A Baptism in the Holy Spirit by Fr. Edward D. O'Connor

Some people identify “water baptism,” as they call the sacrament, with the baptism of John, which did not give the Holy Spirit (Mark 1: 8: Acts 19: 1-7), but this is a grave mistake. Christian baptism is different from the baptism of John precisely because it does impart the Holy Spirit; that is why the Christian is said to be “born again of water and the Spirit” (John 3:5) . Hence St. Peter told the crowds on Pentecost day itself, “be baptized (i.e., with water) every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38).

We read it is true, about the first converts in Samaria, that “the Holy Spirit” had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized “in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Acts 8:16). But this only shows that besides the hidden communication of the Holy Spirit, which occurs through the sacrament of baptism, there is also a manifest communication that may occur later, and which is here vividly described as the Holy Spirit “falling upon” a person. This agrees fully with the experience of the apostles themselves at Pentecost.

People speak, it is true, of encountering God, or Christ, or his power and love. But by this it is not meant that Christ appears to them, or that his power or love encounters them as a distinct object of which they are aware, and which they are then able to identify as belonging to God. No, what is meant, if I am not misinterpreting, is that these attributes of God, which previously were more or less meaningless to them, are now something which they know. But between the not-knowing and the knowing, there is no intervening event, perception or process. Just as a room that was dark is in an instant filled with light, without one’s being able to perceive light rays moving across it or even perceiving their source (if we suppose that the latter is hidden), so a person finds themselves at a given moment suddenly filled with light whereas before they were dark and empty; but they cannot point to anything that has brought this about.

There is no point in asking the question, “How does he know that this peace, joy, love, etc., are from God?” There is no interior discourse by which, after experiencing these things, a person comes to discover that God is their source. To know the peace of God, and to know that it is from God, are one and the same.

Besides the inner experience just described, the baptism in the Spirit is often manifested by the reception of some charism, especially the gift of “tongues.” Some people begin speaking in tongues at the moment of the baptism. Others do not begin until hours, days, or even weeks later, and some never do. Some people claim that there is a distinction between the gift of tongues, which is permanent, and simple praying in tongues once, at the time of the baptism in the Spirit. Others deny the validity of the latter experience. I do not mean to take a position on this problem here, but am using the term gift to include all charismatic tongue speaking.

The hidden type of baptism in the Spirit is so-called because any conscious experience or charismatic sign does not mark it at the moment of its reception (although these may come later). It often happens that a person, after being prayed over, says, “Well, nothing happened to me.” But after the lapse of several days, the person begins to realize that something has indeed happened to them. A new light has dawned in their soul, although they did not observe the moment of sunrise. They may find themselves filled with a deep new joy, peace and love; but these, instead of arriving in an avalanche, as in the first type, permeated his being gradually. Or it may be that by some other sign or effect, e.g., a strength and boldness they never had before, the cessation of a temptation, or the disappearance of some anxiety, they realize that they have been changed without knowing when or how. At first, they may suspect that it is only imagination, or a passing mood; but as time goes on, and the change is repeatedly confirmed, it becomes more and more certain that something real has happened to them until finally there is no longer any doubt.

For example, a Priest friend who was deeply disturbed by many things that he felt were going wrong in the Church, when he was prayed over for the baptism in the Spirit, nothing seemed to happen. But some weeks later it struck him that he was no longer so depressed by these things as previously. He still had the same judgment about their being wrong; but now, instead of the deep sadness which the thought of them used to cause him, there was a buoyancy that enabled him to encounter them with the peaceful confidence that the power and wisdom of God were not going to be outdone by any human failing.

On the other hand, not every religious experience can be called a baptism in the Spirit; but how to determine which can and which cannot, it is not easy to say. I would suggest the following marks which I will not try to justify here: 1) The baptism in the Spirit has the character of a new beginning, a rebirth, an entry into a way of life directed and supported by the Holy Spirit in a more or less manifest way. 2) It always involves a moral transformation: that is, it is not merely a -delightful experience, but effects a change in one's way of thinking and acting. The change may not last, the person may eventually fall away; but still the baptism itself brings about a real change in him. 3) Finally, the experience, at least when it is conscious, seems to have the character of a "being filled." "My cup is running over," is an exclamation that comes spontaneously to the lips of those who have known it.

One final point: the baptism in the Spirit is not to be identified with the laying on of hands.

They are closely connected, as was noted above. It is through the laying on of hands that the baptism usually seems to be imparted, which is why some people confuse the one with the other. But the laying on of hands is a gesture of prayer, which any man can make; the baptism in the Spirit is an interior work of grace, which only God can perform. There are people who receive the baptism without any laying on of hands. This was the case with the apostles and with Cornelius (Acts 10); it also happens today, e.g., while a person is praying or listening to someone speaking about the Holy Spirit. Likewise, a person can be prayed over with the laying on of hands and not receive the baptism, either because he is not prepared, or because God has some other plan in mind for him.

Condensed from The Pentecostal Movement by Fr. Edward D. O’Connor, C.S.C., © 1971 Ave Maria Press