January: Day 6: Teaching 2: The Feast of Theophany

January: Day 6: Teaching 2:
The Feast of Theophany
 
(Why Was the Lord Baptized and Why Are We Baptized?)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Our Lord Jesus Christ, as the most holy God, Himself had no need of baptism, but was baptized for us sinners.

a) He was baptized, first of all, in order to show us an example of Holy Baptism, so that, as He Himself was baptized, so all of us, His followers, would be baptized. According to this example of Christ, we are all baptized, and without baptism it is impossible to be saved, as the Lord said in the Gospel: “Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God” (John 3:5).

b) Secondly, Jesus Christ was baptized in order to sanctify the waters, to cleanse them from evil demons, and thus to prepare the waters for the saving font for our baptism, as the Holy Church says: “You sanctified the streams of Jordan and crushed the heads of the serpents nesting there” (The Rite of the Sanctification of the Waters of Theophany).

January: Day 14: Teaching 2: Saint Nina, Enlightener of Georgia

January: Day 14: Teaching 2:
Saint Nina, Enlightener of Georgia
 
(We Must Take Care of the Welfare of our Neighbors)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Saint Nina, whose memory is celebrated today, was the niece of the Patriarch of Jerusalem and was brought up in Jerusalem. From the Jews who came to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover, Nina often heard that to the north of Palestine there was a country called Iberia (as Georgia was called in ancient times), where the gospel had not yet been preached. Stories about pagan Iberia aroused in Nina's soul a strong desire to convert the inhabitants of this country to Christianity. This desire was further strengthened in her by a miraculous vision: once in a dream the Most Holy Theotokos appeared to Nina, handed her a cross made of grape twigs and commanded her to go and enlighten the pagans. When, after a long and dangerous journey, Nina reached the Iberian city of Mtskheta, a celebration was taking place there in honor of the pagan gods. Nina, sorrowfully seeing the pagan celebration, fervently prayed to God that He would turn the people away from idolatry. Suddenly a thunderstorm arose and a bolt of lightning smashed the idol. The priests and people fled in terror, and Nina glorified God, who answered her prayer by destroying the idol. Having settled in Mtskheta, Nina soon became famous far in the vicinity for healing the suffering, who came to her in large numbers. One woman's child was dying; Nina blessed him with a cross made of grape twigs and he recovered. Through the prayers of the Saint, the queen of Iberia, who had fallen dangerously ill, was also healed. One relative of the Persian king, who visited the King of Iberia, Mirian, recovered thanks to Nina's prayers and accepted Christianity. Mirian, fearing that the Persian king would be angry at the conversion of his relative, hated the righteous woman and wanted to put her to death. But one day, while hunting, he was caught in a thunderstorm and was blinded by lightning. Seeing in this the wrath of God for his evil intention, Mirian promised to accept Christianity if his sight returned, and he fulfilled his promise.

January: Day 14: Teaching 1: The Venerable Fathers Killed in Sinai and Raithou

January: Day 14: Teaching 1:
The Venerable Fathers Killed in Sinai and Raithou
 
(Why Does the Lord Allow the Righteous to Suffer From the Wicked, and Also to Endure Other Troubles?)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Reading the lives of the saints, we see that the saints often suffered misfortunes - some of them suffered cruelty and persecution, while others received wounds and even death from wicked people. To the majority of them, without exaggeration, we can apply the words of the Holy Apostle Paul: "Some were slain, receiving no deliverance... But others received trial with mockings and stripes, and also with bonds and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were struck down, they were tested, they died with the slaughter of the sword" (Heb. 11:35-37). What does this mean? Whose life was more blameless than these persecuted saints? Who knew God better than they and served Him more zealously? Who helped their neighbors more selflessly than they, were more compassionate, peace-loving and more pious? Why did the Lord allow the wicked to hurt them? Or was He not strong enough to deliver them from the hands of the wicked? Or does He not have love and compassion?

January: Day 13: Saint James, Bishop of Nisibis

 

January: Day 13:
Saint James, Bishop of Nisibis
 
(Every Lie Is Contrary To God)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. One day Saint James of Nisibis, whose memory is celebrated today, went to a certain village. Three beggars, seeing him walking, thought of deceiving him, hoping through this lie and cunning to beg more of something from the Saint. One of them pretended to be dead. When Saint James approached them, they, pointing to their supposedly dead companion, asked him for alms for his burial. James gave them as much as he could, prayed to God for the soul of the dead man, and went his way. Seeing that the elder had already gone far, the beggars ordered their companion to get up, but he did not get up; they looked closely, and he really was dead. The beggars were afraid that their invention had ended very badly, and began to run after Saint James. Having caught up with him, they revealed to him the real truth, asking forgiveness. The holy elder was merciful: he returned to the dead man, resurrected him with his prayer and advised them not to joke like that in the future.

Homily for the Sunday After Theophany (Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos)

Homily for the Sunday After Theophany

Divine Grace and Repentance

By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou

"Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matt. 4:17).

Today’s Gospel refers to the beginning of the public activity of the God-man and the content of His message, which was “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” With this invitation, God continues the dialogue He had with Adam in Paradise. The Prophets of the Old Testament preached repentance, and in particular the greatest of the Prophets, John the Baptist. With the message on repentance, the Lord began His teaching, His world-saving work. The Apostles also preached this: “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out” (Acts 3:19). Therefore, repentance is an essential element of spiritual life, since it is closely linked to Divine Grace. We can see this connection between repentance and Divine Grace in three ways.

January: Day 12: Holy Martyr Tatiana

January: Day 12:
Holy Martyr Tatiana
 
(On the Existence of Angels)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Saint Tatiana, whose memory is now celebrated, was a young maiden, brought up by high-born pious parents in the Christian law, who preferred virginity to an advantageous marriage and accepted the title of Deaconess of the Roman Church, during the reign of Alexander Severus. Despite all the kindness of this sovereign, under him the Christians did not have a peaceful life, even in Rome itself: among the courtiers even then there were those who secretly shed Christian blood like water. Deaconess Tatiana, too, was brought to trial as a Christian. When she refused to worship the idol in the temple of Apollo, she was subjected to torture. The Saint did not waver at all from the sufferings she endured; around her, invisibly to others, stood four angels and encouraged her, at the same time striking the tormentors. Then they locked the Saint in prison; and here light-bearing angels appeared to her for her consolation and encouragement. The Saint was again subjected to torture, and again thrown into prison, and again light-bearing angels of God appeared to her, healed her of her wounds and glorified her sufferings. Finally, they locked the sufferer in the temple of Mercury, cut off her hair beforehand, imagining that the healing power of magic was contained in her hair, and here light-bearing angels appeared to her, consoling her in her sufferings and proclaiming her imminent release from the mortal body. The Saint was beheaded with a sword together with her own father, who about that time was also tried for accepting the Christian faith. Thus, the holy soul of Tatiana settled in the world of spirits, with the chorus of light-bearing angels.

Homily One for the Sunday After Theophany (St. John of Kronstadt)

Homily One for the Sunday After Theophany
(or Sunday After Illumination)

St. John of Kronstadt

"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" (Matt. 4:16, Is. 9:2).

Thus the Prophet Isaiah once spoke, foreseeing by the Spirit of God the coming into the world of the unfading Light – Christ. Five hundred years after this prophetic vision, the people sitting in darkness actually saw a great light, and among those who sat in the region and shadow of death by their very deeds a great light shone. But what is this darkness and what is this light that the Prophet speaks of here? The darkness mentioned in this prophecy is spiritual darkness, much worse than ordinary darkness; the darkness of ignorance of the true God, the deep darkness of superstition and idolatry. Such spiritual darkness embraced all idolaters before the appearance of the radiant Sun of truth on earth, and once upon our ancestors – the Russians, as well as all people, excluding the people of God, the chosen people, the Jews. These people, sitting in darkness, saw, with the coming into the world of the Son of God, that great light which shines in the darkness and the darkness does not comprehend it (Jn. 1:5), they saw that life-giving Source of all light, which is Christ the Lord, who by His coming to earth dispelled the deep darkness of ignorance of the true God everywhere and called people from darkness into the marvelous light of true knowledge of God.

Sunday After Theophany Resource Page

 

 

Sunday After Theophany: Epistle and Gospel Reading

 

Homily for the Sunday After Theophany (St. Ignatius Brianchaninov)

 

Reflection for the Sunday After Theophany (St. Theophan the Recluse)

 

Homily One for the Sunday After Theophany (St. John of Kronstadt)

 

Homily Two for the Sunday After Theophany (St. John of Kronstadt) 

 

Homily on the Sunday After Theophany (St. Luke of Simferopol)

 

Homily for the Sunday After the Baptism of the Lord (St. Cleopa of Sihastria)

 

Homily on the Sunday After Theophany (Archimandrite Kirill Pavlov)

 

The Beginning of the Preaching of Jesus in Galilee (Archimandrite Joel Yiannakopoulos) 

 

Homily for the Sunday After Theophany (Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos) 

 

Saints and Feasts of the Sunday After Theophany

 

Saints and Feasts of the Second Sunday of January

 

Afterfeast of Theophany Resource Page

 

Orthodox Theophany Resource Page

 

Homily on the Sunday After Theophany (Archimandrite Kirill Pavlov)

Homily on the Sunday After Theophany

By Archimandrite Kirill Pavlov

(Delivered in 1962)

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit!

"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" (Matthew 4:16). This is how the Apostle and Evangelist Matthew, conveying the words of the Holy Prophet Isaiah, depicts the state of people – believers and unbelievers. The God-inspired Prophet foresaw the grace-filled effect of the preaching of Jesus Christ, from which the hearts of all who listen with faith are illuminated by an ineffable grace-filled light and all darkness is driven away. The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, where the Lord came after His Baptism and forty-day temptation, lay adjacent to pagan lands, and therefore those who lived there adopted many pagan customs and beliefs from their neighbors. With the appearance of Christ the Savior, this pagan darkness was dispelled, and people saw a great light.