In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit!
Let us give thanks, beloved brothers and sisters, to our most merciful God, for granting us the grace once again, on the eve of this great feast of Theophany, to glimpse with the eyes of the spirit His grandeur and ineffable beauty. In addition to its exalted and revelatory name, the feast of God’s manifestation to the world and to mankind is also called the Baptism of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Enlightenment, the Blessing of the Waters, and the Feast of Lights.
Let us dwell on this luminous name: Enlightenment and the Feast of Lights. One of the scriptural definitions of God is that He is Light. Indeed, God Himself calls Himself by this name: “I am the Light of the world” (John 8:12). Everything pertaining to the Holy Trinity is light. And the highest enlightenment that the human mind can attain is the knowledge of God. Humanity has for centuries sought to know the Creator, the Absolute, the One who fashioned and adorned this marvelous cosmos, the First Cause of the world and of our personal existence. Today’s feast, this majestic event beyond human comprehension, reveals to us the Cause of all creation, both visible and invisible. It reveals the Creator and manifests the divinity in three coequal, coeternal, and co-glorious Persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. On this feast, at the river Jordan, God Himself is made manifest.
Before the eyes of the last prophet of the Old Covenant and the forerunner of the New, Saint John the Baptist, as well as before the people who came to the Jordan in repentance, we witness the baptism of the Son and Word of God and the revelation of the three Persons of the Triune God. Here unfolds the great mystery of the Trinitarian manifestation. The Lord Jesus Christ, the God-Man and Enlightener, is baptized by His servant; God the Father speaks thunderously from the heavens, declaring Him His beloved Son in whom His will rests; and the Holy Spirit appears, descending upon the Son in the form of a dove. A Trinitarian revelation!
Christ, the Savior, allowed Himself to be baptized in the Jordan not out of necessity but in profound humility. In obedience, He fulfilled the Law and showed us the path to purification and adoption as children of God. He taught us to submerge the ego, sin, and passions. We must immerse the old, sinful man and arise purified, clothed in the new, spiritual man. The Son of God was baptized to recreate mankind, transforming the old man of Adam—corrupted by false desires—into a new creation fashioned after His own likeness. This is why the Apostle Paul exhorts us to cast off the old man according to our former way of life, which is corrupted by deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of our mind, putting on the new man created according to God in true righteousness and holiness (Eph. 4:22–23).
If a person’s senses are focused solely on earthly things, if he neither longs for nor strives toward anything higher, nor thirsts to be united with his Creator, he will decay spiritually and inevitably draw closer to the death of the soul, from which there is no deliverance. But if we walk the path of Christ, we are directed toward eternity and incorruptibility. This is precisely the symbolism of baptism. All of us who have been baptized are called to die to this world. This is why, in baptism, the priest immerses us three times in the water, symbolizing the three-day burial of the Savior, while pronouncing the Trinitarian formula: “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” What profound symbolism! The Christian pledges to die to the old man of Adam and to begin living in the new world created by Christ through His birth, His baptism, His death on the Cross, and, ultimately, His Resurrection. With His life, Christ calls us to a new and renewed existence: “Behold, I make all things new” (Rev. 21:5).
The Lord Christ has shown us the way to salvation: to take up our cross and follow Him. There is no doubt that this life is filled with many trials, challenges, and sufferings. Yet, the Son of Man gave us an example of how to journey through life’s difficulties, recognizing that we are merely sojourners and pilgrims en route to the Kingdom of God.
Recently, I came across a profound thought from a secular writer and thinker reflecting on decay and death: “It is not death that troubles me, but decay—it is decay that degrades man, and it is decay that must be conquered.” Consider the insight of this worldly man, who realized that our true goal is to acquire the Kingdom of Heaven, that is, eternal life. His words suggest that if I strive daily to overcome decay—if I struggle to rise above all that is in this world and direct my thoughts, desires, and efforts toward my Creator—then death and decay will hold no power over me. Conversely, if I remain trapped in my ego, passions, and desires, I will be drawn ever deeper into the corruption of my inner being.
Indeed, we must die—but to what? We must die to this world, to its false desires and temptations. This does not imply a negative or unhealthy attitude toward the world, but rather a proper perception and use of it, according to the will of God.
We heard today how Saint John the Forerunner instructed the people at the Jordan: “He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise… Collect no more than what is appointed for you… Do not intimidate anyone or accuse falsely” (Luke 3:11–14). The Forerunner calls us to offer ourselves in sacrificial love for others, to love with enlightenment and wisdom, as Christ Himself advises: “Be wise as serpents and harmless as doves” (Matt. 10:16).
Thus, beloved monks and nuns, brothers and sisters, although we, like all Christians, have been baptized once, we have also received another baptism in the monastery, lying crosswise on the floor and vowing to live lives of voluntary renunciation and spiritual ascent. It is fitting, therefore, as we approach this great feast, to reflect on how we, both Christians and monastics, are striving to overcome corruption. Are we conscious that we are merely pilgrims, passing briefly through this world? Is our mind fixed on Christ, or is it immersed in the vanity of life?
Man has the privilege to become one with God, to become a god by grace. Of all creation, only humanity was made in the image and likeness of God. And for our sake, God descended and became Man, lived among us in the deepest humility, and suffered for us.
Let us, therefore, embrace Him, now that the heavens are open before us and we behold the Holy Trinity with the eyes of our spirit. Let us set aside earthly cares and worldly desires, and open our hearts to Him so that we may behold Him clearly within us.
May this feast bring enlightenment to all!
