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 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.’

God wishes to sanctify our lives… our mind, our heart, our body, our soul. His grace is extended to us in so many ways. One of the ways God’s grace is extended to us is manifested in these holy days of Theophany… when we experience the baptism of our Lord and the sacred blessing of waters. And now those sanctified and grace-filled waters are offered to each of us in the blessing of our homes. I encourage all of you to contact myself or Fr Andrew to make an appointment for one of us to come to your home to bless your home with the waters of Theophany.

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 their might be in our lives and taking those decisive steps toward the Light and Love of Christ.

May He Who has enlightened the world, fill our lives with His Light!