No. 39 Eric, that was some question! Now I�m remembering more and more of Church history, thanks to you and Dr. Sanchez. My question is not nearly so involved, I don�t think, but it may be just as practical. How does Christian reception of the Spirit through Baptism relate to the Father�s anointing of Christ with the Spirit at His baptism? Is our baptism like a �little Jordan�? >>DR. LEOPALDO SANCHEZ M.: David, your question takes us back to the place of the Holy Spirit in Christ's anointing at the Jordan and what that might tell us about our anointing at our literal Jordan or baptism. We have said that the presence of the Holy Spirit in Christ from conception is unique to him. Another way of saying this is that the presence of the Spirit in Christ from conception is not transferrable to others. It's not communicable to others. And a simpler way of saying that is that we do not have the Holy Spirit from conception. How then are we to share in the Spirit of Christ? How does Christ give us to what he has for himself from conception? Here a clue to get to this question comes from the Gospel accounts of the baptism of Christ. Although the Gospel accounts in one way or another tells us that the one who is anointed with the Spirit is the one who'll baptize with the Holy Spirit. I think of John 1:33 again. John the Baptist witnessed concerning the baptism of Christ. On whomever you see the Spirit descend and remain, he is the one who'll baptize with the Holy Spirit. In all the gospels the presence of the Spirit on Christ at the Jordan appears as an indispensable event for the possibility of human reception of the Holy Spirit after Christ completes his mission for us and for our salvation. In other words, we may say that unlike the presence of the Holy Spirit in Christ from conception, the presence of the Spirit in Christ at the Jordan is transferrable to others in their baptism or literal Jordan. You see after Christ come in the flesh, his anointing unto death becomes a condition in the Father's plan of salvation for the universal giving of the Holy Spirit. Jesus is anointed with the Spirit at his baptism so that we, too, might receive upon completion of Christ's mission his Spirit or anointing in our baptism. Now, this gracious reception of the Holy Spirit in baptism happens for the first time on the day of Pentecost when Christ, the one baptized at Jordan, becomes the one who baptizes others with the Holy Spirit. On that occasion you may recall in Acts 2 that many who heard Peter's message concerning Christ were baptized in water for the forgiveness of sins and received the gift of the Holy Spirit. Pentecost then is nothing less than the fulfillment of Jordan. From Pentecost onwards every baptism becomes in a sense a little Pentecost, a means of grace through which the exalted Jesus forgives our sins and sends the gift of the Spirit from the Father to dwell in us. When we are baptized into Christ, God sends the Spirit of his Son into our hearts and makes us his sons and heirs of his promises in Christ. So Christian baptism is not only a little Pentecost but also in a sense a little Jordan. Because at that time the Father anoints us with the Spirit of his Son, calls us his beloved sons or children and sends us on a mission to be faithful witnesses of Christ, according to our vocations in life.