Christ appeared in the world and adorned the once joyless world with boundless delight. He bore upon Himself the sin of the world and trampled forever the enemy of the world. He sanctified the springs of water and illuminated the souls of men. Miracles were joined with greater miracles. Today, from the joy brought by our Savior Christ, the earth and the sea were divided, and from end to end, the world was filled with gladness. Today’s feast reveals greater miracles than those of that Christmas night. For that night that has passed, only the earth rejoiced, as it held the Almighty God in the embrace of the manger. Today, however, as we celebrate the Theophany, the sea rejoices along with it. And it rejoices because, through the Jordan, it also partakes in the blessing of the sanctification.
At the feast of the Divine Nativity, God appeared as a small infant, newly born, thus revealing our own infancy. Today, however, we see Him as the perfect man, the perfect Son, born of the perfect Father. There He revealed the divine infant through the star that rose in the East, and here God the Father, from whom He was begotten before all ages, bears witness to Him from heaven. There the Magi, who journeyed on foot from the East, offered gifts to Him as to a king. Here, angels from heaven bring Him the ministry that belongs only to God. There He was wrapped in swaddling clothes, and here, through baptism, He unties the chains of our transgressions and the bonds of our sin. There the King of Heaven clothed the world as royal royalty; here the source of life clothes the river waves entirely. Come, therefore, and behold these wondrous miracles.
The Sun of Righteousness bathes in the waters of the Jordan. The fire dives in and mingles with the waters. And God is sanctified through man. Today, all of creation shouts aloud and praises Him:
“Blessed are You who come in the name of the Lord!” You who come through Your Providence among all Your creatures. You who uphold the height of the firmament and skillfully guide the Sun’s path like a gentle, untamed horse with a bridle. You who put everything in order, so that the multitudes of stars do not intermingle, and grant us rich air to breathe life unceasingly. You who warm and give life to the nurturing earth, so that it grants us its fruits all year round. You who tame and calm the tumultuous sea, encircling it entirely with a tiny bridle made of sand and gravel. You who push waters from the earth’s depths and create springs. You who guide the riverbanks to flow without loss or wandering, just like the sea. Considering all these wonders, from the depths of our being rises the cry: “Blessed are You who come in the name of the Lord.”
— “Tell us then, who is He, blessed David?”
— “The Lord and our God, who revealed Himself to us in human form. But it is not only the prophet David who says this. The Apostle Paul also agrees and teaches: ‘The grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all people and instructing us all.’ Not some, but all of us. To everyone—Jews and Greeks alike—He grants salvation through baptism and shows that this saving bath is a gift freely given to every human soul that seeks it. Come, and see a flood unlike any other, far greater and more powerful than that of Noah’s time. Back then, water drowned people; today, the water of baptism revives those who were spiritually dead, through the power of God who is baptized today.”
There, Noah built a sturdy ark from wood, and here, Christ, the spiritual Noah, received from the pure Virgin Mary the ark of His body. There, Noah sealed the ark externally with pitch; here, Christ strengthened and consecrated the ark of His body with the anointing of faith. There, a dove bearing an olive branch foretold the fragrance of the Lord Christ; here, the Holy Spirit, in the form of a pure white dove, appeared and revealed to all the merciful Lord. Yet I am struck by the extreme humility of the Lord. For He, the perfect Son born of the perfect Father, did not content Himself with becoming a perfect infant on earth, born of a woman’s womb.
He who is enthroned with God the Father did not limit Himself to taking the form of a servant, but also came as the lowest sinner to be baptized. Yet let this common blessing for all humanity not become a scandal to those who hear it at this hour. For Christ, the Master of all, is baptized not because He needs spiritual cleansing, but to manage our souls in two ways: so that the water may grant us sanctifying grace and inspire each one of us to be baptized. As the holy Evangelist tells us, Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan, where John was, to be baptized by him. What happened then, my brothers, cannot be grasped by the human mind, for it surpasses every sight and sound of what occurred there. The mind trembles.
Speech fails, unable to recount the inexpressible. And so, when John saw our Lord Christ approaching, with a racing heart, falling to His feet and embracing them, he imploringly said:
— Why does the Almighty God compel me, a weak man, to do something beyond my strength? I am not in a position to attempt such a thing. How can I dare to baptize You? When has fire ever cleansed itself of dry grass? When has mud ever purified the spring? How can I baptize You, the Judge of the world, I who am responsible for so many sins? How can I baptize You, my Lord? I see no sin upon You. You have not fallen victim to the curse of our forefather Adam. You are not at all tainted by sin. For even though You inclined the heavens and came down, nothing of the will of God the Father have You transgressed.
— What are You doing, my Lord? Why do You compel me to do something beyond my strength? Never before have I dared to act against anything that would offend Your goodness. As a faithful servant, full of love and reverence for my Master, I have encouraged and proclaimed Your presence to the world. Even while still in my mother’s womb, I borrowed her tongue and proclaimed You, God of the world. I prepared everyone to receive You, to meet You.
Tell me, Lord, how can the sun bear to see the Almighty God thus humbled by the daring of His servant, and not strike with fiery bolts as it did to the wicked Sodomites of old? How can the earth endure to see Him who sanctifies the angels, baptized openly by the hand of a sinful man, and not open its depths to swallow me, as it did to Abiram and Dathan? How can I baptize You, my Lord, who were not tainted by the corruption of natural birth? “From a pure womb, a pure fruit has come forth.” How can I, a man defiled a thousand times by sin, purify God? God, sinless? I myself need to be baptized by You, and yet You come to me? You sent me to baptize, Lord, and I did not disobey Your command. I urged all to the baptism, and I said to them:
“Confess your sins before the Lord, for He alone is good. He who comes after me is not stern or severe; He is good, the Son of the Good Father. He does not act kindly for a moment and then change His disposition toward sinful man; His mercy endures forever.”
And because His mercy is boundless, the heavenly hosts, singing His praises, say: “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.”
The Lord and our God has revealed Himself to us. He revealed to us the Sun of Righteousness, dispersing the darkness of ignorance that surrounded us. He revealed to us the heavenly Shepherd, driving away from His flock the wolves of the devil. He revealed to us the Only-Begotten Son of the Father, granting through baptism the adoption of the faithful. He revealed to us the life of the whole world, and through His death He conquered death itself as immortal, granting eternal life to those who had fallen into corruption and death.
But while all this was happening, God the Father, rejoicing in the extraordinary humility of the Son, flung wide the gates of heaven and with a thunderous voice, overflowing with the emotions that fill a father’s heart, proclaimed: “This is my beloved Son.” And so that the minds of those who heard all this—wondering whether it was the Baptist or Christ—would not be confused, the Holy Spirit came, in the form of a white dove, pointing to Him who was being baptized and whom God the Father testified to the people as His Only-Begotten Son. To Him belongs glory, power, honor, and worship today, forever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Speech of Saint Proclus
Patriarch of Constantinople
