Theophany: Baptism of the Lord

Greetings on the Great Feast of Theophany!

The Eastern Orthodox Catholic Church celebrates the feast of Theophany on January 19th. The term Theophany means “a visible manifestation of God,” and is so called because at the time of our Lord’s baptism in the river Jordan, the Holy Trinity was revealed to humanity. As Christ was baptized, the voice of God proclaimed Jesus as His Son and the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus in the form of a dove.

The account of our Lord’s baptism is recorded in Saint Matthew’s gospel:

Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”

Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented.

As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of Goddescending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:13-17).

The icon of the Theophany of Christ reminds us about one of the Old Testament events – the great flood, which cleansed the earth of sin. The Holy Spirit, descending in the form of a dove, reminds us of the dove which was sent by God to Noah to affirm God’s reconciliation with humanity after the flood.

In honor of the Lord’s baptism, the blessing of water is prescribed in the liturgical rubrics. Traditionally, the rite is performed twice: the first blessing takes place inside the church on the eve of the feast and the second blessing is held outside at rivers, lakes, springs, and wells on the actual day of the feast.

The blessed theophany water is called “agiasma” from the Greek word for sanctified. The blessed water is treated with great reverence by pious believers, only drinking the water on empty stomachs after appropriate prayer. When ingested with faith, holy water helps in the healing of both physical and spiritual illnesses. The holy water is also sprinkled to bless one’s home.

The annual celebration of the Feast of Theophany provides an opportunity for us to embrace a humble spirit of gratitude to God for incarnating into the world and for restoring our broken relationship.

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