Theophany

Troparion: When Thou wast baptized in the Jordan, O Lord, the worship of the Trinity was made manifest; for the voice of the Father bore witness to Thee, calling Thee His beloved Son, and the Spirit, in the form of a dove, confirmed the sureness of the word. O Christ God, who hast appeared and enlightened the world, glory to Thee.

Kontakion: Thou hast appeared today to the whole world, and Thy light, O Lord, has been signed upon us who with knowledge sing to Thee: Thou hast come and appeared, O Light unapproachable.

On the feast of Theophany and on the day before it, the great blessing of water is performed in every Orthodox church, and the blessed water is given out to the faithful. This water is given the grace of the Jordan, which the Lord blessed, and unlike ordinary water it does not spoil. You may keep it through the whole year and take it in time of trial and of sickness.

Theophany is the day on which our Lord Jesus Christ was baptized in humility by John the Baptist in the river Jordan and cleansed the water of corruption, so that through it the forgiveness of sins might be granted to us.

The Saviour did not Himself receive holiness, nor, being without sin, did He need cleansing; He was baptized for our help, to crush the devil and to wash away our iniquity with cleansed water.

In baptism, by the mysterious working of the Holy Spirit, a Christian is joined to the body of Christ, the Church. The mystery lies in the unseen working of grace: the water cleanses the body, while the Holy Spirit, in a way beyond the mind's reach, washes the soul itself. Is this so strange? Let us take a simple example: when fire enters into the thickness of iron, the whole becomes fire; what was cold grows hot and what was black grows bright. If material fire works so freely when it passes into iron, what wonder is it that the Holy Spirit should reach into the depths of the soul? (Cyril of Jerusalem).

This day is called the Manifestation of God, for it was then that the Trinity was first made manifest: the Son was being baptized, the Holy Spirit appeared in the form of a dove, and from heaven came the voice of the Father: “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

● St John Chrysostom, a homily for the feast of the Baptism of Christ

● Ilia II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, a sermon for the feast of Theophany (2005)

● Ilia II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, a sermon for the feast of Theophany (2008)

● Ilia II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, a sermon for the feast of Theophany (2009)

● Archbishop Zosime (Shioshvili), Theophany