ORTHODOX CHRISTIANITY Orthodox Calendar
Orthodox Calendar 2024
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Крещение Господне Свт. Феофан Затворник
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33rd Week after Pentecost. Tone 7.
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Совершается служба великому праздникуThe Holy Theophany of Our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ (Baptism of the Lord)

Repose of St. Theophan the Recluse, bishop of Tambov (1894)

New Hieromartyr Romanus, priest, of Lacedemonia, at Constantinople (1695).

Repose of Schemamonk Nicholas of Valaam (1824) and Schemamonk Sergius (Yanovsky) (1876), disciple of St. Herman of Alaska.

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

St. Theophan the Recluse

Theophany. [Titus 2:11–14; 3:4–7; Matt. 3:13–17]

The Baptism of the Lord is called Theophany [God Revealed] because in it the one true God, worshipped in Trinity, revealed Himself so palpably: God the Father—through the voice from heaven, God the Son, incarnate—through His baptism, and God the Holy Spirit—through the descent upon the Baptized. Here the mystery of the relationship between the persons of the Most Holy Trinity is also revealed. God the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and rests in the Son, but does not proceed from the Son. Here also is revealed the fact that the incarnate Divine economy of our salvation is accomplished by God the Son incarnate, coexisting with the Holy Spirit and God the Father. And it is revealed that the salvation of each person can be accomplished no way other than in the Lord Jesus Christ, through the grace of the Holy Spirit, according to the good will of the Father. All the Christian Mysteries shine here with their divine light and enlighten the minds and hearts of those who with faith celebrate this great festival. Come, let us mentally hasten on high and plunge ourselves into the contemplation of these mysteries of our salvation, singing, “When Thou, O Lord, wast baptized in the Jordan, the worship of the Trinity was made manifest”—a salvation which in trinity establishes us, and in trinity saves us.

Articles

The Feast of the Theophany

Fr. Seraphim Holland

What happened to the man who had the demons taken out of him, and the demon went around deserts and rocky places, and desolate areas, and the found no place to dwell? What did the demon do? He got seven other demons worse than himself, and he went back to the man. They found his soul was all swept and garnished inside, but since the man had not lived a virtuous life since his deliverance from the one demon, and the demons were able to make their abode in him, and the last state of the man is worse than the first!

Spiritual Instruction on the Feast of the Theophany

St. Ignatius (Brianchaninov)

It is very easy for us to be continually with Christ, to ceaselessly hear His sweet voice, and to nourish ourselves with His life-giving teaching; for the Lord Jesus Christ still abides with us. He abides with us in His Holy Gospels, through the Holy Mysteries of the Church.

About Holy Water

St. John of Shanghai

On Theophany, that is, the Day of the Lord's Baptism, every year a great miracle is performed. The Holy Spirit, coming down upon the water, changes its natural properties. It becomes incorrupt, that is it does not spoil, remains transparent and fresh for many years, receives the grace to heal illnesses, to drive away demons and every evil power, to preserve people and their dwellings from every danger, to sanctify various objects whether for church or home use.

Sermon on the Epiphany

Metropolitan Philaret (Voznesensky)

The time has come when mankind has been consumed with activities which displease God, in which the Enemy of mankind reigns, and, as they said in old days, this Enemy makes everyone dance to his flute. This fuss and bother, which envelops our daily lives, is distasteful to God, and God is absent from it, and the Enemy of God is master and ruler of it. If we gave the promise to renounce Satan and all his works, then we must fulfill it, and try not to crush our souls with daily cares, remembering what the Church teaches: “there is one thing needful,” only one thing necessary—to remember that we must unite ourselves with Christ, that is, not only fulfill His commandments but to try to unite with Him.

Why do we bless homes on Theophany with Holy Water?

Why do we bless houses (and almost anything else that we can sprinkle) with water?

Discourse On the Day of the Baptism of Christ

St. John Chrysostom

There is not one Theophany, but two: the one actual, which already has occurred, and the second in future, which will happen with glory at the end of the world. About this one and about the other you will hear today from Paul, who in conversing with Titus, speaks thus about the present: "The grace of God hath revealed itself, having saved all mankind, decreeing, that we reject iniquity and worldly desires, and dwell in the present age in prudence and in righteousness and piety"—and about the future: "awaiting the blessed hope and glorious appearance of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ"

Ecology, Theophany, and Economics

The vision given to us in Theophany is something else entirely. Through his baptism, Christ sanctifies the waters so that we might be sanctified by the waters of baptism. Water becomes a means by which humanity is perfected and the world as a whole reflects the glory of God to a greater degree.

The Baptism of the Lord

St. John of Kronstadt

What is there to wash away in Thee, Who art more pure than the sun; or to enlighten in Thee, the Sun of Righteousness? -- But is it for us sinful and short-sighted ones, deprived of far-sightedness, to gainsay the Lord Himself, Who created all tthings and Who wisely does much that is beyond word and reason?

The Miracle of the Moving of the Waters at Midnight in Pochaev Lavra

Archimandrite Avvakum (Davidenko)

Then novice Igor Brus walked up and told me conspiratorially, “Don’t sleep tonight, or you’ll sleep through the whole Kingdom of Heaven! Come at midnight to the well. We’ll look at the bottom and see if the Lord will give us a sign—if it will “boil” as it is blessed. Tomorrow is the “Jordan”

Jesus and the Jordan River

The Jordan River flows through the Jordan Rift Valley into the Kinneret and then continues down into the Dead Sea with no outlet. It is a place of many important biblical events. However, for most Christians the first association with the river would be the scene of Jesus Christ being baptized by John the Baptist.

Homily of His Emience Laurus (Skurla + 2008), Metropolitan of Eastern America & New York, For the Sunday after Theophany

Metropolitan Laurus (Skurla)

Dear brethren and sisters, today we are gathered here to glorify in prayer the great feast of Theophany. This Sunday, in the liturgical language of the Church, is called the Sunday after the Enlightenment. Some of us probably know that in antiquity, and even today in the liturgical books, the feast of the Theophany of the Lord is referred to as the Day of the Enlightenment.

The Discourse on the Holy Theophany

St. Hippolytus

But give me now your best attention, I pray you, for I wish to go back to the fountain of life, and to view the fountain that gushes with healing. The Father of immortality sent the immortal Son and Word into the world, who came to man in order to wash him with water and the Spirit; and He, begetting us again to incorruption of soul and body, breathed into us the breath (spirit) of life, and endued us with an incorruptible panoply. If, therefore, man has become immortal, he will also be God. And if he is made God by water and the Holy Spirit after the regeneration of the layer he is found to be also joint-heir with Christ after the resurrection from the dead.

Epiphany

The sixth of January is the feast of the Epiphany. Originally it was the one Christian feast of the “shining forth” of God to the world in the human form of Jesus of Nazareth. It included the celebration of Christ’s birth, the adoration of the Wisemen, and all of the childhood events of Christ such as his circumcision and presentation to the temple as well as his baptism by John in the Jordan.

Epiphany: The Celebration of Life

Archpriest Antony Gabriel

The task of theology today I believe is to "quicken" the convergence of Traditions; to recover its lost Catholicity; its wholeness in which man fulfills the Biblical injunction by offering himself, the stuff of this world, as its Priest and King. Our "hosanna" to God must ultimately be the restoration of faith, of ultimate values as we stand face to face to a hostile world. Whether we admit it or not, Christianity is in a similar position as the first Christian era.

The Jordan Reversed Its Flow!

This miraculous occurrence lasted as long as the two Crosses remained in the river. Right after the Crosses were taken out, the Jordan started reverting to its original course (to the right) until the change was complete.

How the Fathers Walk with Angels on Theophany

Priest Sergei Begiyan

The most important trait of holy water is its incorruptibility, without having any change to its chemical composition. Incorruption belongs to the Kingdom of Heaven, and when we sprinkle something with holy water, we want to impart to it God’s grace, present in the water. And the first place we all want to see sanctified is our home.

Sermon for the Sunday after Theophany

St. Ignatius (Brianchaninov)

Brethren! In order to believe in our Lord Jesus Christ repentance is needed; in order to remain in this salvific faith, repentance is needed; in order to be successful in it, repentance is needed; in order to inherit the Kingdom of Heaven, repentance is needed.

On the Baptism of Christ

St. Theophan the Recluse

Along with lost paradise, the heavens were shut closed by God’s righteous judgment. But as a strong gate cannot hold back a powerful surge of water, so did the fortress of righteous judgment finally melt from the fire of Divine love—and now the heavens are opened. Brethren, let us also open the forces of our nature, let us insatiably receive the revealed God, and delight in Him. Let us soak all our senses with Him, all our thoughts and desires.

Homily on the Baptism of the Lord

St. John of Kronstadt

Have we put on Christ? Let us ask ourselves and think about this sincerely.

“To the Jordan River”

“And we, the children, would run home, covering our cheeks from the Theophany frost with our hands in mittens. It is warm... Our souls are rejoicing. O Lord! How rich we the faithful are in beauty and purpose!” —Metropolitan Veniamin (Fedchenkov)

For the Holy Cross

Swimming for the Holy Cross is one of the most favorite traditions of the Serbian people. Under the Communist party this custom was forgotten, but its revival began late in the 1990s and, particularly, early in the 2000s.

Questions and Answers on Theophany, the Baptism of Christ

Archbishop Amvrosy (Ermakov), Hieromonk Job (Gumerov)

Is the holy water blessed on Theophany still Theophany water all week? Is there any difference between the water blessed on the Eve of the Theophany and the water blessed on the day of the Theophany? When should we get the water to take home? Was St. John the Baptist baptized? Does it matter whether a wooden cross or some metal cross was used to sanctify the waters?

A word on the eve of the Lord’s Baptism

Hieromartyr Thaddeus (Uspensky)

The holy Church wants to prick our souls with the spectacle at which the angelic powers marvel with trepidation: as the Master Who “rules the ungovernable waters of the heavens… is embraced by the flowing waters,” as He Who adorns the heavens with clouds is adorned Himself with the waters of Jordan, as the Creator of man Himself is stripped bare to cover the nakedness of Adam, to vest him anew in the light garments of spiritual rebirth, and to warm by these garments the fallen human soul cooled from the winter of passions.

A word on the feast of the Baptism of the Lord; on internal baptismal grace

St. Seraphim (Sobolev)

We must not only rejoice that we are children of the Orthodox Church, receiving from it this great grace; but we must unveil this grace in our lives, unto its wondrous manifestations. And this will come to pass only when we will steadily fulfill all the Divine commandments. Therefore let the words of Apostle Paul, heard by us in the Liturgy today, awaken in us not only a feeling of joy, but also the desire to realize this in our lives. Then the grace of the Holy Spirit will teach us the salvific, chaste, and holy life.

Sermon at the Vigil for Theophany

Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh

The day of the Theophany is the day when the whole world is being renewed and becomes a partaker of the sanctity of God. But at the same time, it is the day when Christ enters on the way to Calvary.

The kingdom of the humble: a word on the day of Theophany

St. Alexei Mechev

A wondrous sight! The King of the universe is baptized by a servant, the Creator of the seas and waters is in want of the waters of Baptism, He Who holds all creation in His hand submits below the hand of the Forerunner. And all for the sake of mankind! God humbled Himself below all the sons of men. Such is the love of Christ. In this is the law; in this is the righteousness of this love.

To what John the Baptist calls us, or what happens in the baptismal font

Fr. Andrei Chizhenko

January 20, in the afterfeast of Theophany (the Baptism of the Lord), the Orthodox Church honors the one who (as it says in the canon dedicated to him) “wast found worthy to touch the head of Christ the King,” and of whom the Savior Himself said in the Gospel: Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist (Lk. 7:28). On this day, the apodosis of the Theophany, we would like once again to remember the great Forerunner of Christ.

The Baptism of the Lord: Icons and Frescoes

Icons of the Theophany had already appeared in the first centuries of Christianity and recorded for us not only the Savior’s Baptism at the hands of St. John the Forerunner, but most importantly His manifestation to the world as the incarnate Son of God and a Person of the Holy Trinity, about which the Father and the Holy Spirit bear witness, the latter by descending upon Christ in the form of a dove.

Our Baptism

Hieromartyr John Vostorgov

That is a great and ineffable gift! But every gift, every right, also imposes obligations on us. And the higher the right, the higher the obligation. What is the obligation, the duty imposed on us by the Holy Baptism?

Entering the Ship of the Church

Igumen Nikon (Vorobiev)

To cross the sea, you need a ship—you won’t cross it by swimming. In order to cross the sea of life and to reach the Kingdom of God, you must enter the ship of the Church, for only on the ship of the Church can you cross the stormy sea of life and reach the Kingdom of God. To enter the Church is possibly only through the Sacrament of Baptism.

Al-Maghtas. The Place Where the Lord Was Baptized

Anton Pospelov

In 2015 Al-Maghtas was added by UNESCO to the World Heritage list as a site associated with the Baptism of Jesus Christ.

The Way of the Lord

Hieromonk Ignaty (Shestakov)

This call was directed to all of us. The path of our lives should be straightened. The sins, defects, and potholes in our souls should be filled with the grace of the Holy Spirit.

A Sermon on the Feast of Holy Theophany

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill

It is a great day today. It reminds us all of the mystery of our own Baptism, calling on each of us to accept this sacrament not as a custom (or a “rite”, as some ignorant people say) but as the great mystery of our salvation and to put on Christ with Baptism.

Repentance That Reveals God

Bishop Silouan (Nikitin)

That we might be accounted worthy of the appearance of God and the quenching of our spiritual thirst, we must be pure, cleansed of the bodily and spiritual contamination of sin and bad habits.

Soaring to Heaven on the Wings of Pure Prayer

Archpriest Artemy Vladimirov

Let us, dear friends, labor and reflect upon the mysteriological significance of the feast of Theophany, or the Baptism of the Lord, that we might not through negligence and inattentiveness lose the great spiritual gifts that the Savior has prepared for those who love Him.

A Triumph of God’s Mercy

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill

The Holy Spirit descended upon the Savior in a wondrous manner, although He was not in need of it. Reflecting upon this, St. John Chrysostom asks that if the Savior did not need the Spirit to descend, then what did the Spirit descend upon?

Eight Baptisms

Elder Sofian (Boghiu)

Christian brothers, the holy fathers, especially St. John of Damascus, have elaborated upon these questions and teach us that there are eight baptisms in the history of the world. The first baptism, says St. John, was the Flood.

Partaking of His Baptism Through Our Own Baptism

Metropolitan Tikhon (Shevkunov) of Pskov and Porkhov

Partaking of the Lord’s Baptism by having our own baptism, we fully immerse ourselves in the Life of our Lord Jesus Christ. We immerse ourselves also into His teaching, as well as His suffering and burial along with Him—out of our love for Him; because we have finally found the most beautiful and perfect being in this world and want to unite with Him in everything!

Today the Nature of the Waters is Sanctified

Archpriest Rodion Putyatin

Let us now depart in peace, in the name of the Lord, to the river and there immerse in its waters the Live-creating Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Let Us Celebrate as Ones Just Baptized

Metropolitan Makary (Bulgakov)

There is no doubt that not only the lower but also the entire higher world was witness to the glorious and extraordinary manifestation to the world of the incarnate Son of God.

“When Thou O Lord wast Baptized in the Jordan”

Professor Larisa Marsheva, Peter Gramatik

The Omnipotent God, the Creator of Heaven and earth, “the Wonderful Counsellor, the ruler of the world,” for the first time reveals Himself to mankind in Three Persons.

The World of Faith. Theophany

Evgeny Poselyanin

Water!.. What a purifying, mysterious power is in it, which people comprehend more and more!

St. Theophan in Vysha

Varvara Kashirina

On January 19, 1894, on the feast of the Theophany, Holy Hierarch Theophan peacefully reposed in the monastery of Vysha, having lived there for twenty-eight years, twenty-two of which were spent in strict reclusion. The period of reclusion is one of the most hidden periods in the life of the Vysha ascetic, known only to the Lord.
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