Baptism
One
Symbol of Baptism
The Christian life begins, as most people know, with baptism. As everyone knows, baptism is performed with water. But why water?
Water is the symbol of cleaning, of washing. That’s what the word “baptism” means, washing. This is the main thing that needs to happen. This is how we are to be saved, by being made pure, being made clean. But here’s a question: what’s so great about purity? What’s so great about cleanliness? Why do we need to be clean? Why do we need to be pure? Why is baptism necessary, so necessary that Jesus tells Nicodemus that without it he cannot enter the kingdom of heaven?
Here’s why: because without purity, without being made clean, we can’t be made beautiful. We can’t function right and we can’t be happy. Filth gets in the way of all that. Which is why we have to be cleansed from our spiritual filth.
Two
The Dirt of Sin Spoils Beauty
On August 2nd, 1981, it is reported that Mary appeared at the regular time in Medjugorje. Our Lady said, “All of you together go to the meadow at Gumno. A great struggle is about to unfold—a struggle between my Son and Satan. Human souls are at stake.”
The visionaries said, “Some of the people had asked us if they could touch Our Lady when she appeared, and when we presented their request, she said that whoever wanted could approach her. One by one, we took their hands and guided them to touch Our Lady’s dress. The experience was strange for us visionaries—it was difficult to comprehend that only we could see Our Lady. From our perspective, guiding people to touch her was like leading the blind. Their reactions were lovely, especially the children. It seemed that most felt something. A few reported a sensation like “electricity” and others were overcome with emotion. But as more people touched Our Lady, I noticed black spots forming on her dress, and the spots congealed into a large, coal-colored stain. I cried at the sight of it. “Her dress!” yelled Marija, also crying. The stains, said Our Lady, represented sins that had never been confessed. She suddenly vanished. After praying for a while, we stood in the darkness and told the people what we saw. They were nearly as upset as we were. Someone suggested that everyone there should go to confession, and the next day repentant villagers inundated the priests.”
Baptism cleanses us from the stain of Original Sin because by Baptism God enters our soul to live there. That’s why on the day of our baptism, we were given a white robe, to symbolize the beauty of a clear, clean soul that results from Jesus dwelling in us. And now it’s our job to keep our soul clean!
Three
The Dirt of Sin Destroys Proper Function
Dirt doesn’t just obscure beauty, it also interferes with things working the way they’re supposed to work. It destroys a thing’s function. Put a lot of dirt in your water and see how that interferes with the water’s quenching function. Put a lot of dirt in your lawnmower’s gasoline and see how that interferes with your lawnmower. Put a lot of dirt in your eyes and see how that interferes with your ability to see. And then you’ll understand why the Lord says, “Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God.”
If you dirty your soul, it won’t work right. Pollute your mind with conspiracy theories and apocalyptic predictions, or with identity politics and gender ideology, and your mind won’t work right. Pollute your imagination with violent and pornographic images, and your imagination will start malfunctioning, and eventually become a chaotic warehouse of disorder. Pollute your speech with gossip and blasphemy and vulgarity, and pretty soon you won’t be able to communicate anything but filth. Pollute your emotions with anger, resentment, envy, and ambition and you won’t ever know peace.
You have to get the dirt out of the gears for your human nature to run smoothly. That’s what baptism offers, a well-oiled machine of clarity and love and strength. That’s what it means to be clean.
Four
The Dirt of Sin Destroys Delight
Dirt also gets in the way of delight. Try eating a spoonful of dirt before you have a bite of your favorite food and see how much you enjoy it. Try mixing your favorite drink with equal parts dirt and see what it does to the experience.
Sin ruins all our enjoyment of everything. Envy means we can’t delight in the good of another. Unnatural desires mean we can’t delight in natural goods. Vanity means we can’t delight in our own good because we’re worried about what other people notice. Ambition means we can’t appreciate what’s right here, right now. Excess means we eat or drink ourselves sick and unhealthy.
Do you see that sin is a drag?
As CS Lewis says that every real pleasure comes from God. Satan promises us pleasures but does everything he can to keep us from actually delighting in anything.
Only if the Lord cleans us and keeps us clean will we be happy in this life or the next. And that’s the happiness we’ve been offered in baptism.
Five
The Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is the one who does this work of cleansing. Jesus describes baptism as being born again “by water and by the Holy Spirit”.
What water does physically, the Holy Spirit does spiritually. Water gets the mud off our faces and clothes so they can look beautiful again. Water cleans our eyes so they can see, washes our teeth so they can be strong. Water cleanses our palate so we can enjoy the goodness of food and drink. Beauty, function, and delight. These are the works of the Holy Spirit.
Think how beautiful the Holy Spirit must be, all the beauty of the created world, the beauty of the saints, the beauty of Our Lady – that’s all the Holy Spirit’s beauty. How good it will be to finally see Him one day.
Think of the perfect plans of providence, the intricate function of the laws of nature, the patterns of every individual story, the design of the human body and soul. That’s the Holy Spirit’s work. How good it will be to fully appreciate everything He has done. Think of the pure joy of the Holy Spirit, the great artist of God, the artist of holiness and goodness and happiness. How good it will be to enter into His happiness in Heaven.
The purity of baptism, of the Christian life, is a share in the purity of the Spirit. Jesus says we must be “innocent as doves,” as the dove in whose form the Holy Spirit appeared.
Holy Spirit, keep us pure, keep us beautiful and fully functional and very, very happy. Keep our baptismal garments clean, that we may wear them in your presence forever.