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Gospel: John 1: 29-34
John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him and said,
“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.
He is the one of whom I said,
‘A man is coming after me who ranks ahead of me
because he existed before me.’
I did not know him,
but the reason why I came baptizing with water
was that he might be made known to Israel.”
John testified further, saying,
“I saw the Spirit come down like a dove from heaven
and remain upon him.
I did not know him,
but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me,
‘On whomever you see the Spirit come down and remain,
he is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’
Now I have seen and testified that he is the Son of God.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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What does it mean, to “baptize”?
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“To plunge, to dunk, to submerge.”
This verb, “baptize,” was not originally a Christian word. It was borrowed by Christians from the Greeks to describe what John the Baptist was doing.
He was submerging – plunging – people into the Jordan River as a sign of their repentance. Thus, we could rightfully call him, “John the Plunger!”
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The first instance scholars found this word – “baptize” – being used in Greek literature was in a pickle recipe.
The recipe states, “You must boil water. Add the cucumbers. Then baptize the cucumbers in vinegar.”
If you simply dip a cucumber into vinegar and remove it, does it become a pickle?
No. It’s more like a quickle. (A half-pickle).
If you want to turn a cucumber into a pickle, then you must baptize it – you must plunge, submerge – it into vinegar. It has to remain in that liquid, soaking it up before it becomes a pickle.
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In today’s Gospel, John says that Jesus will “baptize” us with the Holy Spirit. Most Christians receive this divine gift shortly after their birth.
But if we are to become fully pickled Christians, then we must remain in the Holy Spirit. Meaning, we are constantly growing in our faith. As Jesus says, “Remain in me, as I remain in you” (John 15:4).
A person who isn’t growing in their faith is like a quickle, a half-pickled Christian.
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So, how do we remain in the Holy Spirit? Or constantly grow in our faith?
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I’d suggest three ways: Prayer. Charity. Sacrifice.
Prayer is simply open communication with the Lord. We can speak to Jesus as we would to an intimate friend.
Early in the morning, throughout the day, or at the end of the night, we invite the Lord into our hearts, sharing our deepest thoughts, feelings, burdens, and desires with him through prayer.
We also pray with other people. As Jesus says, “Where two or three are gathered together in my name, I am there in the midst of them.” This is why we pray with and for one another at Mass; Jesus is with us!
Am I “pickled” in prayer? Does my prayer life comfort or energize me? Am I comfortable praying with others?
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Another way to remain pickled in the Holy Spirit is through charity. Charity is anything we do for another person out of love.
It could be as simple as cooking dinner for your family after a long day, preparing pasta in our soup kitchen, baking cookies for our café, making a phone call, bringing communion to the homebound, or forgiving a person who’s hurt us.
It’s not what you do, but why you do it.
How “pickled” am I in charity? How intentional am I about loving my neighbor?
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The third ingredient may be the most difficult: sacrifice.
Sacrifice involves addressing our weaknesses; resisting temptation; overcoming unhealthy habits; at times, putting the needs of others before our own; and constantly striving to keep God first in our lives.
What is something I may need to give up? What’s preventing me from further spiritual growth? How will I remedy it?
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Isn’t this why we are here?
Week after week, we strive to be pickled in the Holy Spirit, to remain saturated in God’s love, connecting with the Lord in prayer, caring for those in need, while striving to become who God created us to be.
As our vision statement reminds us, we are, “All generations journeying together with Jesus to satisfy our hungry hearts. Come and see!”
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Image credits: (1) Fine Art America (2) Baptism of Christ, David Zelenka (3) City Gate church