Came from a Kiss

Being born again by Baptism for a bright future

04/29/2025

John 3:1-8 There was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. He came to Jesus at night and said to him, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God, for no one can do these signs that you are doing unless God is with him." Jesus answered and said to him, "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless one is born from above,he cannot see the Kingdom of God." Nicodemus said to him, "How can a man once grown old be born again? Surely he cannot reenter his mother's womb and be born again, can he?" Jesus answered, "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless one is born of water and Spirit he cannot enter the Kingdom of God. What is born of flesh is flesh and what is born of spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed that I told you, 'You must be born from above.' The wind blows where it wills, and you can hear the sound it makes, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes; so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit."

One of the most clever movie titles of all time was “Back to the Future” starring Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd. The premise of the movie is that Marty McFly (played by Fox) has to travel to the past – making sure his parents go on their first date and kiss – in order to restore the proper future, namely, his own existence.

Logically, if his parents never meet and marry, Marty would never exist. Every Friday when I visit my own parents in Springdale, I celebrate Mass for them. At the Sign of Peace, my mom and dad turn to each other and kiss. I always find that a little awkward and even a little gross (sorry mom and dad). But I try to remember like Marty: that kiss is where I came from.

This week our parish of Immaculate Conception will witness our own back to the future. How so? We will have our new back altar installed. And liturgically-speaking we will be traveling back in time to before 1965 when all altars were prominently placed in the center of the sanctuary.

In other words, we will go back to the past in order to have a more beautiful future for our church. Since we will technically have two altars in our sanctuary, let me teach you a little terminology today. The main altar where we celebrate Mass – where we place the bread and wine – is called “the altar of sacrifice.” There we offer the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

The new altar – or the back altar, more precisely, the reredos – is called “the altar of repose”. Why? Well, because there Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament rests, resides, and reigns as King of kings. That is, this week once we install our new altar of repose, our sanctuary will go back to the future.

How perfectly providential, then, that this morning’s gospel is taken from John 3 and Jesus’ famous conversation with nighttime Nicodemus. Why? Because Jesus, too, suggests to Nicodemus that he must also go back to his birth in order for the curtain to rise on his future of eternal life.

Listen to our Lord: “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless one is born of water and Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God.” Now, poor Nicodemus does not have the sacramental imagination he needs to understand Jesus’ words, and so he thinks he must literally crawl back into his mother’s womb and be born again. Maybe we should say poor Mrs. Nicodemus.

But Jesus means going back to the spiritual beginning and being born again through the sacrament of Baptism, which opens up for us the future of Paradise. In other words, the real kiss that Nicodemus comes from is when Jesus kissed his cross and died on it so that water and blood could flow from his side: the water of Baptism and the Blood of the Eucharist.

And by the way, that is why a priest kisses the altar of sacrifice at the beginning of Mass – have you noticed that? The priest represents Jesus and the altar of sacrifice stands for the Cross. At every Mass, Jesus kisses his cross before he dies on it. Just like my mom and dad's kiss marks the beginning of my existence, so Jesus kissing his Cross marks the beginning of the Church as well as of every Christian.

Incidentally, you might want to take a picture of the sanctuary today to remember the way it looks. Why? Because when we install the new altar, the reredos, our church sanctuary will be forever changed. Our sanctuary will have traveled back to the future. You guys really should watch more movies.

Praised be Jesus Christ!