Baptism of Fire and Spiritual Purification
Baptism and Temptation of Christ — Paolo Veronese (1580–82)
With the beginning of a new year, hope is reborn, but some challenges faced in recent times that do not guarantee us the certainty of a safer future still persist. Economic, social, national, and international setbacks threaten the peace of many families. This comes from Divine Ordeal, some argue, others say it has nothing divine, being rather the results of the choices and decisions we make. This is a constant dialogue that takes place, many times aiming to diminish or belittle the speech of the other. But what if both are right?
More than 2,000 years ago, Jesus brought this perception that the consequences we face are both the result of a Divine Ordeal and the result of our own actions. However, we could say that there are different characteristics that make it possible to understand what is Divine and what is human, in addition to also expanding our understanding for the moment when the union of the two occurs.
It all starts with baptism. Yes, the Baptism of Christ, which takes place by the Holy Spirit and fire (Matthew, 3:11). And Jesus further explains that: “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned” (Mark, 16:16).
But what does that have to do with what we're discussing? In his article “Go and Preach”. The Mission is Ours! (Part III – Final), Brother Paiva Netto writes about this sense of the Baptism of Jesus: “That is, fire, with tests, tests for You to grow. Because human beings usually only develop when challenged. Therefore, it is not a salvation without attitudes. Faith is the fuel of Good Works”.
The challenges we face, therefore, correspond to the baptism received, however, this does not mean that we are left aside, because the same baptism of fire is accompanied by that of the Holy Spirit, that is, the “secretariat of Christ”, in the words of the late Brother Alziro Zarur (1914-1979). And what does that mean? It means that Jesus, by respecting the Divine Laws, offers us, before the challenge, the solution through the direct assistance of the Spirits of Light, His secretariat.
Comprehending this allows us to assimilate that, yes, there are trials coming from God and His Laws, but there are also those created by human beings themselves with the irresponsible use of their free will. It is simple to understand, in the same way, that we are vulnerable to a certain disease if we do not respect medical advice, those who do not comply with the Laws are subject to penalties. Now, there are also those trials from past lives. The idea is the same, but they can be settled in the present or future life.
Fire = Hell
But let's delve deeper into the idea of “fire”. Would it be the same as the “hell” of popular understanding? Yes and no. There is a duality that completes itself. In the first place, yes, because passing through fire presupposes suffering, pain, and anguish, as is already linked to the collective unconscious; and no, because the meaning that we usually give to “eternal hell” is not a stony truth, because the time is what we give it. It is eternal only for the eternally infernal, that is, those who have not honed the impure metals of the soul. This brings us to another understanding of fire and its necessity in our lives.
We all have issues or even impurities in the soul that need to be purified and only fire is capable of this feat. Being the flame of conscience the one that burns the most in the soul and the one that materializes on Earth and on the Umbral the wounds that are in the Spirit, making us feel the “second death”, as it is in the Apocalypse of Jesus (2:11; and 21:8).
Divine Anointing of Christ
In the face of everything we discussed, we understand that the baptism of Christ occurs naturally in our lives. Yes, we are going through a Divine Ordeal, as well as a human one, but the solution is right there at the door (Revelation of Jesus, 3:20): “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.”
The instruments, the minds, and the Eternal Spirits are at our disposal to help us find the solution to the challenges we face, we just need to open the door of our hearts, of our brains, and we will have access to the unimaginable collection of Divine Wisdom.
Experiencing this baptism is what makes us Christians, that is, anointed, bathed, and baptized by God. And what awaits us later, the condition of Christ, as the Apostle Paul says in the Epistle to the Ephesians, 4:13: “Until we all reach the unity of the Faith, the full knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.”
But we will have to walk a lot, to reach this condition. And I mean a lot. Go through several lives, until we understand that suffering is initially a human cause and that only Christ is the one who does not create pain for Himself because He knows and experiences the Divine Laws.
Who is the only one on Earth to exemplify this condition? Jesus! And His life is an example of the Divine Anointing of Christ.
