Holy Theophany celebrates the baptism of Jesus as revelation of Holy Trinity, because as Christ was coming up out of the waters of the Jordan, John the Baptist saw the heavens open and the Holy Spirit descending like a dove, hearing the voice of God the Father saying: Thou art my Beloved Son in whom I am well pleased (Mk 1:10-11; see also Mt 3:16-17; Lk 2:21-2; Jn 1:32-3).
The Feast of Christ’s baptism is called Theophany because God manifests himself in the Holy Spirit’s descent and the Father’s voice revealing Jesus, his beloved Son, unveiling Holy Trinity. Theophany is Holy Trinity revealing God without confusion or division, communicating the living heart of Holy Christian Orthodoxy. When heavens open, God’s presence is revealed, hallowing the waters of creation in the deifying waters of uncreated grace. It is Christ who blesses the waters of the Jordan by his baptism, blessing our baptism in the uncreated waters of the Holy Spirit.
Holy Theophany baptises us into Christ’s death, resurrecting us to eternal life, manifesting the epiphany of our glorification through God’s deifying theophany. The descent of the dove expresses the Spirit’s ineffable descent, revealing God’s kenotic self-emptying in Christ, clothing mankind in the garment of uncreated glory. Angels are filled with wonder, awe and joy, uniting heaven and earth with wondrous, awesome mysteries of ineffable joy, as they attend the Baptist as he baptises Jesus. Holy Theophany hallows the waters of creation with the deifying waters of uncreated light, purifying, illumining and glorifying creation. The descent of the Holy Spirit hallows the Name of glorious presence, blessing invocation of the Name with wisdom.
Holy Theophany glorifies saints with hallowing wisdom, consecrating seers who turn and see God’s presence in the midst. Without turning, there is no seeing, no theophany, no glorification. With turning, metanoia, theophany hallows the Name in the reign of glory, consecrating enlightening insight, metanoesis, with glorification. The eye of wisdom discerns the presence of glory in the reign of the Name, opening heavens on earth. Theophany fulfils the Lord’s Prayer and the Jesus Prayer, prayed in hidden communion with the Spirit’s unceasing prayer, bearing witness to the Father’s glorification of the Son. In this way, Holy Theophany blesses the waters of creation with uncreated light, bearing unceasing witness to the glory of the reigning Name.
Eve of Holy Theophany