The Holy Theophany of Our Lord, God and Saviour Jesus Christ Feast of our Lord. Holy Day of Obligation.
Titus 2:11-15; 3:4-7; Matthew 3:13-17.
Read Titus 2:11-15; 3:4-7
Christ is born! Glorify Him!
Today is the Feast of the Theophany. The word “theophany” comes from Greek and means “manifestation of God.” A few weeks ago, we celebrated the birth of Christ, God born in the flesh as a human man. The magi followed the star and recognized Jesus as the fulfillment of the prophecy of the King of the Jews. Today, we celebrate the revelation of the mystery of the Trinity at the baptism of Christ. The voice of the Father proclaimed Jesus as His beloved Son, Jesus was present in the flesh in the waters of the Jordan River, and the Holy Spirit appeared in the form of a dove.
Today’s reading from St. Paul’s letter to Titus explains why it is important to celebrate God’s appearance in the world. The passage begins: “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:11-13). A bit further on Paul writes: “But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us” (Titus 3:4-5). Today, we not only celebrate the event of the appearance of the Trinity in the world but also what this appearance means for us. In God’s plan for our salvation, “the grace of God” and “the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man” appeared. God appears to mankind for our sake. He saves us not because we deserve to be saved; it is not owed to us. God saves us because He loves us!
Paul reminds Titus that we await the appearance of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, what we call the “Second Coming.” We need to live in such a way to be prepared for this event—”denying ungodliness and worldly lusts” and living “soberly, righteously and godly.” Although out of our love for God we need to prepare ourselves, we should always remember that our salvation is a gift to us by God’s mercy. St. John Chrysostom once said, “Even if we stand at the very summit of virtue, it is by mercy that we shall be saved.” Today, let us celebrate the great gift of God’s love and mercy towards us!