The Theophany of the Lord: Homily 3: On the Divine Service on the Feast of the Theophany of the Lord (Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko)

 

1. The Feasts of the Lord

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko 

III. The Theophany of the Lord

Homily No. 3: On the Meaning of the Holy Water of Theophany

I. What is especially remarkable about the feast of Theophany is that on this feast water is sanctified. The Holy Church has used holy water from ancient times, and one may suppose that the sanctification of water began already in apostolic times. Therefore, sanctified water is venerable also by reason of its great antiquity. When we sprinkle ourselves with holy water and use it for various pious purposes, we do what pious Christians of all ages have done.

II. At the same time, it is perfectly true that holy water brings manifold benefit to those who use it properly.

a) Through holy water we receive the grace of God: it awakens in us repentance for our sins and produces true reverence within us. And if you sprinkle yourself with holy water while having a contrite heart, you receive forgiveness of sins. Holy water is also an effective means against all temptations, especially those that come from the devil. Therefore, when temptation comes upon you, and you reverently and with hope partake of a few drops of holy water, having first made the sign of the Cross, you may be assured that God will grant you the grace to overcome temptation and to keep your conscience pure. The devil fears holy water and flees from it. All places that are sprinkled with holy water with faith, hope, and reverence are inaccessible to the evil spirit: he does not dare to approach them.

b) Holy water can also serve for healing from illnesses and for deliverance from many other evils and misfortunes. And we should not be surprised at this wondrous action of holy water. This water receives its power from the prayers of the Church, and the Church prays at the sanctification of water that God may grant it the power of His blessing, so that everything sprinkled with it may be free from all harm.

c) The power of holy water extends even beyond the grave. It brings consolation, help, and strengthening also to the departed. This power it receives through the prayers of the Church. When the Church sprinkles holy water on the bodies of the departed or on their coffins and graves, she prays to God that He may cleanse the souls of those who have departed and soften their sorrows with the heavenly dew of consolation. Therefore, you do well when, following the example of the Church, you sprinkle the graves and burial places of the departed with holy water. As rain refreshes flowers that have withered from the heat of the sun, so holy water strengthens the souls of the departed by the power of the prayers of the Church and of your own prayers.

III. Thus, brethren, you see that holy water is an effective means for removing many evils from us and for granting us manifold blessings and mercies. Therefore, keep holy water in honor and use it, following the example of the ancient Christian Church, for awakening within yourselves saving thoughts and feelings and for attaining various benefits of soul and body. Draw holy water, bring it into your homes, and keep it in a clean vessel for pious use. Sprinkle yourselves with it more often, especially in the morning and evening and when entering and leaving your homes. But do this not merely out of habit and without thought, but with reverence, with repentance, and with trust. Sprinkle with it all that is in your home and courtyard, so that the evil spirit may have no access to you, that all evil may be turned away from you, and that God may dwell with you together with His angels. If you use holy water with repentance, reverence, and hope, then what the Holy Church prays for at the sanctification of the water will be fulfilled, in the words:

“Great and Almighty God, who created heaven and earth and established all the order of the universe, before whom angels, archangels, and all the heavenly powers tremble! Look down from the heavens above upon this water and sanctify it by Your Holy Spirit. May it be for all who partake of it and are anointed with it for every excellent benefit. May it serve for the cleansing of souls and bodies, for the driving away of every hostile enemy, for the attraction of Your grace and mercies. May it soften our hearts and warm us with love for You. May it sanctify all our dwellings and all our earthly paths. And thus, having been deemed worthy here to partake of Your holy water, may we also be deemed worthy one day to partake of Your eternal glory and eternal joys.” Amen.

Appendix to Homily No. 3

On the Holy Water of Theophany

“Today the nature of the waters is sanctified.”
(Troparion for the Sanctification of Water)

How blessed, beloved listeners, were those Christians who on this present feast at midnight commemorated the Baptism of the Lord in Palestine, at the very place where the Savior was baptized! Who among us would not wish to be in their place, to drink from the holy river and to bathe in it? Who among us does not cherish the salvation of his soul and the sanctification of his body by the waters of the Jordan?

For our consolation, on this feast God has also granted us our own Jordan, to which there will be a procession after the Divine Liturgy. And in our Jordan — in the water — is immersed the Honorable and Life-Giving Cross, representing our Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Upon this water descends the same blessing and the same sanctification that came upon the waters of the Jordan in which the Savior was baptized. “Today the nature of the waters is sanctified,” sings the Holy Church. Through the immersion of the Honorable and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord into the water, by the prayer of the Holy Church, the water is sanctified, becomes holy, wonderworking, healing for souls and bodies, and driving away evil spirits.

After this, what a precious gift the water sanctified today must be for all of us, and what a grave sin it is not to use this water, but instead to turn for healing of soul and body to incantations, whisperings, and various superstitions!

During the very sacred rite of the sanctification of water, the Holy Church beseeches the Lord that He may come by the descent of the Holy Spirit, sanctify this water, and impart to it wonderworking power.

“And grant it the grace of deliverance, the blessing of the Jordan, make it a fountain of incorruption, a gift of sanctification, the remission of sins, the healing of infirmities, the destruction of demons, unassailable by hostile powers, filled with angelic might; that all who draw from it and partake of it may have it for the cleansing of souls and bodies, for the healing of passions, for the sanctification of homes, and for every excellent benefit.” And further the Holy Church prays: “And grant to all who touch it, partake of it, and are anointed with it health, cleansing, and blessing.”

At the threefold immersion of the Honorable and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord into the water — in honor and glory of the Most Holy Trinity — while the troparion “When You were baptized in the Jordan, O Lord” is sung, our Lord Jesus Christ, crucified on this Cross, sanctifies this water and imparts to it wonderworking, healing, and sanctifying power. Ordinary water, by its nature, is beneficial only for the body; but through sanctification its nature is changed, improved, and exalted, so that it becomes salvific for both body and soul.

When we reverently partake of sanctified water, it cleanses, enlivens, and renews our soul and body. By sprinkling with this sanctified water, not only are we ourselves cleansed and enlightened, but also everything around us. Our homes, our livestock, and all our possessions are sanctified by it. The Holy Church desires that not only we ourselves, but everything that belongs to us, be sanctified by the grace of God. She teaches us to believe that the water sanctified today possesses great, wonderworking power.

This holy water, by the power of faith in its healing virtue, drives away evil spirits, cleanses all defilement, and heals infirmities of both soul and body, especially those caused by the harmful influence of the devil upon our soul and body. The water of Theophany is so important and so necessary for all Christians that even the very act of drinking it is called in the church books “communion.” This does not mean that this water has the same divine power as Communion of the Holy Body and Blood of the Savior. No. The water of Theophany is important and holy, but it cannot replace Holy Communion of the Great, Holy, Divine Mysteries of Christ. It must be used with the conviction that it serves for the remission of sins, the healing of soul and body, for every excellent benefit, and for the driving away of every assault of visible and invisible enemies.

Knowing the presence of the all-sanctifying power of God in the water of Theophany, the Holy Church herself uses this holy water as a precious and incorruptible gift. With it she sanctifies holy icons and all sacred vessels and vestments used in divine worship. She commands that it be used for the purification of various things that have been defiled. The miracle of the all-sanctifying power and grace of God in this holy water can be seen and verified by anyone through personal experience. Simple, unsanctified water, kept in a warm place, soon spoils, acquiring a bad taste and smell. This does not happen with the water of Theophany: it remains incorrupt for an entire year and even longer. Is this not a miracle? A most evident miracle, open to all.

Saint John Chrysostom says that the water of Theophany remains incorrupt for many years, stays fresh, clean, and pleasant, as though it had just been drawn from the source. Therefore, this holy water, called in Greek "hagiasma," that is, “holy thing,” is appointed by the Holy Church for certain persons who, because of grave sins, are excluded from Holy Communion.

Thus, whether we need to sanctify our dwellings, to heal illnesses and passions, or to drive away evil spirits — here is for us a precious and wonderworking remedy: the holy water of Theophany.
(See: Pastoral Interlocutor, Nos. 17–18, December 1888.)

Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.