 31-35.) Here she comes. She is in considerable distress. I can imagine that. I can relate to that. To save her boy from whatever he’s got himself into this time. And you’re not telling me there isn’t something inside that. Her boy is beside himself. Radical. Radicalized. Radicalizing. A misunderstood word. /ˈradɪk(ə)l/ adjective & noun. 1 Forming the root, basis, or foundation; original, primary. 2a Inherent in the nature of a thing or person; fundamental. b Of action, change, an idea: going to the root or origin; far-reaching, thorough. c Advocating thorough or far-reaching change. d Characterized by departure from tradition; progressive; unorthodox. ‘He has a demon! And he is mad!’ – thus ‘the Jews’. (e.g. John 10: 20.) Come home! It’s all she wants. His family want him back now. But it is an exclusive cult: there is an inside and there is an outside; and on the outside, they are not meant to understand, lest they be converted. He has defined himself as different from anything she was. Only at the end does Jesus say to his Mum – and with savage, bitter irony: ‘Woman, behold your son.’ And then he dies. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. We ask that we might find Mary in our hearts as a Yes! place for Jesus. It is also recommended that we pray to Jesus that we may be further in oneness with Mary. It is self-emptying, such that we only exist insofar as we are responsive to God’s Word. * Last term, and put-out to pasture, the old Archbishop Emeritus came over to stay for a few days and did the odd class with us. He spoke of Yes! as the meaning of Mary’s virginity. And we were not very nice about him. One or two took umbrage. One or two got the hump. In a sense, his Grace, the Arch, basically wanted to move anyone he’d ever known from a high-place – a mountain – received theological ‘truth’ – to an imminent, human plane. Earthing the spiritual. Recalibrating metrics of life’s believability toward a spiritual sense of things. He might have asked the impermissible question: what happened? His Grace described it. God’s love as a cloud. This descended upon Mary – and subsumed her. Within the cloud, Mary capitulated utterly. She became only and purely a response to God’s love. As he spoke, the Arch cradled her. He carried her in his lap – in his hands. His Grace was a consecrated bishop. He was faith. He sat squat, a rounded man, hands cupped and ankles crossed, fingers interlocked, with parted thighs. Rumpled, washed, speckled. A lifetime’s skin… There could be no doubt His Grace spoke through long-term personal relationship with Mary. It was Julian went for him: ‘So are you saying Mary was a Virgin? Or are you not saying Mary was a Virgin?’ Nasty. No, it wasn’t pretty. Julian twisting his silver ring. For a moment, what Julian had said to the Arch simply failed to communicate. No, for a moment, that dumped on the air meant nothing. Then His Grace said: ‘There is a range of possible meanings we may understand in the question of Mary’s virginity. For example, there are understandings of the word virginity entailed in the action of giving birth.’ Julian said: ‘Duh! So had she had sex or hadn’t she?’ Trigger words. No, it wasn’t pretty. On that went for a little while. At length, Julian’s point seemed reluctantly conceded. Then the Arch told us a new story, an additionally human event, the more to baffle us. Controversially, he told us that Mary could not have been Joseph’s first wife, for this would not have been the way of things in the society of that time. His belief was that Joseph must have taken Mary into his household through pity. That would be normal, he said, for Joseph to bring a young, vulnerable girl, who is about to have a baby, within his protection, not meaning to enjoy with her marital relations, but through kindness. ‘And this story of the inn and stable,’ the Archbishop said, ‘it can’t have been like that really. Joseph has travelled with Mary to stay with his family, at home in Bethlehem, and they don’t want Mary in their house, for reasons which I am sure we can understand. It must have been there was considerable resistance to Mary. But Mary gives birth, and who can resist a baby? That’s what happened. It must have been. ‘I’m convinced that must have been how it happened really.’ Later that term, toward the beginning of Advent, we met boys who had been here before, in Valladolid, and now were in regular seminary. They had heard and recited verbatim all the Archbishop had said to them. Their spot-on impressions of each of the fathers were scathing. […]
In this passage, the prophet Balaam was on his way to meet King Balak of Moab, who sought to hire Balaam to curse the Israelites. However, God was displeased with Balaam’s intentions and sent an angel to stand in his path to prevent him from proceeding further. Unaware of the angel’s presence, Balaam’s donkey saw the angel with a drawn sword and reacted fearfully, trying to avoid the dangerous path [ … ]
