Baptized By Choice

" The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Christ. John answered them all, 'I baptize you with water. But one more powerful than I will come. I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in His hand to clear the threshing floor and to gather wheat into His barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.' "  ---[Luke 3: 15-17].


I was baptized, way back when,  as a baby girl or toddler.

We do not remember our baptism, and many are not really clear about what it all means? Something to do with becoming a Christian and being welcomed into the church.

We know from this Scripture that Jesus baptizes us with the Holy Spirit and fire. And so, baptism is how we first receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

But a baby cannot know what the Holy Spirit is and what He does. This is why Pope Francis calls the family, "the first church".

I know that there are a multitudes of folks out there who call themselves Christian, simply because they were baptized. But, they do nothing else about being Christian!

There is a very good reason why I call this space, "Spiritual Devotional"-- it is because in this modern age, so many of us like to think of ourselves as vaguely "spiritual", but we have no determined purpose or plan on how to BE Christ-like.

When I was converting-- because of past persecution-- I had very really fears about how much I could openly participate as a Catholic, and still be considered a follower of Christ. It was like I was bargaining with God.

--'Well, Lord, how about if I attend Mass faithfully, I mean only rarely do I miss a week? But I don't go up to receive the Eucharist? And I don't actually convert?'   I asked my Bible teacher about this, and her eyes widened: "It does not work like that."

Gradually, I worked up my courage, I prayed and studied, and I converted. I did it! That first walk down the aisle of my church to the altar seemed infinitely long.  But no, the earth did not open, and swallow me up!

But I bargained some more. Maybe my purpose was simply to knit some Prayer Shawls, but not make the sacrifice to actually make any of the meetings? No, again!

What scares me in this Scripture is 3: 17:  "His winnowing fork is in His hand."  My pastor explained recently in a homily that, if you have no use for God, He has no use for you! Put another way, "Those who refuse to be used by God will be discarded because they have no value in furthering God's work." -- Commentary in Life Application Study Bible, NIV, on Luke 3.

Perhaps the only other verse as completely chilling as this one, is when Peter argues with Jesus about Jesus going to the cross. Jesus says, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns." -[Matthew 16: 23].There is no arguing with God's purpose for you; and if you do, you are not on His side, you are against Him!

What it means to be baptized then, is that we receive the Holy Spirit, in order to move and work according to God's purpose.  Being baptized means we are not passively and vaguely spiritual, but actively working to further God's kingdom here on earth.

Going to church and receiving the Eucharist is all part of that. For, when we receive the Eucharist, we receive a part of Christ, His Love, patience, Peace, gentleness, etc. It is baffling how anyone COULD do God's work without a weekly Eucharistic renewal of the Christ in us.

Catholic writer and consultant John Roberto has written and lectured extensively about being an active part of a Christian community. He has set forth Four Scenarios regarding a Christian's relationship with his/her church:
1) Vibrant Faith and Active Engagement: "actively engaged in a Christian church, spiritually committed."
2) Spiritual but Not Religious: "people are spiritually hungry, but not affiliated with organized religion."
3) Unaffiliated and Uninterested:  "people experience little need for God and are not affiliated with organized religion. This [group] reflects a steadily increasing percentage of the American population, especially 18-29 year olds."
4) Participating But Not Committed: "people may attend seasonal celebrations, such as Christmas and Easter, and celebrate milestones such as marriage but the connection to church is more social and utilitarian than spiritual."

Perhaps you prefer to "go it alone" spiritually? But I submit to you that we were not created to be solitary creatures, believing that there is no real deep meaning to life. Our longing for something spiritual, and for something bringing us to connectedness, represents our longing for God. The church is where we connect with others who are on the same spiritual path, who are also making a practice of discovering and living out God's purpose for our lives.

As we race into the New Year, and as we head towards Lent, now is a propitious time to ask ourselves:
What does calling myself a baptized Christian really mean, if I do little or nothing about it?

Was my baptism merely an irrelevant ceremony, lost to the hazy fog of time? Or was it really a call to action?

[Related Postings: "The Baptism of the Lord", Jan. 1, 2011; "Baptized by the Holy Spirit", Jan. 1, 2013; "My Baptism by Fire", Aug. 8, 2013; "Anointed with the Spirit", Jan. 13, 2014; "The Relevance of Baptism", Jan. 12, 2015.]

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