Born of the Water and the Spirit

What does it mean to be born of water and Spirit?  It puzzled Nicodemus and it could well puzzle me.  One author says that to be born of water and Spirit is to be purified and transformed.  Water cleanses, and you and I need to look at some of our actions from the past and ask the Lord to purify us with water.  What transforms us into a new way of living; transforms us by Spirit that is given to all of us through God’s grace.  It’s not a one-time thing; it’s a process that can last a lifetime.  We need to be reborn by water and Spirit.

Msgr. Daniel F. Hoye