Sunday After Theophany

(Matt. 4:12-17)

We hear in today’s Holy Gospel a quotation from Isaiah the prophet, saying: ‘The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, And upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death, Light has dawned.’ This quote from the prophecy of Isaiah is presented to us by the Evangelist Matthew in the context of his description of Christ’s baptism by John in the Jordan.

The great event of Christ’s baptism is the manifestation of the Holy Trinity and Christ shines forth His Light to the world. Indeed, in the Kontakion of the feast of Theophany we sing: ‘Thou hast appeared today to the whole world, and Thy light, O Lord, hath been signed upon us who hymn Thee with understanding. Thou hast come, Thou hast appeared, the Light unapproachable.’

Christ’s appearance to mankind brings Light to the world. But as we hear in the opening verses of the Gospel of St John: ‘In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not.’

The Light of Christ’s love and truth shines upon us and upon the whole world, but we do not comprehend it. Indeed, so much of the reality of the spiritual life which surrounds us – the presence of God, the life of the Church, the temptations of the evil one – all of this remains obscure to us, and we go about our lives like blind men and women.

If our spiritual eyes were truly open and we could see the crafty deceptions of the demons, if we could see the tireless protection and prayers of our guardian angel, if we could perceive the patient knocking of our Lord Jesus Christ upon the closed door of our heart… Oh, dear brothers and sisters, if we could only see the both the beauty and the seriousness of the life given to us in which to work out our salvation – perhaps then we would heed the call of our Lord Jesus Christ from this morning’s Gospel: ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!’

This awareness of the presence of God is that ‘one thing needful’ which sets everything else in proper perspective. As the Gospels teach us, ‘Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all things will be added unto you.’

I have to say how sad it was to see so few people in church this past week for the great feast of our Lord’s Theophany. Theophany is one of the great feasts throughout the year… it is the day on which our Lord deigned to be baptized by John in the Jordan river and the occasion on which the fulness of the Trinity was made manifest to mankind.

I sympathize that our lives are busy… I know that many priorities battle for our limited attention. But as your priest, I must encourage you to make that effort to come to the great feasts celebrated throughout the year. In the mystery that is the Holy Church, we do not just remember these historic events and holy days… When we step into the space of the Church and when we enter into the prayers commemorating these holy days, we truly participate with the saints and with the angels in the eternity of the celebration of these events. That’s why the hymnography of the Church speaks as it does, saying: ‘Today the Lord is baptized in the Jordan. Today the Holy Trinity is made manifest.’ Within the mystery and the grace of the Church we prayerfully enter into that time outside of time.

What a privilege! What a miracle that is offered to us! What a worthy thing for which to get up early, or for which to ask to come into work a bit late, or to make a compromise with whatever else is demanding our time and attention. God is so generous to us… let us be generous to Him with our time.

The renewing waters of Theophany are God’s gift to us as we begin the new year… equipping us first with God’s grace to then take action toward repentance, toward turning from whatever darkness there might be in our lives and taking those decisive steps toward the Light and Love of Christ.

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, I pray that each of us may be bathed in the awareness of the presence of God. St Paisios of Mt Athos, a saint of our times, likens such awareness to the tuning of a radio into the right frequency. God is broadcasting His love and grace to us at all times… we are just too often ‘out of tune’ and can’t perceive it or receive it due to the static of our lives. Those saints who fine tuned themselves to that frequency of God tapped into that grace and love and lived in deep joy – no matter what external circumstances they might encounter. Though many went through the torments of hell in this life, they were in heaven in their closeness to God.

May He Who has enlightened the world, fill our lives with His Light! May the revelation of the Holy Trinity which is given to us in this feast of Theophany bring you great joy. May the blessed waters of Theophany shower your life with God’s grace. And may each of us strive to attune ourselves to that divine frequency of our Lord, that our lives may be filled with His loving presence!