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
Today is the feast of the Theophany of our Lord. Christ is baptized in the Jordan by John. The Trinity is revealed to all who behold the mystery.
This amazing revelation or manifestation of God is an act of great mercy. After all, whenever God reveals Himself to us in any way, it is an opportunity for great grace, healing, and closeness to Him. And this event of Christ’s baptism is the first clear relevation of the Trinity to humanity.
All of us have an opportunity to encounter this amazing moment in salvation history. First, by reading the scriptural accounts. And second, by participating in the Great Blessing of Water held on his feast (commonly on a Sunday before or after the feast in parishes). The prayers of the Great Blessing of Water of Theophany are rather lengthy, however they attempt to capture using our limited human language the glory of that moment. Whether or not you were able to participate in the water blessing this year, it would be good to pray over the text of the blessing.
Having encountered Christ and “become heirs according to the hope of eternal life”, what does our life need to look like? Paul lays it out for us: deny ungodly and worldly lusts, living soberly, righteously, and godly, and with a hope in the coming of Christ.