Born again

===Catholicism===
Historically, the classic text from [[John 3]] was consistently interpreted by early [[Church Fathers]] as a reference to baptism.<ref>Joel C. Elworthy, Ed. ''Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, New Testament IVa'', ''John 1-10'' (Downers Grove: Intervarsity Press, 2007), pp. 109–110</ref> Modern Catholic interpreters have noted that the phrase 'born from above' or 'born again'<ref>{{bibleverse|John|3:3}}</ref> is clarified as 'being born of water and Spirit'.<ref>{{bibleverse|John|3:5}}</ref>

Catholic commentator John F. McHugh notes, "Rebirth, and the commencement of this new life, are said to come about {{lang|grc|ἐξ ὕδατος καὶ πνεύματος}}, of water and spirit. This phrase (without the article) refers to a rebirth which the early Church regarded as taking place through baptism."<ref>John F. McHugh, ''John 1-4, The International Critical Commentary'' (New York: T&T Clark, 2009), p. 227</ref>

The ''[[Catechism of the Catholic Church]]'' (CCC) notes that the essential elements of Christian initiation are: "proclamation of the Word, acceptance of the Gospel entailing conversion, profession of faith, Baptism itself, and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and admission to [[Eucharist in the Catholic Church|Eucharistic]] communion."<ref>CCC 1229</ref> Baptism gives the person the grace of forgiveness for all prior sins; it makes the newly baptized person a new creature and an adopted child of God;<ref>{{bibleverse|2 Corinthians|5:17}}; {{bibleverse|2 Peter|1:4}}</ref> it incorporates them into the [[Body of Christ]]<ref>{{bibleverse|Ephesians|4:25}}</ref> and creates a sacramental bond of unity leaving an indelible mark on the person's soul.<ref>CCC 1262–1274</ref> "Incorporated into Christ by Baptism, the person baptized is configured to Christ. Baptism seals the Christian with the indelible spiritual mark (character) of his belonging to Christ. No sin can erase this mark, even if sin prevents Baptism from bearing the fruits of salvation. Given once for all, Baptism cannot be repeated."<ref>CCC 1272</ref> The Holy Spirit is involved with each aspect of the movement of grace. "The first work of the grace of the Holy Spirit is conversion. [...] Moved by grace, man turns toward God and away from sin, thus accepting forgiveness and righteousness from on high."<ref>CCC 1989</ref>

The Catholic Church also teaches that under special circumstances, the need for water baptism can be superseded by the [[Holy Spirit in Christianity|Holy Spirit]] in a '[[Baptism of desire]]', such as when [[catechumen]]s die or are [[Martyrdom in Christianity|martyred]] prior to Baptism.<ref>CCC 1260</ref>

[[Pope John Paul II]] wrote in {{lang|la|Catechesi Tradendae}} about "the problem of children baptized in infancy [who] come for [[catechesis]] in the parish without receiving any other initiation into the faith and still without any explicit personal attachment to Jesus Christ."<ref>{{Cite web |title=Catechesi Tradendae (October 16, 1979) – John Paul II |url=https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/apost_exhortations/documents/hf_jp-ii_exh_16101979_catechesi-tradendae.html |access-date=17 April 2017}}</ref> He noted that "being a Christian means saying 'yes' to Jesus Christ, but let us remember that this 'yes' has two levels: It consists of surrendering to the word of God and relying on it, but it also means, at a later stage, endeavoring to know better&mdash;and better the profound meaning of this word."<ref>CT 20</ref>

The modern expression being "born again" is really about the concept of "conversion".
	
The National Directory of Catechesis (published by the [[United States Conference of Catholic Bishops]], USCCB) defines conversion as, "the acceptance of a personal relationship with Christ, a sincere adherence to him, and a willingness to conform one's life to his."<ref name="Catholic Bishops 2005 p. 48">''United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, National Directory of Catechesis'' (2005) p. 48</ref> To put it more simply, "Conversion to Christ involves making a genuine commitment to him and a personal decision to follow him as his disciple."<ref name="Catholic Bishops 2005 p. 48" />
 	
Echoing the writings of Pope John Paul II, the ''National Directory of Catechesis'' describes a new intervention required by the modern world called the "[[New Evangelization]]". This is directed to the Church, to the baptized who were never effectively evangelized before, to those who have never made a personal commitment to Christ and the Gospel, to those formed by the values of [[Secular Culture & Ideas|secular culture]], to those who have lost a sense of faith, and to those who are alienated.<ref>''United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, National Directory of Catechesis'' (2005) p. 47</ref>

Declan O'Sullivan, co-founder of the Catholic Men's Fellowship and knight of the [[Sovereign Military Order of Malta]], wrote that the "New Evangelization emphasizes the personal encounter with Jesus Christ as a pre-condition for spreading the gospel. The born-again experience is not just an emotional, mystical high; the really important matter is what happened in the convert's life after the moment or period of radical change."<ref>{{Cite book |last=O'Sullivan |first=Declan |title=The Evangelizing Catholic |publisher=FriesenPress |year=2014 |page=9 |language=en}}</ref>