January: Day 5: Teaching 1: On the Eve of the Theophany of the Lord, Before the Blessing of the Water

 

January: Day 5: Teaching 1:
On the Eve of the Theophany of the Lord, Before the Blessing of the Water
 
(On the Reverent Behavior of Christians During the Blessing of Water)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Now from the lips of the Holy Church you will hear, brethren, "the voice of the Lord upon the waters," calling each and every one to receive "the Spirit of wisdom, the Spirit of understanding, the Spirit of the fear of God, even Christ who is made manifest." Since this voice thunders not for the sake of propriety alone, and to which all are so solemnly called, then, without a doubt, it is given in abundance to everyone who is well disposed to receive it. Then it would be proper to expect that we, being filled with the Spirit of understanding and the fear of God, will have no need of instructions on how to behave during the approaching sacred rite and how to use the blessed water. But sad experience tells us otherwise: on no day does so much indecent confusion occur in our churches as now. Therefore, before we go out for the blessing of the water, we considered it our duty to come out before you to show its importance and to protect it from abuse.

II. What shall we do about this?

a) Let us point out, first, the origin of the forthcoming sacred rite. Who instituted it? Some ordinary people? No, we received it from great and holy men, from the apostles and their successors. And the first, highest example of this was given by the Lord Himself, when He sanctified the whole nature of the waters by immersing His most pure body in the Jordan. After this, to disturb with any disorder such an important, by its very origin, sacred rite means to have no respect for that which the greatest and most holy men revered, which for many centuries served to sanctify entire countries and peoples.

b) If many of us do not know this, then at least each of us has eyes and ears to see and hear what is happening and being said now over the consecrated water; and this alone is enough to make us treat it with all respect.

For how is the water sanctified? By some ordinary blessing? Although every blessing, when it is given in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, is important for a Christian, here there is a greater blessing and a greater sacred rite. Here not one person, but the whole church pours out warm prayers that the essence of the water may be sanctified “by the power and inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the purifying action” of the Most Holy Trinity, and that the blessing of the Jordan may be communicated to it. Here in the most solemn manner is invoked over the sanctified water the awesome and venerable name of Him before Whom all creation trembles. Here, finally, the threefold immersion of the cross of Christ itself into the sanctified water takes place, the cross before which all the powers of heaven revere, and from which all the powers of hell flee.

Tell me: what else could be used for sanctification, and, consequently, for instilling respect for what is being sanctified? And for what purpose is water consecrated? For some small and ordinary purposes? No, for the most important. "So that," as the deacon proclaims, "this water may be a gift of sanctification, deliverance from sins, for the healing of soul and body, for the driving away of every attack of visible and invisible enemies, leading us into eternal life." Is it possible to ask for greater gifts? And is it possible after that not to revere the instrument of such gifts?

How, finally, does the Holy Church itself use the water now consecrated? It uses it with the utmost respect, in very important cases; for example, this water is used in the consecration of the Holy Chrism for the Mystery of Chrismation, in the consecration of the Holy Antimension for the churches, on which the bloodless sacrifice is performed; this water is given instead of communion to those who, by the judgment of the Church, are recognized as unworthy to approach the Holy Mysteries. So highly does the Church itself value the present holy water!

How, then, should one now approach this water? Should one not approach it with faith and reverence, as a great holy thing? Should one not approach it with the Spirit of understanding and the fear of God, to the reception of which the Holy Church, at the very beginning of the sacred rite, calls each and every one? Thus indeed do those approach the holy water who understand where they are and what they are approaching: they partake of it as a great holy thing, and having prepared themselves for it by fasting and prayer, they keep it in the most honorable places of their homes, near the holy icons and the cross of Christ; they use it on important occasions, namely, for the healing of soul and body, for the sanctification of themselves and their property.

But what can we say about the others, of which there are the greater number? What can we call what happens now in churches after the sanctification of the water? One might think that something special had suddenly happened in the temple, or that it was suddenly surrounded on all sides by some terrible enemy: such a commotion arose among those standing in the temple, such noise, such pushing of each other! And not only small, foolish children acted like this, but young men, even fathers and mothers, even old men!

III. Is this how they remember the baptism of their Lord? Is this how they seek the sanctification of soul and body? And why all this disorder? To receive the holy water faster than others. As if that which is drawn later is less sacred! Or as if there is not enough of it for everyone?

Let the disorder cease! Let everything be brought within its proper limits!

May everything be done among us on this day, as on other days, according to the testament of the Apostle: “Decently and in order.” Amen.

 

Source: A Complete Annual Cycle of Short Teachings, Composed for Each Day of the Year. Translated by John Sanidopoulos.