On the Feast of the Theophany of the Lord, Patriarch Daniel of Romania delivered a comprehensive and deeply theological sermon on the mystery of Christ’s Baptism in the River Jordan and its direct and living connection to the baptism of every Christian.
Rooted in Holy Scripture and the patristic tradition of the Orthodox Church, the homily explores the meaning of Theophany as the moment of the public revelation of the Most Holy Trinity and the foundation of Christian baptism.
In his sermon, Patriarch Daniel explains why the sinless Christ received the baptism of repentance from Saint John the Baptist, emphasising humility, obedience, and the fulfilment of God’s saving plan for the world. He highlights the opening of the heavens, the descent of the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove, and the voice of the Father as essential elements that reveal the Trinitarian character of salvation and establish the sacramental reality of baptism in the Church.
The Patriarch further shows that Theophany is not merely a commemoration of a past event, but a feast of renewal and blessing for the entire creation. Through Christian baptism, the faithful receive forgiveness of sins, adoption as children of God, the indwelling grace of the Holy Spirit, and the beginning of spiritual resurrection. This reality is renewed liturgically through the Great Blessing of Water, which sanctifies not only human life but also homes, communities, and the natural world.
By connecting the Baptism of the Lord with the baptismal calling of every believer, Patriarch Daniel’s sermon invites the faithful to rediscover their identity in Christ, to live in communion with the Most Holy Trinity, and to respond to God’s love with faith, repentance, and works of mercy. The homily thus presents Theophany as a feast of divine revelation, spiritual rebirth, and joyful hope in the resurrection and the life of the age to come.
The Link between the Baptism of the Lord in the Jordan and the Baptism of Every Christian
At Jordan, we encounter two distinct works. The first is the Baptism of the Lord Jesus by John—the baptism of repentance. This baptism was also received by the Lord Jesus Christ, not because He had any need of repentance, since He was without sin, but because, humbling Himself, He wished to fulfil “all righteousness,” that is, God’s plan for the salvation of the world.
When Christ the Lord says to John the Baptist, “Let it be so now; for thus it is fitting for us to fulfil all righteousness” (Matthew 3:15), these words mean the fulfilment of God’s righteous plan for the salvation of the world. And God’s plan for the salvation of the world also included the sending of John the Baptist, so that he might fully reveal to the crowds gathered at the Jordan that Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah, the Son of God [St Gregory the Theologian, Oration on the Holy Lights].
The second work, altogether astonishing, is the fact that immediately after Jesus received baptism from John, as He was coming up out of the water, the heavens were opened and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in the form of a dove, so that people might see who the Son of God is—the One beloved by God from all eternity. Therefore, a voice from heaven said: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17).
The wondrous and entirely new reality revealed at the Baptism of the Lord in the Jordan is shown through the opening of the heavens and the manifestation of the Most Holy Trinity. Saint John Chrysostom says that John’s baptism was a kind of bridge between Jewish and Christian baptism. “The baptism of John did not impart the Holy Spirit, and it did not grant forgiveness by grace. It gave the commandment to repent, but it was powerless to absolve sins.” [St John Chrysostom].
Thus, the foundation of Christian baptism is the manifestation of the Most Holy Trinity after the Baptism of the Lord Jesus in the Jordan. That is why later, before His Ascension into heaven, the Lord Jesus Christ commands His disciples, saying: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19).
Since at the Baptism of Jesus Christ in the Jordan the Most Holy Trinity was revealed, Christian baptism—through which we receive the name of Christ and are called Christians—is performed in the name and in the grace of the Most Holy Trinity, that is, in the loving and sanctifying presence of the Most Holy Trinity. Therefore, at the baptism performed in the Church, we receive the grace of the Most Holy Trinity and the beginning of another life: eternal life, or a life of love in communion with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
More precisely, the baptism of repentance practised by Saint John the Baptist was only a preparation for Christian baptism, because John’s baptism was not performed in the name of the Most Holy Trinity, it did not grant forgiveness of sins to those baptised, nor did it bestow the grace of the Holy Spirit, but merely prepared people for Christian baptism.
Through Christian baptism, however, the one who is baptised receives, in addition to the forgiveness of ancestral sin and personal sins, adoption as a son or daughter through grace and the beginning of the resurrection of the soul from the death caused by sin—that is, a new life [St John Chrysostom].
What is the connection between the Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan and the baptism of every Christian? When God the Father said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased,” He embraced not only the divinity of the Son, but also His humanity; and through the humanity of the Son, the Father’s love also embraced all those who would be baptized in the name of the Most Holy Trinity on the basis of faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God. That is why Saint John the Evangelist says: “But to all who received Him, who believed in His name, He gave power to become children of God” (John 1:12).
Saint John Chrysostom asks: “Wherefore were the heavens opened?” And he answers: “To inform you that at your baptism also this is done, God calling you to your country on high, and persuading you to have nothing to do with earth. (…) Then, at the Baptism, the dove also appeared (…), to teach you also, that upon you no less at your baptism the Spirit comes.” [St John Chrysostom].
This opening of the heavens at the Baptism of the Lord Jesus Christ also takes place at the Christian baptism of infants or adults. At the baptism of every person who becomes a Christian, the heavens are mystically opened, and the Father in heaven says: This is My beloved son, thus uniting to the humanity of Christ all those who believe in Him.
Therefore, the heavens are opened at the baptism of every infant or adult, and the baptised person receives, in addition to the forgiveness of sins, adoption as a child of God (cf. Romans 8:15; Galatians 3:26 and 4:5), as well as the pledge or grace of the resurrection through the working of the Holy Spirit (cf. Romans 6:5 and 8:11; 2 Timothy 2:11–12), that is, a new life, or the grace of the resurrection of the soul from the death caused by sin, as preparation for the resurrection of the body at the universal Resurrection.
Saint John Chrysostom explains the presence of the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove at the Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan as the mystery of humanity’s adoption in the love of the Father in heaven, saying: “For not from out of an ark does she lead one man only (Noah), but the whole world she leads up into heaven at her appearing, and instead of a branch of peace from an olive, she conveys the adoption to all the world’s offspring in common.” [St John Chrysostom].
Therefore, Christian baptism grants, in addition to the forgiveness of ancestral sin and personal sins, adoption through the grace of the Holy Spirit and the beginning of our spiritual resurrection from the death caused by sin—that is, a new life—as a hopeful preparation for the resurrection of the body at the universal Resurrection [St Gregory of Nyssa].
That is why in the Orthodox Creed, after the words “I confess one baptism for the forgiveness of sins,” we add: “I look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the age to come.” Thus, the Orthodox Creed shows us the connection between Baptism and Resurrection, as preparation for inheriting the Kingdom of Heaven. In this sense, the Lord Jesus Christ said to Nicodemus: “Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God” (John 3:5).
Speaking about Christian baptism as the Holy Mystery of humanity’s adoption through divine grace, Saint John Chrysostom says: “So here, having fulfilled the Jewish baptism, He at the same time opens also the doors of that of the Church; (…). For He has not made us angels and archangels, but He has caused us to become sons of God, and beloved, and so He draws us on towards that portion of ours.” [St John Chrysostom].
The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord is a feast of blessing and joy. We rejoice that God loves us; we rejoice that God sanctifies us; we rejoice that God blesses us and desires to bless and sanctify not only our souls, but also our bodies, through the tasting of holy water. God also desires to sanctify our homes through sprinkling with holy water, and of course, all our activities—our gardens, our fields, and everything we possess. Thus, it is a great joy to remember that we who have been baptised into Christ have also been clothed with Christ, as is sung today at the Divine Liturgy.
What does it mean: “As many as have been baptised into Christ have put on Christ”? We clothe ourselves with a garment, but it is not customary to say that we clothe ourselves in a person. “As many as have been baptised into Christ have put on Christ” means that you have been clothed with the light of Christ, with the love of Christ, and with the pledge of Christ’s eternal life.
Saint Symeon of Thessalonica (†1429) says that today we celebrate the renewal or actualisation of the Baptism of the Lord Jesus Christ in the waters of the Jordan, but also the renewal or actualisation of our own baptism. For this reason, the holy water blessed on the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord is tasted by Christians, and they are sprinkled with it, so that they may remember their baptism in the name of the Holy Trinity.
The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord also includes the Great Blessing of Water, or Epiphany Holy Water. Although it is performed on the eve of the feast, so that priests may go to the homes of the faithful, the Great Blessing of Water is nevertheless celebrated after Vespers (united with the Divine Liturgy of Saint Basil the Great), that is, after we have entered the feast of the Baptism of the Lord. Likewise, on the very day of the Baptism of the Lord—today—the Great Blessing of Water is also performed.
What is the benefit of this Great Blessing of Water? For what purpose do we use the Epiphany Holy Water we receive today after it is blessed? There are three distinct works of this sanctified water. First, it is sanctifying—of soul and body, of homes, households, and gardens. Second, the Great Holy Water heals illnesses of the soul and body.
That is why during the year it is also taken by those who are gravely ill, as well as by those who are not permitted to receive Holy Communion—receiving, as consolation or comfort, a blessing from their spiritual father to partake of the Epiphany Holy Water. Third, the Epiphany Holy Water is liberating from unclean spirits, evil passions, and difficult situations. Through the tasting of the Great Holy Water and through sprinkling with it, passions and unclean or evil spirits are driven away. That is why, when a person experiences turmoil or trials in life, this Great Holy Water is used [Fr. Nicolae Necula].
In the liturgical life of the Orthodox Church, the Epiphany Holy Water is also used for the consecration of antimensia, church vestments, liturgical objects, bells, and more.
In conclusion, we recall that the Lord Jesus Christ came into the world to sanctify the entire world—not only the soul and body of the human person, but also the whole cosmos, the whole of creation.
May the Most Merciful God help us to feel the love of the Lord Jesus Christ for us and to respond to Him with faith, with love, and with good works, to the glory of the Most Holy Trinity and for our salvation. Amen.
Source: basilica.ro
Photo: Basilica.ro / Mircea Florescu
