Christian Art | Baptism | We Are Born Again Of Water And The Holy Spirit | The Newly Baptized
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.
This poem meditates on the nature and purpose of a ‘verse’, emphasizing simplicity and spiritual focus. Herbert frames the verse not as grand poetry or artistic achievement but as a humble, personal offering to God. By reflecting on what a verse is not, Herbert situates the act of writing in a starkly different realm from that of worldly pursuits or markers of success. Humility embedded in the term ‘verse’, which can mean a single line or small unit of expression, underscores the poet’s theological concerns: how the simplest acts, when directed toward God, can acquire immense spiritual value [ … ]
Our experience of God’s mercy is transformative. It changes how we see ourselves and how we interact with the world. There are times when we may feel unworthy of God’s love and forgiveness, but God’s mercy is boundless and unconditional. Pope Francis reminds us: ‘God’s mercy is infinite and it is always there for us, ready to heal, to forgive, to restore.’ This infinite mercy invites us to approach God with humility and openness, trusting in God’s desire to forgive and renew us [ … ]
We process. Glass exhibition cases, old reliquaries. A forearm here; here a nun’s fingertip. In chapel, at a glance, there are the usual faces. But they all stand to attention. Jonathan breaks from the procession to – fire the organ with oomph and dignity: Ride on! ride on in majesty! The angel-squadrons of the sky look down with sad and wondering eyes to see the approaching sacrifice. When we’ve done the readings, the Arch holds that tree in his hands to deliver the homily. He rocks quietly on his feet, some few seconds, as if balance defeated it. A way you might affect as the Spirit moves… Copying. Then he says: ‘Our palm fronds may seem to us today rather dry. I mean this not in a literal sense, but by the standards of those who originally lined the roadways in order to welcome Jesus into Jerusalem, as they proclaimed Jesus to be the Messiah, who would be clambering up and ripping their palm branches fresh from off the trees. I think perhaps also our faith is somewhat distant from that of the people there on that highroad into Jerusalem, and something of our sense of the meaning has shifted in vividness from what it was then. And of course the expectation of all those many people is markedly different, but in many important respects the same. There are the same essential qualities to all our faith in God, which springs complete from our humanity, and that is one and the same in value for all of us, and time is consistent on this point. So then, let us renew the fullness of Catholic faith, and let us ask the Lord’s blessing as we embark upon our Holy Week. ‘Our Lord enters into Jerusalem in order to refresh us. He is to die in order that we may have life. There is a living reality here, both spiritual and as entangled in the joy of our daily living. We have Ladies’ Day where I grew up. They still have it, and they close the roads off, and little children parade, dressed-up like spring brides. When I was a boy, there was a May Day festival, and there was a May pole on the field, with the people dancing, like Morris dancers might be one way of visualizing this if you’ve never seen it, with their ribbons tied onto the top of the May pole, and they would weave around each other, dressing the pole, which is what we called it. It was like a dance with red and white and blue ribbons all hung off of the top of the May pole, which stood there all year, only like a telegraph pole, but it was concreted in, and then there was a slide, and swings – one baby-swing and two you could have a go at – terrible health and safety but that’s what it was in those days. ‘There was a round-a-bout – we used to run it round and round to try to get it off its central axis. It were rusty as anything and creaked like mad – on concrete. And climb up where it was all greased up at the top. Ruth, who was big as the next four of us, used to sit there sucking on the lollipops we nicked for her from Raddies, and she’d direct matters. We were trying to destroy it, and get it to dislodge from its central axis, and fly away – roll off into that farmer’s field, which he only ever kept for silage, but we never succeeded. There was a car someone had left there so we spent forever smashing that up, until someone who lived in one of the houses there took exception to our doing that, so he put thick grease under the door handles and gave us a right talking to. ‘It would only be a few stands, hot-dogs and things like that. The man selling the hot dogs would have his records on full blast. There’d be a couple of set-up stalls. Air-rifles – that sort of thing. But we all had them, and we all went shooting, of course, if not with twelve bores then with smaller gauge. Or pay a pound – I have no idea how much it was in actual fact then – it might have only been a few pennies – and we’d get all that time smashing up the crockery the man would put up for us to smash on the dressers. That was my particular favourite thing to do at these festivals, by the way, in case you were wondering. You got a little bucket of so many cricket balls. ‘I dread to think what went into those hot dogs. Probably EE rules would forbid it now. But it was a fair mix in those days. A lot of young people then were C of E. We’ve done a lot to hang onto our young people, which is a tremendous encouragement when you consider how things are, while in recent decades the Church of England hasn’t been so successful. People still want it on feast days and what are essentially now civic celebrations. It’s strange to see, though, how all the little stands there people have are run by the police and people like that along those lines. There’s no May pole. That was a sort of faith that ran and ran beneath all the theoreticals of it in the 1960s and the 1970s and into the 1980s. The May pole isn’t there now in the particular place I’m thinking of. Considering May poles were officially suppressed hundreds of years ago – as a part of the protestant reformation. One or two of you are probably thinking I’m remembering things from that time! ‘I should have liked to say that those processionals were so hardwired into us, that even after the last thirty years, when I became a bishop, they are still with us. They were […]
