Categories: parish-life, feast-days
Date: 09 January 2005 04:01:02
As we were not able to use the hall we rent Wednesday, the Blessing of the Water was done at the end of our Divine Liturgy today. If you are unfamiliar with the service, the OCA website has some photos from a service here.
It was my first time participating in the service, and it was truly a blessing. I thought I'd missed it this year, as I was unwell Wednesday and could not get to another parish, but all thanks and praise to God that we were able to celebrate it today. The prayers and meditiations on Christ's Baptism, and of God creating and sustaining His Creation, were beautiful.
The Blessing of the Water, with the cross dipped in, the blessing of the clergy, people and icons with the Holy Water, is not something I will forget soon -- and I already eagerly look forward to Theophany 2006! It was wonderful to meditate on the fact the Son of God took human flesh and was immersed in the Jordan -- and through Him all matter can be made pure and sanctified. As the OCA website says for its description of Epiphany:
It is the faith of Christians that since the Son of God has taken human flesh and has been immersed in the streams of the Jordan, all matter is sanctified and made pure in him, purged of its death-dealing qualities inherited from the devil and the wickedness of men. In the Lord's epiphany all creation becomes good again, indeed "very good," the way that God himself made it and proclaimed it to be in the beginning when "the Spirit of God was moving over the face of the waters" (Gen 1:2) and when the "Breath of Life" was breathing in man and in everything that God made (Gen 1:30; 2:7).I have a bottle of the Blessed Water with me now: I hope each time I drink it I may be reminded of Christ's life and His victory.
The voice of the Lord cries over the waters, saying: Come all ye, receive the Spirit of wisdom, the Spirit of understanding, the Spirit of the fear of God, even Christ who is made manifest.
Today the nature of water is sanctified. Jordan is divided in two, and turns back the stream of its waters, beholding the Master being baptized.
As a man Thou didst come to that river, O Christ our King, and dost hasten O Good One, to receive the baptism of a servant at the hands of the Forerunner (John), because of our sins, O Lover of Man.