Baptism by Fire, Part 5

Baptism by Fire, Part 5

I baptize you with water…He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.[1]

Baptism with water can be a powerful ritual that welcomes a person into church membership and can offer a symbolic cleansing of one’s old self. A lot depends on how we approach and receive it. If our baptism is done as the routine fulfillment of something expected of us as Christians, it is less likely to be transformational. Baptism with fire, however, is an initiation that transforms the old life into something new.

16^th Century mystic, St. John of the Cross, illustrates how the purifying fire of the Spirit transforms us by describing how fire transforms wood:

“The soul is purged and prepared for union with the divine light just as the wood is prepared for transformation into the fire. Fire, when applied to wood, first dehumidifies it… Then it gradually turns the wood black… By drying out the wood, the fire brings to light and expels all those ugly and dark accidents that are contrary to fire. Finally, by heating and enkindling it from without, the fire transforms the wood into itself.[2]

In the purification process of baptism with fire, the necessary first steps are to remove (or burn away) everything that inhibits union with the divine light, meaning whatever prevents God from working freely through us. In wood, its moisture and individualistic traits are removed first. For us, the first removals have to do with ego, or that which we use to establish ourselves as different from or superior to others. This is usually a painful process because it feels like death to our ego. We often have to be burned severely by our desire to be different or by other incidents of great suffering before our ego voluntarily lets go. Alternately, we can wait until we die, when our egoic uniqueness and false sense of control disappears anyway. St. John of the Cross refers to this process as a Dark Night of the Soul. Perhaps a more apt title would be a dark night of the Ego, as it is our soul, or that which is eternally connected to the Spirit of God, that drives and encourages this process for our own good and spiritual growth. Once the wood has been purged of everything contrary to fire, it is transformed into fire itself. Once we have been purged of everything contrary to God, we are transformed into a likeness of God in human form. This is the rebirthing process displayed in the baptism, wilderness purgation, and subsequent ministry of Jesus. And it is a far cry from what most of us experience from baptism with water.

It is not even the death of the ego that is the goal, as the ego, or healthy sense of who we are, is necessary to function competently in earthly life. It is the demotion of the ego to its rightful place of subservience instead of its desired place as ruler and monarch. We are uniquely created, yes, but so is everyone else. We are bestowed with individual gifts and talents, yes, but so is everyone else. We display an appearance specific to us, yes, but so does everyone else. Our differences are manifestations of the diversity of God’s creation, but we remain equally-valued parts in the One life of the One God. All judgements of superior and inferior, good and bad, worthy and worthless are biased and egoic human misjudgments and must be burned away before we can take our place as beloved children in the family of God.

John of the Cross continues:

“Once transformed, the wood no longer has any activity…of its own… It possesses the properties and performs the actions of fire: It is dry and it dries; it is hot and it gives off heat; it is brilliant and it illumines.” It is the fire that produces all these properties in the wood.”[3]

Consenting to being baptized with fire means we allow our various sufferings to burn away our unhealthy earthly attachments and longings – everything contrary to unity with God. Our activities are no longer our own but are aligned with God’s. We possess and perform the actions of God on earth: We are fed and we feed; we are healed and we heal; we are loved and we love. Life-energy flows through us and on to others. There is no need to cling or hoard since, in God, everything is always available. God’s life and ours merge, and our sole purpose becomes inviting others into that divine Oneness.

This is the 17^th in a series titled Crucifying Christianity, Resurrecting the Way.Life Notes are my explorations into mysteries that interest me. They are not objective truths but invitations for readers to explore, too. Engage with me or explore contemplative spiritual direction at ghildenbrand@outlook.com.

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[1] Matthew 3:11

[2] The Collected Works of St. John of the Cross, translated by Keiran Kavanaugh and Otilio Rodriguez. ICS Publications, Washington, DC, 1991, p. 416.

[3] The Collected Works of St. John of the Cross, translated by Keiran Kavanaugh and Otilio Rodriguez. ICS Publications, Washington, DC, 1991, p. 416-7.