The Catalog of Good Deeds

On the sixth of January each year we celebrate the feast of the Epiphany or more accurately, Theophany, which is the manifestation of the Trinitarian God. At the baptism of Christ in the river Jordan, the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove descended on Christ the Son of God, and the voice of God the Father was heard.

For all Orthodox Christians around the world it is called the Blessing of the Waters Day. It is not just a commemoration of a historical event in the life of Jesus, because in the Christian Faith everything is present, here and now, just as our Lord Jesus Christ is with us here and now. It is Christ who we call upon to sanctify the water, and all men and all creation. In the Lord’s epiphany, all creation becomes good again the way God Himself made it.

In honour of the baptism of Christ, water is blessed and distributed among the faithful in small bottles to take home (αγιασμό). In most countries this feast day is followed (normally the Sunday after the feast) by the blessing of waters and immersion of a cross in seas, lakes and rivers… whatever is easily accessible to the Parish church.

In Sydney, we have the annual Blessing of the Waters at Yarra Bay where all the Parishes of Sydney come together as one people of God, under the leadership of His Eminence Archbishop Stylianos, and all the priesthood. The Troparion of the Feast is chanted three times:

“When Thou, O Lord, wast baptized in the Jordan the worship of the Trinity was made manifest! For the voice of the Father bare witness to Thee, calling Thee his Beloved Son. And the Spirit, in the form of a dove, confirmed the truthfulness of his Word. O Christ our God, who hast revealed Thyself and hast enlightened the world, glory to Thee” and the cross is then thrown into the water. Many young boys and men, who have been patiently waiting for the signal, then dive into the water to retrieve the cross, and he who finds it first is considered to be blessed for that year.

Source: https://www.lychnos.org/current-lychnos/

The Baptism of Christ in the Jordan River by John the Forerunner is also called an "epiphany". The word "Theophany" (manifestation of God) comes from the apostolic passage: "God was manifested in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen by angels, preached among the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up in glory (1 Tim. 3:16), and is more related to the Nativity of Christ. The word "Epiphany" (appearance) comes from the apostolic passage: "For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people" (Tit. 2:11), and refers to the Baptism of Christ, because it was then that people came to know the grace of the Godhead.

With the appearance of the Holy Trinity and the confession of the Honorable Forerunner we have the official confession that the Son and Word of God is "of the Trinity", who was incarnated for the salvation of the human race from sin, the devil and death.

It is known that in the ancient Church on this day, January 6th, the feasts of Christmas and Theophany were celebrated together. These feasts were divided in the fourth century, and Christmas was transferred to December 25th. Theophany is also called the Feast of Lights due to the baptism and illumination of catechumens as well as the display of lights.

The icon shown above is a fresco from the Sacred Church of Protaton in Karyes of the Holy Mountain, by the paintbrush of the leading artist Michael Panselinos. At the top of the icon there is a hand that blesses in glory. Below this the Holy Spirit is illustrated "like a dove" and just below this Christ is in the waters of the Jordan being baptized by John the Forerunner, who is not looking at Christ, but has his gaze in the heavens from where he hears the voice of the Father in the Holy Spirit bearing witness: "This is My beloved Son, in Whom I am well-pleased."

This depiction is very important, because here we have the revelation of the Holy Trinity to Saint John the Forerunner. From here we will make much reference to the book by His Eminence Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos titled The Despotic Feasts. The manifestation of the Triune God to man shows among other things that only man is an earthly initiate and worshipper of the Holy Trinity, and the only one created by the Triune God in His image. Saint Gregory Palamas teaches that animals do not have a mind and reason but an animated spirit, that is not self-subsistent, which means that when animals die they lose their spirit, since they don't have essence but only energy. However, man has a reasonable mind and a spirit that animates attached to the body, which is why he alone is in the image of the tripartite God.

Saint Gregory Palamas interprets the phrase "in Whom I am well-pleased" as how the grace of God is one, but sometimes it acts in good pleasure, since God wills it, and sometimes by concession. God knew that the fall of man would take place, and did not create him for this but separated him, because God Himself willed it for man. God does not abolish the freedom of man. So there is the will of God according to good pleasure and the will of God according to concession. With this in mind the affirmation of the Father: ""This is My beloved Son, in Whom I am well-pleased" shows that the incarnation was the will of God according to good pleasure.

The testimony of God the Father for His Son shows that the Son is the "radiance of the glory of the Father", since there is a common essence and energy in the Triune God.

The appearance of the Holy Spirit "like a dove" shows us that the Holy Spirit is not a dove, but He appeared as a dove because the Holy Spirit is not created but uncreated like the other persons of the Holy Trinity. That the Holy Spirit together with the voice of the Father sat on Christ shows that the persons of the Holy Trinity are consubstantial, and it also shows that the Messiah was not Saint John the Forerunner, but Christ.

It is known that Christ had no need for baptism, since the baptism of John led people to become aware of their sins. Christ, writes Saint John of Damascus, was not baptized because He had need for purification, but "to bury human sin by water," to fulfill the Law, to reveal the mystery of the Holy Trinity, and finally, to sanctify "the nature of water" and to offer us the form and example of Baptism. Christ was baptized to crush the heads of the dragons in the water, because it was believed that demons dwell in the water. This is why we see in the icon of the Baptism water monsters that have turned their backs on Christ because of the fire of the deity. Christ was baptized to wash away sin and bury the entire old Adam in the water.

Many icons of the Baptism in conjunction with the hymnography of the feast present Christ completely naked, thus indicating how Christ humbled himself for the sake of people. He became naked that He may clothe man in an incorruptible garment.

Another main person who took part in the baptism was Saint John the Baptist. He was made worthy by God to hear the voice of the Father, and to see the Word of God and the Spirit of God. The "and behold the heavens were opened to Him" of Matthew the Evangelist, and the "he saw the heavens tear apart" of Mark the Evangelist indicate the superiority of the uncreated over the created, as well as the restoration of an "open" relationship between God and man after its "closure" due to sin.

Many things can be said based on the teachings of the Fathers of the Church regarding a theological analysis of the icon of the Baptism. My main point though is that Christ gave us each the possibility to acquire the Grace of sonship, a Theophany in our personal life.

By Hieromonk Silouan Peponakis

Source: www.johnsanidopoulos.com/2014/01/a-theological-analysis-of-iconography.html

“Magnify the Lord with me and let us exalt His name together” (Psalm 34:3)

In pre-revolutionary Russia, when a seminarian proposed to the girl he hoped to marry and to have as his life’s companion, consort or “Matushka,” he would send her a note with the above words from the Bible. See what it suggests? You and I with God to guide us will go through life having a common purpose. Yes, marriage is about love, but it includes the Source of love, the greatest Teacher of affection between a man and a woman, because He gives meaning to life itself. Let them expand their understanding of God’s mighty deeds in creation in ways that Adam and Eve would not achieve. To magnify the Lord is to increase our own souls and broaden our perspective of His mighty works. To exalt the Lord is to sing praises to His name not only by our voices, but also by our deeds. How we live amplifies His glory beyond the chanting of our prayers.

Certainly one can do that on his own; however, the prayer to “Our Father” is enhanced when two or more utter the phrase “hallowed be Thy name.” It includes the entire Church not only globally but also along with those who have gone before us to their rest. Yet in the parish and the community the joint effort to augment the awareness of God’s presence in the lives of others is a glorious way to “exalt His name together.”

The beautiful phrase is not only for priests’ families. Every married couple can make it their motto. When two people choose to be wed in the Orthodox Church, they are committing themselves to welcome the Holy Trinity in their lives. Being crowned with honor and glory is assuming responsibility for a realm that includes home and offspring. It presumes engagement with obstacles that come about from time to time that thwart and challenge the royal couple. Your wife is always your best friend. She must never be treated as an object, or in the degrading phrase our fallen culture uses: arm candy. The reason OJ Simpson went from national football hero to persona non grata in the nation was not only because he got away with murder, but because he was unable to let Nicole be herself. She was for him a possession, not a person.

And the wife must bear in mind: Your husband is also your neighbor, in the image Jesus used to explain the definition in the parable of the Good Samaritan. This culture so intent on avoiding sacrifice and pain will do little to restore harmony in the home—but the third Partner will never fail. They are blessed by Jesus Christ, He who was at their wedding as He was in Cana of Galilee, He who hears every prayer and responds to every heartfelt plea.

But it’s imperative that the man and wife grow together in mutual respect and support. They are like mountain climbers tied to each other. They both must struggle ever onward and upward. When one fails to keep up his end, the other will fall with him.

Even when they both share the tasks, to exalt the Lord together means that they grow beyond selfishness. I’ve had so many cases where they appreciated the counseling, congratulated choir and me for a glorious wedding, then dropped out of Church commitment, even if they had formally been active members. In a way, they extend the honeymoon to shut all others out. When that pattern of self-indulgence becomes the norm, they are cut off from the life of the Church and exist only in the secular society. If the Lord and His Church no longer have a place in their homes and lives, what can they expect from their children?

Source: https://oca.org/reflections/berzonsky/the-girl-that-i-marry

One can understand much about a group through their music. I vividly remember the music when I once visited a Kingdom Hall with some Jehovah’s Witnesses. Many of their songs could be summed up as, “Jehovah’s mad and he’s gonna smite you unless you join our organization, cause this is the only safe place. So, convert lots of people, or Jehovah’s gonna smite you!” I was torn between bursting out laughing at how ridiculously obvious the Watchtower’s fearmongering is, or crying because I was surrounded by people who had swallowed this lie about God being a monster from Whom we need to be saved.

In Eastern Orthodoxy, our hymnography is also our theology. In it, I am constantly finding songs that speak of the goodness of God, His love, and the significance of different biblical and historical events. The songs essentially are the sermon, and many sermons can be derived from the songs.

Without further ado, here are several hymns from Theophany that explain the significance of Christ’s baptism and what that means to us (none of this was ever explained to me in my pre-Orthodox days).

Tropar of Theophany – Tone 1:

At Your baptism in the Jordan, O Lord, worship of the Trinity was revealed, for the Father’s voice bore witness to You, calling You His beloved Son and the Spirit in the form of a dove confirmed the truth of these words, O Christ God, Who appeared and enlightened the world – glory to You. (this hymn is repeated several times throughout the service)

Kondak of Theophany – Tone 4:

You have appeared today to the inhabited earth and Your Light, O Lord, has been marked upon us, who with knowledge sing Your praise. You have come, You are made manifest, the Light that no man can approach.

The Litija Verses – Bolharsky Tone 4:

He Who covers Himself with Light as with a garment has deigned for our sakes to become as we are. Today He is covered by the streams of the Jordan, though He has no need to be cleansed by them, but through the cleansing that He Himself receives, He bestows rebirth upon us. Without fire He casts anew, and without shattering, He refashions; and He saves those who are enlightened in Him, Christ our God the Savior of our souls.

John the Baptist saw You draw near, the one Who cleanses by Spirit and by fire the sins of the world, and he cried aloud in fear and trembling saying: I dare not touch your Immaculate Head. Instead, O Master, sanctify me by Your Theophany, O You Who alone loves mankind.

Christ is baptized He comes out of the waters, and carries up the world with Him. He sees the heavens opened that Adam has closed against himself and his descendants. The Spirit bears witness to the Divinity of Christ, for He hastens toward His creation; and a voice sounds from Heaven for it is from Heaven that He has come down to give testimony, and He is the Savior of our souls.

Samoholasen Tone 8:

Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Today all creation is enlightened. Today all nature is glad, things of Heaven and things upon earth. Angels and men mingle with one another, for where the King is present there His army also goes. Let us run then to the Jordan. Let us all see how John baptizes a sinless and uncreated Head. Therefore let us cry aloud with one accord, echoing the voice of the Apostle: the grace of God that brings salvation to all men has appeared, shining upon the faithful and granting them great mercy.

The Aposticha – Samohlasen Tone 2:

Seeing You, O Christ our God, drawing near to Him in the river Jordan, John the Baptizer exclaimed: “Why do You, Who are without defilement come to Your servant, O Lord? In whose name shall I baptize You? Of the Father? But You bear Him in Yourself! Of the Son? But You are Yourself this Son made flesh! Of the Holy Spirit? You know that through Your own mouth You give Him to the faithful.” O God, Who has been manifested, glory to You.

CANTOR: The sea saw it and fled, Jordan was driven back.

ALL: The waters saw You, O God, and were afraid. For the cherubim cannot lift their eyes upon Your glory, nor can the seraphim gaze upon You. But standing by You in fear, the first carry You and the second glorify You. We proclaim with them, O merciful Lord: O God Who has appeared to the world, have mercy on us.

CANTOR: What ailed you, O sea, that you fled? O Jordan that you were driven back?

ALL: Today the Maker of heaven and earth comes to the Jordan in the flesh. For baptism the sinless One asks, that He might cleanse the world from the error of the enemy, He Who is the Master of all is baptized by a servant, and He gives mankind cleansing through water. Let us cry aloud unto Him: O God Who has appeared to the world glory to You.

Verse – Tone 6:

Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Seeing the Sun that came forth from a Virgin, asking for baptism in the Jordan, the shining Lamb that was born of a barren woman, [John] cried to Him in fear and joy: Sanctify me, O Master, by Your divine Theophany.

St Simeon’s Prayer:

Now let Your servant, depart in peace, O Master, according to Your Word. For my eyes have seen Your Salvation, which You have prepared before the face of all people. The Light of revelation for the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel.

The Great Blessing of Water – Stichera – Samohlasen Tone 8:

The voice of the Lord upon the waters cries aloud saying: “Come all of you, and receiving the spirit of wisdom, the spirit of understanding, the spirit of the fear of God, from Christ Who is made manifest.”

Today the nature of the water is sanctified and the Jordan is parted in two, it holds back the stream of its own waters, seeing the master wash Himself. O Christ our King, You have coming into the river as a man and in Your goodness You make haste to receive the baptism of a servant at the hands of the forerunner for the sake of our sins, O God Who loves mankind.

Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

At the voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord.” You have come, O Lord, taking the form of a servant, and You Who are sinless ask for baptism. The waters saw You and were afraid. The Forerunner was seized with trembling and cried aloud saying: How shall the lamp illuminate the Light? How shall the servant set his hand upon the Master? O Savior Who takes away the sins of the world, sanctify both me and the waters.

Prokimen – Tone 3:

The Lord is my Light and my Salvation, whom shall I fear? Whom shall I fear?

Source: http://www.orthodoxroad.com/hymns-from-the-vigil-service-for-theophany/