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Catholics believe being born again of water and the spirit is a direct reference to Baptism.
Let's look at the passage...
3 Jesus answered and said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God."
4 Nicodemus *said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born, can he?"
Observation: Nicodemus is thinking about natural birth.5 Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
Observation: Jesus mentions being born of water and Spirit. There are 2 things here.6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
Observation: "That" is a connection word connection this verse the the previous one. It a term of explanation. Jesus is explaining verse 5 with verse 6.Observation 2: There are 2 things being explained. Water = being born of flesh. (Baptism is not mentioned here). Spiritual birth is the emphasis.7 Do not be amazed that I said to you, 'You must be born again.'
8 The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit."
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Being born spiritually means that you have to have a spiritual mother, unless you are a test-tube Christian
Biblically being born spiritually is something that happens the moment a person believes in the good news about Jesus...
John 7:38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, 'From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.'"
39 But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet
given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
Eph 1:13 In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvationhaving also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise,
14 who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of
God's own possession, to the praise of His glory.
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Jesus, in His last will and testament from the cross, gave mankind His only possession on earth, His Mother, when he told his disciple (all believers are disciples of Christ) in John 19:27, "Behold YOUR Mother."
John 19:26 When Jesus then saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He *said to His mother, "Woman, behold, your son!"
27 Then He *said to the disciple, "Behold, your mother!" From that hour the disciple took her into his own
household.
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In Galatians 4:5, St. Paul says that we are adopted into Jesus' family, which means Mary is our spiritual Mother........."to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons."
Galatians 4:5 But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law,
5 so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.
6 Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!"
God is adopting us however I do not see the Mary is.
14 For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.
15 For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, "Abba! Father!"
16 The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God,
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Just as Eve became our physical mother at the foot of the tree of knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 3:20), just so, Mary became our spiritual mother at the foot of the tree of life known as the cross (John 19:27)....
This an interpretive conclusion not well supported by the text of John 19:27.
