HOMILY ON THE BAPTISM OF THE LORD

St. John of Kronstadt

For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ (Gal. 3:27)

Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God… Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God (Jn. 3:3, 5)

According to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration,

and renewing of the Holy Ghost (Titus 3:5).

A new, bright feast has arrived; the day of Light, the day of the most glorious, mysterious Baptism of the Lord, to Whom we are obligated for our renewal or rebirth, enlightenment, restoration, and adoption by the heavenly Father from Whom humankind was estranged for several thousand years by the defilement of sin.

SPIRITUAL INSTRUCTION ON THE FEAST OF THE THEOPHANY

This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.

Mt 3:17; 17:5

Icon of the Baptism of the Lord.Thus did the voice of the pre-eternal God the Father speak to people about the pre-eternal God the Son, when the Son, at the behest of the Father, through the action of the Spirit, became incarnate of the Virgin and wrought the salvation of perishing mankind. Brothers! Let us show obedience to the Son of God, as God desires of us, that Divine good will might abide with us.

SERMON FOR THE SUNDAY AFTER THEOPHANY

St. Ignatius (Brianchaninov)

Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. (Matt. 4:17)

With these profound and holy words, the incarnate Word began His preaching to fallen mankind. Outwardly, such simple teaching! But one must understand it with his very life: then these short and simple words which are contained in all of the Gospel will be revealed. Just as the holy Apostle Paul, when preaching the Gospel, which he did throughout almost all the known world, said that he testified “both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 20:21).

ON THE BAPTISM OF CHRIST

St. Theophan the Recluse

Celebrating holy Theophany, we are transported in thought to the very place of this event, and we shall intelligently attend to what is happening there! There it is—Bethabara! You can see St. John standing on the shore, in clothes made of camel’s hair, with a girdle of a skin about his loins (Mk. 1:6). He is surrounded by a countless multitude of people from Jerusalem, Judea, and all the lands around the Jordan. The Baptism of the Lord has just finished, and all eyes are fixed upon the Son of man just emerged from the waters. They see nothing else. But sharpen by faith the eye of your mind, and following after John, passing over what is seen by all, turn an attentive gaze upon what is not seen by all—on the opened heavens, the dove descending, and the voice saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased (Mk. 1:11). Fix your gaze, and do not tear your attention away from this wondrous vision! O! Who will give power to our words, that they might worthily sing praises to God in three hypostases, revealed at the Jordan!

Assemblage ("Sobor" or Synaxis") of the Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord

Commemorated on January 7

Assemblage ("Sobor" or Synaxis") of the Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord

In the Orthodox Church the custom was established, that on the day following the Great Feasts of the Lord and the Mother of God, would be remembered those saints who most essentially participated in whichever the sacred event. And thus, on the day following after the Theophany of the Lord, the Church honours he that participated directly in the Baptism of Christ, indeed placing his own hand upon the head of the Saviour. Saint John, the holy Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord, termed by our Lord the greatest of the prophets, both concludes the history of the Old Testament and opens up the epoch of the New Testament.

Theophany / Bogoyavlenie

Commemorated on January 6

Theophany / Bogoyavlenie denotes the feast whereby through the Baptism of the Lord the MostHoly Trinity has been revealed to the world (Mt. 3: 13-17; Mk. 1: 9-11; Lk. 3: 21-22). God the Father spoke from Heaven about the Son, the Son was baptised by the holy ForeRunner of the Lord John, and the Holy Spirit descended upon the Son in the form of a Dove. From ancient times this feast was called the Day of Illumination and the Feast of Lights, since that God is Light and has appeared to illumine "those sitting in darkness and the shadow of death" (Mt. 4: 16) and to save through grace the fallen race of mankind.

Eve of the Theophany (Kreshchenskyi Sochelnik)

January 5

Forefeast of Theophany

The church hymns for this day have: 

"You have shown forth in the flesh from a Virgin in Bethlehem, now you hasten towards Jordan",

"grant to all the faithful the salvation that comes through Baptism in Christ: for in this way it cleanses Adam, raises the fallen, humiliates the deposed torturer, opens the heavens, causes the Divine Spirit to descend, and grants incorruption to the communicants". 

"Let all the earth rejoice, let heaven be glad, let the world leap for joy, let the rivers clap their hands, let the springs and lakes and the deeps of the sea rejoice with them, for Christ is come to cleanse Adam", "Being Himself the Bestower of light, Jesus, not needing to be baptized, in the flesh descends into the stream of Jordan, wishing to enlighten those existing in darkness. Let us go fervently in faith to meet Him", "let us joyfully welcome Him with pure intention".

Troparion, tone 4

Of old, the River Jordan turned back 

Before Elisha's mantle at Elijah's ascension.

The waters were made to part in two 

So the wet surface became a dry path.

This was truly a symbol of baptism

In which we cross through mortal life. //

Christ appeared in the Jordan to sanctify the waters.

Kontakion, tone 2

O compassionate Christ, who takes away the many sins of everyone,

And who for the sake of measureless mercy,

Approaches the waters of the Jordan to be baptized as man, //

Putting ferocious nakedness on me as the garment of ancient glory.

The Eve of Theophany anticipates the feast. Through the hymns and the readings of the Eve in the Royal Hours, Vespers and the Liturgy (see pages l5 and 16), the Church presents from both testaments of the Holy Scripture everything from the Old Testament prototypes and prophecies concerning baptism, the very existence of baptism and its fruits 1). As on the Eve whatever day of the week it falls, the Ustav (Rubrics) requires, for the sake of the blessing by sprinkling and the tasting of the holy water, a fast and the need to eat "scalded seeds (grain), or kutiya with honey", as this evening of the Baptism ordinarily is called Eve of Theophany or Christmas Eve 2).

Sunday after Nativity

Saturday after the Nativity

Thoughts for Each Day of the Year
According to the Daily Church Readings from the Word of God
By St. Theophan the Recluse

Saturday. [Col. 1:3-6; Luke 16:10-15]

Ye cannot serve God and mammon. A divided thought and divided heart make a person unfit for anything; for A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways (James 1:8). He either does nothing, or does and redoes; that is, he builds with one hand and destroys with the other. The source of a truly God-pleasing life is a firm resolution to please God in all things. This resolution directs all of a person’s thoughts, desires and feelings toward one thing, and thus uniting his inward [powers], it makes him strong to do deeds, bringing unity into all of his activities and imparting to them a single character. Such deeds are successful and fruitful, because they are full of true life. Where do inertia, immobility and fruitlessness of deeds come from? From inner lifelessness; and inner lifelessness comes from inner division. One single goal is not acknowledged or established as a law of life—deeds are performed haphazardly. Therefore one deed goes in its direction, another goes in another direction, and the edifice of one’s life is never erected. Choose a goal and devote your life to it. The true, main goal is indicated by the God-like nature of man; it is living communication with God. Direct also toward this main goal all personal, scholarly, worldly, civic, commercial, official, and governmental goals. If everyone in society held to this [principle], there would be one general tenor to society, and one spirit would fill everyone.

Homily On The Birth Of Christ

St. Philaret of Moscow

Great is the mystery of godliness, God was manifest in the flesh (I Tim. 3:16)

The New Adam comes forth from virgin earth. Woman, the source of the curse, bears the dew of blessing. The true Noah has appeared, Who shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the Lord hath cursed (Gen. 5:29). Melchizedek, without father, without mother, without descent (Heb. 7:3), comes to inherit the eternal Kingdom and Priesthood. The long night of fear and universal expectation finally passes, and the morning light penetrates the darkness of the Old Testament Sanctuary, opened not daily, but eternally to the East. The Heavenly Manna is poured forth from the vessel which contained it. The rod of Jesse blossoms forth in place of the fading rod of Aaron. Christ is born.

SUNDAY BEFORE CHRISTMAS-REMEMBERING OUR ANCESTORS

Robert Arakaki

The Sunday before Christmas is known to the Orthodox as the Sunday of the Holy Genealogy. On this day the Church commemorates the ancestors of Christ from Adam to Joseph the Betrothed. Christ’s full humanity meant not just that he possessed a human nature but that he had blood relatives, and that he came from a long family line. One of the shortcomings of modern culture is the tendency to leave the past behind and focus on the now. This has resulted in people feeling rootless and incomplete.

ST. GREGORY PALAMAS ON CHRIST'S GENEOLOGY

St. Gregory Palamas

On the Sunday before the Nativity of Christ, we read the Gospel lesson from Matthew 1:1-25, the genealogy of our Lord Jesus Christ.