John the Baptist did something entirely new. His name “Baptist” or “Baptizer” proves it. The word literally means one who “immerses in” or “submerges.” The dunking had nothing to do with common Jewish practices of ritual purity done by the individual. It was an entirely new way. John’s symbolic action meant to protect against final judgment required the assistance of another person, and this became the model for Christian baptism. The principle remains today: no one can confer a sacrament on himself. It can only be received from another, usually a priest or bishop or, in the case of marriage, one’s spouse.

The need for another has at least two benefits. First, I could easily fool myself or trivialize my actions, something harder to do in the presence of another. Second, it reminds us that we are a community. God is the one to forgive me, and God uses another person to say, “I absolve you.” Otherwise, it’s self-pardon.

Lent is a baptismal season seen especially in the Order of Christian Initiation with its many rituals. It’s also a time to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation. God’s action in our lives is given to us. We can’t trust solely on ourselves, although many try through self-help books and good old American self-determination. No, we can’t do it alone. God is always acting in us, and we his People come together to be a force for good. Salvation comes from without. It is presented to us, and we receive at another’s hands and in the community of God’s People.

A good Lenten practice is to take more opportunities to be with God’s People in sacraments, prayer, and service.