first essential encounter with Christ, brought about by the participation of the baptized man in His death and resurrection, is the commencement of the imitation of Christ and indicates the way in which it is to be achieved.34 Man’s death to sin, and his life in and according to Christ, must be manifest in the day-to-day conduct of the baptized man. All who receive and retain the regenerative grace of baptism are able to perceive inwardly their regeneration and to experience it mystically. Of particular