“Rebirth” means that Christ governs one’s life, opening a new spiritual vision — a blessing of awakening.
It is the rising of the righteous sun upon those who fear God, sending healing rays that touch and mend wounded souls and bodies — the gracious love (Malachi 4:2).
It is the return from the lost paradise to the paradise regained.

One begins to long for a life of nobility and devotion, to guard the mysteries of heaven,
and to bear the image of Christ shining through in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

The Apostle Paul, whose spiritual eyes were opened, proclaimed a new beginning to those returning to the original image of God:
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, behold, the new has come.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)

John Wesley wrote:
“The fetus has eyes but cannot see, ears but cannot hear; it lacks perception, understanding, and knowledge of the outer world.
But the newborn begins to receive light, sound, and sensory experiences anew.
When the spiritual eyes of a person are opened to perceive the presence and love of God — that is what we call rebirth.
Rebirth is inward; it is the transformation from inner evil to goodness, from love of the created to love of the Creator,
from the worldly and sensual to the delight in spirit and holiness.”
Thus, he urged all to be reborn in Christ.

In early May of 1996, at Sotheby’s in Manhattan, New York, the personal belongings once used by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis were auctioned.
Out of curiosity about what relics might remain from her life, I read the newspapers that reported the auction with fascination.

According to the news, nearly 6,000 items were sold,
and the crowds surged like waves — every item sold with astonishing speed.
The prices soared sky-high, exceeding all expectations tenfold.
President Kennedy’s golf clubs, desk, chair, dresser, even his lighter sold for hundreds of thousands of dollars.
A stained silk cushion went for tens of thousands, and even a rusty tin box fetched thousands.
A simple imitation pearl necklace, worth only a few hundred dollars in the market,
was sold for $211,500 —
revealing once again the deep nostalgia Americans still hold for the Kennedys,
and their affection for the dramatic, luminous life of Jacqueline.
Whether genuine or fake, if it bore even a trace of her presence, it was treasured beyond measure.

After reading the reports, I asked myself:
Why were people so enthralled and ecstatic?
Her beauty and fame as First Lady, her courage through tragedy, her rebirth as the wife of Aristotle Onassis — one of the world’s wealthiest men —
her grace amidst splendor and sorrow, and the mystery of her private struggles,
all made the relics of her life seem like investments in meaning itself.

The things she touched, though worn and ordinary, gained value through her story —
just as, into our unworthy lives,
God sent His Son, Jesus Christ,
to make us new creations of immeasurable worth.

If people rejoice to pay vast sums for a faded relic of Jacqueline’s life,
how much more should I rejoice —
how much more should I tremble with gratitude —
for the priceless gift of eternal life freely given?

May our hearts become living altars of that true investment —
burning with passion, joy, and awe before the One who transforms us,
gives us rest in affliction,
and heals the sick soul and body.

The news of Jacqueline’s auction that once stirred the world
quietly teaches us why God spared not His only Son,
but invested His blood —
to show humanity the true path of divine investment.