“And the Spirit in the form of a dove…. How to pray on holy water on the day of the Baptism of the Lord. The main prayer for the feast of the Epiphany
The Holy Church reads the Gospel of Luke. Chapter 3, Art. 19-22.
3.19. But Herod the tetrarch, reproved by him for Herodias, his brother's wife, and for all that Herod did evil,
3.20. added to everything else that he put John in prison.
3.21. When all the people were baptized, and Jesus, being baptized, prayed: the sky was opened,
3.22. and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in bodily form like a dove, and there was a voice from heaven, saying:
(Luke 3:19-22)
Before turning to the story of the beginning of the public ministry of Jesus Christ, the Evangelist Luke concludes his speech with words about the fate of John the Baptist.
Herod Antipas ruled Galilee and Perea. Being married, Herod Antipas entered into cohabitation with Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, while his brother was still alive. Such cohabitation was forbidden by law, and therefore John rebuked Herod for committing obvious lawlessness.
It is clear that Herodias looked at John as her enemy and wanted to get rid of him. But since she herself did not have the power to execute the prophet she hated, she tried in every possible way to influence Herod, more than once begging him to kill John. Probably, Herod at times succumbed to this influence, agreeing to fulfill the desire of Herodias, but as soon as he was about to begin to implement her plan, he involuntarily stopped.
Boris Ilyich Gladkov writes: “The people revered John as a prophet, and therefore his murder could cause popular unrest, which Herod was especially afraid of; in addition, with all his moral licentiousness, Herod understood that John was not an ordinary person, that he, by his righteousness, should be considered a saint, and therefore he was afraid of him ... Respecting John for his holiness, using his advice, talking with pleasure with him ... weak character Herod , after a long struggle with the malice of Herodias, yielded; but, not daring, however, to kill John, he limited himself to concluding him in prison, in the fortress of Macheron, located east of the Dead Sea.
Since Jesus Christ was not only God, but also a Man, by His example He had to show others how to relate to God's commands. That is why Jesus, as a Man, having previously fulfilled all the commandments of the Lord, begins His ministry by fulfilling the last Old Testament commandment proclaimed by God through John, and is baptized.
Evangelist Luke tells about the Baptism of the Savior: When all the people were baptized, and Jesus, having been baptized, prayed: the sky was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on Him in bodily form like a dove, and there was a voice from heaven, saying: You are My Beloved Son; My favor is in you!(Luke 3:21-22).
Blessed Theophylact explains: The Holy Spirit descended Jesus, so that we may know from this that the Spirit comes to us when we are baptized. For the Lord did not need the Spirit, but He does everything for us, and He Himself is the firstborn in everything that we had to receive later, in order to be the firstborn in many brethren. like a dove so that we learn that we need to be meek and pure. And just as under Noah the dove depicted the calming of God's wrath, so here the Holy Spirit, having drowned sin, reconciled us with God.
It is also necessary to point out that the evangelist Luke notes here, as in several other key events, that at the moment of important revelation the Savior prays. Baptism was the beginning of Jesus' ministry as the Messiah, and therefore the most important event in His life, and, of course, the Spirit and Voice of God support the Savior, giving Him the strength He needs to begin His ministry.
Phrase You are my Beloved Son; My favor is in you!(Luke 3:22) consists of two quotations: the words You are my Beloved Son are a passage from the Psalms and have always been taken as a description of the Messiah King:
I will proclaim the definition: The Lord said to me: You are my Son; I have now given birth to you(Ps. 2:7).
In Heavenly Voice in you my favor echoes the words of the prophet Isaiah that the Messiah will be sent to people as a Servant who will endure suffering and death for His people and the whole world.
Behold, My Servant, whom I hold by the hand, My chosen one, in whom My soul delights. I will put my spirit on him, and he will proclaim judgment to the nations(Isaiah 42:1).
From this it becomes obvious that at the moment of His Baptism the Lord once again realized that, firstly, He is the Messiah, the King anointed by God, and that, secondly, suffering and the cross await Him ahead.
Archbishop Averky (Taushev) notes: “The voice of God the Father: You are my Beloved Son; My favor is in you! was an indication to John […] of the Divine dignity of the Baptized, as the Son of God, in the proper sense, the Only Begotten, on Whom the good pleasure of God the Father eternally abides, and, at the same time, as if the answer of the Heavenly Father to His Divine Son to His prayer for blessing on the great feat of service for the salvation of mankind.
Thus, the Voice of Heaven is a wonderful confirmation that Christ is destined for a destiny that combines royal dignity, humility, and the suffering of God's chosen servant.
Today's lines gospel reading, dear brothers and sisters, remind us of the Sacrament of our own Baptism, through which we are called to a righteous life in Christ.
Help us in this Lord!
Hieromonk Pimen (Shevchenko)
EPIPHANY. HOLY APPOINTMENT
M hello to you, dear visitors of the Orthodox website “Family and Faith”!
P Here is a spiritual reading calendar dedicated to January 19, 2018. On its pages you can read a spiritual reading dedicated to the feast of the Baptism of the Lord, read today's apostle and the Gospel of the day, as well as offer holiday prayers and receive spiritual guidance from Archpriest Dimitri Smirnov.
Lives of the Saints- Baptism of the Lord God and our Savior Jesus Christ;
Reading the Apostle- 1st Epistle of Peter (chapter 1: 1,2,10-12; chapter 2: 6-10);
gospel of the day- The Holy Gospel of Matthew (chapter 12: verses 1-12);
Gospel interpretation- From the Trinity leaflets;
The preaching of the shepherds– From the sermon of Archpriest Dimitry Smirnov;
Prayer of the day- Troparion, kontakion and prayer to the Baptism of the Lord.
THE BAPTISM OF THE LORD GOD AND SAVING OUR JESUS CHRIST
B brothers and sisters, today we celebrate the twelfth feast - Holy Theophany or Baptism of the Lord God and our Savior Jesus Christ.
Many saints delivered sermons and composed words about today's celebration. One of these luminaries of the Church is St. Luke, Archbishop of Simferopol and Crimea. Let us turn to his sermon, which he delivered on the feast of the Epiphany in 1958, three years before his blessed death.
“When we celebrate one of our greatest feasts – the Baptism of the Lord or Theophany – then a bewildered question arises before us: why did he come to the Jordan, why was our Lord Jesus Christ, the Eternal Son of God, who took on human flesh for the sake of saving us, accursed sinners, being baptized.
This bewildered question arises only among us, and none of the crowd of people standing on the banks of the Jordan and contemplating the baptism of the Lord Jesus, could it arise, since no one yet knew Him as the Only Sinless One, as the true Son of God.
Well, shall we say that He did not need to be baptized by John? No, we will not say: we will not dare to say, for the Lord Jesus Himself said to His Forerunner that they must fulfill all righteousness, and by His baptism the Lord Jesus Christ testified to the great importance, the great truth of repentance. He began his very preaching with the words: Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand (Matthew 4:17).
He came to open the way for us to the Kingdom of Heaven, which is not accessible to anyone who has not washed the filth of the soul with his hot tears of repentance. Only a human heart cleansed by repentance can perceive the greatest word of the Savior: I am the way and the truth and the life (John 14:6).
The whole great sermon of the Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord John had as its main goal a call to repentance, with which he prepared for the Lord His way.
And without deep repentance, it is impossible to begin the difficult path to the Kingdom of Heaven, indicated to us by the Lord Jesus Christ. And another great work of God was accomplished on this glorious day of the Baptism of the Lord. When the Eternal Son of God emerged from the waters of the Jordan, the Holy Spirit descended from heaven on His head in the form of a dove. And the people standing on the banks of the Jordan heard the voice of God the Father thundering from heaven: This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased (Matt. 3:17). It was never before seen or heard of the manifestation of the Triune God to the human world. It was a testimony to the God-man Jesus Christ, as if representing Him to the world from God Himself. And, despite this such a wonderful testimony about the Son of God, not all the people of Israel bowed before Him and believed in Him.
Satan, who dared to tempt the Lord Jesus in the desert after a forty-day fast, with which Christ was preparing for the beginning of His sermon, was put to shame by the answers of the Lord Jesus Christ, but left Him only for a time, for he found many accomplices to himself in hatred of the Lord Jesus among the priests, scribes, Pharisees and the elders of the people, and even among ordinary people who grabbed stones more than once in order to beat their Savior to death.
Let us mentally return once again to the banks of the Jordan and listen to what the Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord John said on the day after the Baptism of the Lord. He said, Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. This is the one about whom I said: a Man comes after me, who stood in front of me, because he was before me. I didn't know Him; but for this he came to baptize with water, that he might be revealed to Israel. And John testified, saying, I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and dwell on Him. I didn't know Him; but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, On whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining on him, he is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit. And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God (John 1:29-34).
Hear, hear, my brethren and sisters, that not only our Heavenly Father and the Holy Spirit testified of the Lord Jesus Christ as the Pre-eternal Son of God, but even the greatest of those born of women bear witness to the same with all the power available to man.
Is this testimony of God Himself, this Divine presentation of Him to the world as the Beloved Son of God, not enough for us? Is it not enough to testify of Him as the greatest Son of God ever born of women? Are these greatest testimonies about Christ as the Son of God, repeated annually on the great day of Theophany, not enough?
Oh, how I fear that at least one of you, my God-given flock, should not lose his ardent faith in our Savior and would not go into the number of those unfortunate ones who have been crucifying Christ for the second time for many centuries and until now everywhere.
May this most terrible thing not happen to any of you.
May you be sons of the Kingdom of Christ, deeply established in His true teaching.”
Brothers and sisters, Saint Luke knew what he was talking about. He was preaching at the time Orthodox faith was banned, the terrible persecutions of the 1930s subsided relatively recently, the horrors of the Great Patriotic War. In one of his decrees of 1948, St. Luke wrote: “Our Church endured severe trials and sufferings during the time great revolution, and of course not without fault […]. And we see with despair that many, many […] and the revolution taught nothing.” It is about such people that the saint speaks in his word on Theophany, about those “who for many centuries and until now everywhere have been crucifying Christ a second time.” Let us pray that our Lord Jesus Christ appear in the heart of each of us and save us from perdition, wash us with the Sacrament of repentance, as if by our re-baptism.
Epistle to Titus (chapter 2: 11-14; chapter 3: 4-7)
<Ч ado Titus> the grace of God has appeared, saving for all people, teaching us that, having rejected ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live chastely, righteously and piously in the present age, waiting for the blessed hope and the manifestation of the glory of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, to deliver us from all iniquity and to purify for Himself a special people, zealous for good deeds. When the grace and love of mankind of our Savior, God, appeared, He saved us not according to the works of righteousness that we would have done, but according to His mercy, by the bath of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, Whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by His grace, we have become heirs of eternal life according to the hope.
Holy Gospel of Matthew (chapter 3: verses 13-17)
T when Jesus comes from Galilee to the Jordan to John to be baptized by him. John held Him back and said: I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me? But Jesus answered and said to him, Leave now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness. Then John admits Him. And having been baptized, Jesus immediately went out of the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and John saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and descending on Him. And lo, a voice from heaven saying: This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
FROM TRINITY LEAVES
WITH having dressed ourselves as a true Man for our salvation, Christ our Savior passed through all human ages, from tender childhood to adulthood as a man. He humbly submitted Himself to the laws of men and fulfilled all the requirements of the Law of Moses to the fullest extent. “No one,” says St. John Chrysostom, “will now say that He abolished the ceremonial law because He could not fulfill it; no, he did not transgress any of his commandments. The Jewish law did not allow for priestly service and public teaching before the age of thirty, therefore the Lord Jesus spent thirty years in the then unknown Nazareth, in the humble labors of a woodworker, waiting for the time appointed for Him to reveal Himself to the world, in order to enter the feat of redemption of the human race.
In Synaxar on the Baptism of the Lord we read: “Jesus Christ was baptized at the age of thirty, at an age when it is easy to incline a person to any sin. For just as the first age, infancy, according to the words of Saints Chrysostom and Theophylact, has a lot of ignorance and foolishness, and the second, youthful, is kindled by carnal lust, so the thirty-year age of a perfect man is not free from self-interest, vanity, anger and all kinds of sins. Until this age, the Lord postponed baptism in order to fulfill the law at all ages, to sanctify our entire nature, and to give strength to conquer passions and keep ourselves from mortal sins.
And so, when He was thirty years old, when John the Baptist, by his preaching, had already sufficiently revealed to the people of the Jews Who Christ would be, Then finally He Himself comes, the promised Messiah so long awaited by people, Jesus from Galilee, from such a region where the Israelites lived in mingling with the pagans, and therefore were in contempt of the Jews, who did not expect an ordinary prophet from here, comes from the city of Nazareth, little known, insignificant, not well known among the Jews, comes to the Jordan to John in a humble form, like a simple woodworker as one of the mortal sons of Adam, to be baptized by him. Truly marvelous is the humility of our Lord Savior!.. “The Lord is with the servants,” says St. John Chrysostom, “the Judge goes to be baptized with the guilty! The sinless, of course, had no need for confession of sins, no need for baptism. But it is in this humility of His that His exaltation especially shines. Why be surprised that He who was pleased to be born as a man accepted baptism, accepted the mutilation and the cross? .. It is wonderful that He, being God, wanted to become a Man; everything else was already a consequence of this.
“What meekness and humility of the Lord,” says St. Gregory of Neocaesarea, “what condescension! The Heavenly King comes to John, His Forerunner, not being surrounded by an angelic army, but approaches him like a simple man; their Redeemer and Judge are found among the captives, the good Shepherd joins the lost sheep, Who, for the sake of the lost sheep, descended from heaven and, meanwhile, did not leave heaven; the heavenly Wheat, grown without human seed, was mixed with the tares. Why was our Lord Jesus Christ, the purest and most holy of holies, baptized? To this question He Himself was pleased to answer John, in order to fulfill all righteousness. What is the truth? The righteousness of the Law, to the precepts of which He subjected Himself so strictly that He openly called out to His enemies: Which of you will convict Me of iniquity? (John 8:46). Who will accuse Me of any transgression of the Law? And the Law required cleansing with water both for the sacrifice and for the sacrificing priest.
Jesus Christ stood along with all sinners and humbly prepared to offer Himself as a sacrifice for the sins of the human race on the cross. And so, this Eternal Bishop, He is also the victim, the Lamb of God, take away the sins of the world, is washed from John, the son of the priest Zechariah, in the streams of the Jordan. According to the Law of Moses, it was necessary to turn to an outsider in order to receive purification, but who, except for the righteous son of Zechariah, could be more worthy to perform such a service for the incarnate Son of God? And was it not in order to prepare for such a great deed, for such a great honor, that the Forerunner of the Lord from a very young age was removed to the wilderness in order to preserve his innocence and purity from the attacks of the sinful world? ..
Thus, the Lord Jesus Christ fulfills the Law, and at the same time, by immersing His most pure body in water, sanctifies the aquatic nature, grants the waters a grace-filled power, without which the waters of our baptism would in no way be able to cleanse human sins, and by His Divine example establishes and sanctifies New Testament Sacrament of Baptism. In the baptism of the Lord our Savior, for the first time, His divine love for fallen humanity was solemnly manifested: having taken upon Himself the sins of the entire human race, He descended to the purification of mankind; in His person He represents all mankind, which He prepurifies in the waters of the Jordan and thereby opens the sky to the earth and reveals the hitherto unknown mystery of the Most Holy Trinity. Just as at the Last Supper He celebrated the Old Testament Pascha and instituted the New Testament Sacrament of Communion in its place, so also in His baptism: having performed the Old Testament rite, He laid the foundation for the New Testament Sacrament. In His baptism He drowned the sin of the forefather Adam. So, He comes to the Jordan to John for baptism.
FROM THE SERMON OF ARCHPRIEST DIMITRY SMIRNOV
… Disbelief in the appearance of the Savior in the world does not depend on the fact that dad and mom did not teach us. It is connected with sin: the greater the sin, the greater the unbelief. If a person is not able to delve into the Holy Scriptures, is not able to know God, this is only because his soul is filled with sins, filled so densely that the ray of God's grace cannot penetrate there.
The Lord, wishing to save a person, sends him a kind of test or, in Slavic, temptation: a serious illness will visit or some terrible troubles, severe sorrow - anything can happen in life. And this grief shakes up a person, as it were, so that cracks appear in the crust of sin that has enveloped his heart, and through them the grace of God penetrates into the heart and illuminates it.
Life is given to us for cleansing from sin, and everything in the Church is arranged in such a way as to help us in this. In general, the purpose of the existence of the Church on earth is the purification, sanctification of people, bringing them to God. But, if we do not have a good deed, if we ourselves do not try to crush our hearts, try to hate sin, hate the darkness of our own souls, then we can take forty liters of holy water into the house, we can hang ourselves with icons, we can spend a day in the temple and night - and still remain a dark, sinful person, inaccessible to the grace of God.
And if a person is not saved, but perishes, goes to the underworld, to eternal torment, then he himself will be to blame. Because there is no such person in the world who would not hear the name Jesus Christ. And since you heard, why didn't you come to Him? Out of curiosity, why didn't you read the Gospel? Do you know where the church operates? - a very remarkable word: an active church! That is why you did not go to this active church on Sundays, when God Himself gave you a day off on this very day, on the Resurrection of Christ? So you don't go yourself, you don't need it yourself. So you are looking for something else.
There is only one truth and truth in the world - this is Jesus Christ, and everything else is a lie and deceit. Therefore, if a person strives not for Christ, but for something else, even, in his opinion, very sublime, important and necessary, then this is all a deception. If our life is built not in the direction of Christ, but in some other way, then we are deceived by the devil. Therefore, we must use all the strength of our soul to love the appearance of Christ the Savior into the world.
D Dear brothers and sisters, on today's feast of the Baptism of the Lord, let's raise our warm prayers at home to our Lord Jesus Christ, who was baptized for our salvation:
Troparion(the main prayer of the holiday)
IN in the Jordan, baptized by Thee, O Lord, the Trinity worship appeared: For the voice of the parents testified to Thee, calling Thy beloved Son, and the Spirit in the form of a dove, the affirmation of your word. Appear, Christ God, and enlighten the world, glory to Thee.
Translation from Church Slavonic:
When You, Lord, were baptized in the Jordan, the worship of the Most Holy Trinity appeared, for the voice of the Father testified of You, calling You the beloved Son, and the Spirit, who appeared in the form of a dove, confirmed the truth of this word. Christ God, who appeared and enlightened the world, glory to Thee!
Kontakion to the Baptism of the Lord(second main prayer of the holiday)
I Thou hast flowed today into the universe, and Thy light, O Lord, is signified upon us, in the mind of those who sing Thee: Thou hast come, and Thou hast appeared the Light impregnable.
You have now appeared to the whole world; and Your light, O Lord, has imprinted itself upon us, consciously singing to You: “You have come and appeared, Light impregnable!”
Troparion for water blessing
G The voice of the Lord cries out on the waters, saying: Come, receive all of you the Spirit of wisdom, the Spirit of understanding, the Spirit of the fear of God, the manifested Christ.
The voice of the Lord cries out on the waters, saying: “Come all and receive the Christ who has appeared, the Spirit of wisdom, the Spirit of understanding, the Spirit of the fear of God.”
Prayer for the Epiphany (Baptism of the Lord)
G Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, born from the Father before all ages, Light from the Light, enlightening every one, in the last years from the Blessed Virgin Mary, incorruptibly embodied and come to this world for our salvation! You didn’t suffer if you saw from the devil the tormented human race, and for this reason, on the bright day of Your Theophany, you came to the Jordan as a sinner and a publican to be baptized by John, sinless, yes, fulfill all righteousness and take the sins of the whole world in the waters of the Jordan, like the Lamb God, in a hedgehog I bear on Myself and redeem with the Baptism of the Cross, Your pure Blood. For this sake, I plunge into You in the waters, opening the heavens to You by Adam, and the Holy Spirit descends on You in the form of a dove, bring enlightenment and deification to our nature, and Your Most Divine Father proclaim His good will to You with a heavenly voice, for You have done His will and man has taken sins and you have already prepared for the slaughter, as if you yourself said: “For this sake, the Father loves me, as if I believe my soul, but I will receive it again,” and so on this all-bright day, You, Lord, laid the foundation for our redemption from the fall ancestral. For this sake, all the powers of heaven rejoice and all creation rejoices, looking forward to its liberation from the work of corruption, saying: Enlightenment has come, grace has appeared, deliverance has arrived, the world is enlightened and people are filled with joy. Let heaven and earth rejoice now, and let the whole world play; let the rivers splash; springs and lakes, abysses and seas, rejoice, as if by Divine Baptism their nature was sanctified today. Let the council of men rejoice today, as if their nature is now in packs to the first nobility, and let everyone sing with joy: Theophany is the time. Come mentally to the Jordan, we will see a great vision in it: Christ is coming to Baptism. Christ comes to the Jordan. Christ buries our sins in the water. Christ the sheep of the kidnapped and erring comes to seek and find it, and introduces him into paradise. We are celebrating this Divine Mystery, fervently praying to Thee, O Lord of mankind: vouchsafe to us who are thirsty, according to Thy voice, to come to Thee, the Source of life-giving water, that we may draw the water of Thy grace and the remission of our sins, and that we may reject ungodliness and worldly lusts; chastely and virginally, and righteously and piously, we will live in the present age, waiting for the blessed hope and the manifestation of Your glory, the Great God and our Savior, but not from our deeds save us, but according to Your mercy and according to the renewal of Your Holy Spirit by the bath of resurrection, It is plentiful thou hast poured out, that, being justified by His grace, we will be the heirs of eternal life in Your Kingdom, where with all the saints, grant us to glorify Your all-holy Name with Your Father without beginning and with Your Most Holy and Good and Life-giving Spirit now and ever and forever and ever. Amen.
Listening to the narration of the Evangelists about the Baptism of Jesus Christ and about the appearance of the entire Holy Trinity in the Jordan, one cannot but stop one's attention on the form in which the Holy Spirit appeared during the Baptism of the Lord.
Why did the Third Person of the Most Holy Trinity, the Holy Spirit, appear on the Jordan in the form of a dove, while during the descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles He appeared in the form of fiery tongues?
To answer this question, we need to turn to the circumstances under which the Baptism of Jesus Christ took place. The Evangelists tell that when Saint John the Baptist appeared in the desert preaching about repentance, people of various ranks and conditions came to him, confessed their sins before him, and, as a sign of purification, were baptized in the waters of the Jordan River. Thus, it was clear that those who were baptized in the Jordan were sinners who confessed their sins in advance. Jesus Christ came to the Jordan to John in order to receive Baptism from him, not because he needed it, but in order to show us in Himself an example of care for our soul, for our salvation. How water washes from the bodydirt and all uncleanness, so the confession of sins before the servant and messenger of God cleanses our soul from sins, if we recognize our guilt before God, grieve about it and decide to avoid sins as much as possible.
The people who came to John the Baptist saw that Jesus Christ was baptized. Not knowing that He is God, and therefore sinless, they could think that Jesus Christ confessed His sins before Baptism. And so, in order to testify before all people that Jesus Christ, although he is baptized, is sinless like God, the Holy Spirit takes on Himself the image of that being that serves as a symbol of purity and innocence - the image of a dove.
This shows that the Holy Spirit descends only on the saints, and He cannot dwell in sinful people, because sin prevents Him from uniting with our soul. That is why in prayer to the Holy Spirit we ask Him to come, cleanse our souls from all sinful filth and dwell in us. If people consider it impossible for themselves to live in a dirty room, all the more so the Holy Spirit, Who is the purest being, cannot dwell in a sinful soul like an unclean house. Therefore, every Christian must carefully take care of cleansing his soul from sins. If we ourselves are not able to cleanse ourselves of sinful filth, then at least we must in prayer to Almighty God, to the Third Person of the Most Holy Trinity, daily cry out: “King of Heaven, Comforter, Soul of truth, come and dwell in us, and cleanse us from all filth, and save, O Blessed One, our souls. When our soul becomes a worthy habitation of the Spirit, then it will be prepared for the eternal habitation of the Most Holy Trinity: the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen!
Archpriest M. POTORZHINSKY
Due to the duty of work, one often has to look through a considerable number of samples of icons on the Internet, in the materials accumulated over a considerable time on the computer, as well as especially looking at live icons in different churches. Very often one has to see icons, if they can be called icons, with the image of the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove. It seems to be nothing strange, nothing seductive .. But this is only up to the time. Until you begin to consciously ask yourself and those around you: “What is the meaning of such an icon? And where does she come from in Orthodoxy? In response, there is only one argument: "tradition", well, the argument "pre-schism tradition" is even stronger, and not a shadow of theological justification, interpretation of the image.
It's kind of weird how we talk. All pre-split traditions are correct, post-split ones are in question. But really, before the schism, they couldn’t be wrong, was there really not one icon painter for all 16 centuries? bad influence neither from the west nor from the east?
What exactly is the question regarding the depiction of the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove? The gospel story tells us that the Holy Spirit appeared in the form of a dove only at the Baptism of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit did not take on the nature of a dove, but appeared in the form of a dove. On the day of Pentecost He already appears in the form of fiery tongues. After all, it would never occur to anyone to write a bonfire or fire on icons and hang such icons in churches, paint the walls of cathedrals with such images? Everyone will say with confidence that this is blasphemy! And he will be right! But isn't it blasphemy to write a dove on icons and sign what is written - "The Holy Spirit"? We will not turn to the history of the image, it is clear that it did not come to us from good neighbors. And let's turn for theological help to one of the great teachers Church - John Chrysostom, we read:
Why did the Holy Spirit appear in the form of a dove? Because the dove is a meek and pure animal. And as the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of meekness, He appeared in this form.In addition, this phenomenon reminds us of ancient history. When the general flood enveloped the entire universe, and our race was in danger of complete extermination, then this bird appeared and made it known that the flood had stopped, and, bringing an olive branch, brought the good news of universal silence in the universe. All this was a foreshadowing of the future. Then people were in a worse condition, and they deserved much more punishment. Therefore, so that you do not despair,
Baptism of the Lord, Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery, 15th century
Scripture brings you to this story. And at that time, despite the most desperate state of affairs, there was some deliverance fromdisaster and recovery; then it happened by punishment, and now by grace and a gift that is inexpressible. Therefore, the dove does not appear with an olive branch, but points us to the Liberator from all evils and gives good hopes. She brings not only one person out of the ark, but she raises the whole universe to heaven, and instead of an olive branch, she brings adoption to the whole human race. Imagine the greatness of this gift, do not diminish in your thoughts the dignity of the Holy Spirit just because He appeared in such an image. I have heard some people say that the difference between Christ and the Holy Spirit is the same as between a man and a dove, because He ishe was in human nature, but this one was in the form of a dove. What should be said to that? The fact that the Son of God took on human nature, but the Holy Spirit did not take on the nature of a dove. Therefore, the evangelist did not say: in the nature of a dove, but in the form of a dove. Yes, except for this case, after He never appeared in such an image. Further, if for this reason alone you consider Him lesser in dignity, then for the same reason the cherubim themselves will be better than Him, and moreover, as many times as an eagle is more excellent than a dove, because they appeared in the form of an eagle. Also, the angels will be better than Him, because they often appeared in human form. But let it not be, let it not be!” (John Chrysostom, commentary on the gospel of Matthew, conversation 12, part 3.)
Neither subtract nor add.
“Therefore, the dove does not appear with an olive branch” On many icons, icon painters depicted a dove with an olive branch under the guise of the Holy Spirit.
“I have heard some people say that there is the same difference between Christ and the Holy Spirit as there is between a man and a dove.”
After Chrysostom, this was not only talked about, but already boldly depicted by the 10-11 centuries in such icons as, “The Throne”, “The New Testament Trinity”. But more on that in another.
“Yes, except for this case, after He never appeared in such an image” Therefore, it is worth depicting Him only in the plot in which He thus appeared.
“Imagining the greatness of this gift, do not diminish in your thoughts the dignity of the Holy Spirit just because He appeared in such an image ... Further, if for this reason alone you consider Him lesser in dignity, then for the same reason the cherubim will be better than Him, and moreover as much as an eagle is superior to a dove, because they appeared in the form of eagles. Also, the angels will be better than Him, because they often appeared in human form. But let it not be, let it not be!”
Here, it seems to me, the saint speaks of those who argued in this way, that since the Holy Spirit appeared as a dove to John, then therefore He is less than Christ in dignity. Otherwise, what then does Chrysostom speak about if not about this? This is what people’s reasoning alone led to ... If we consider icon painting to be a sermon in colors, or better to say the teaching of the Church in colors, then is it right to give people such a temptation? The temptation that a person may be tempted not only to belittle the dignity of the Holy Spirit in his consciousness, but also for the rest of his life after such “icons” while praying to the Most Holy Trinity to pray to a dove, and not to the Spirit?
Tomorrow, January 19, is Holy Theophany. The Orthodox will celebrate the Baptism of the Lord God and our Savior Jesus Christ.
A page for those who want to learn more about the Orthodox faith. And today according to the church calendar - the eve of the Epiphany, Epiphany Christmas Eve. After the morning service - the liturgy of St. Basil the Great - to the singing of the baptismal troparion "In the Jordan, I am baptized by You ..." the first Great consecration of water is performed. With the same rite, water is consecrated on the day of the feast of Epiphany. According to an ancient pious tradition, on the night of January 18-19, many believing Norilsk people make a triple immersion in an ice font on Dolgoe Lake. But in order to fully partake of this great feast, you must definitely come to the temple to participate in the common service - the Divine Liturgy. In the Cathedral of the Holy Sorrowful Cathedral, the service will begin on January 19 at 9 a.m. ), which is in the house on Talnakhskaya street, 49a. After the end of the festive service baptismal water in the temples will be available throughout the day. On January 19 at 1 p.m., a water-blessing prayer service will also be held in the Norilsk maternity hospital, after which Father Alexy Pirogov will consecrate its premises and chambers. On these Epiphany days, by the will of God, all the waters on earth are consecrated. On Epiphany Christmas Eve and on the feast of Epiphany itself, when singing the troparion, you should sprinkle your houses with holy water. It is better to store the holy baptismal water - the Great Agiasma - in a glass container in a dark place, to handle the holy gift reverently, it should be consumed on an empty stomach with prayer. Christmas Readings
For the first time, the Readings were held in the capital in 1993 as a conference of Orthodox teachers, eventually becoming the largest Orthodox forum where problems related to the interaction of the Church, society and the state are discussed. This year the main theme of the Readings is "Traditional Values and the Modern World." The grand opening of the Readings will take place next Thursday at the State Kremlin Palace. Then, for three days, on January 25-27, work will be held in various thematic sections, the participants of which will also be representatives of the Yenisei and Norilsk diocese. With the blessing of Bishop Nikodim, a report from the Christmas readings will be prepared by our special correspondent for the readers of Zapolyarnaya Pravda. How are the neighbors celebrating?
We phoned Archpriest Georgy Itskov, dean of the Churches of Taimyr and rector of the Holy Vvedensky Church of Dudinka, who told us the latest news: - On January 19, after the Divine Liturgy in the Vvedensky Church, water will be consecrated by the Great Rite, and at 11.30 a procession to the Jordan will take place from the temple, This is the zero berth of the Dudinka River. After the Great Consecration of the Water, everyone can take a dip in the hole. – Father, what is the difference between the water blessed on January 18 and 19?- There is an erroneous opinion among the people that it is different water. The one that is consecrated on January 18 is Epiphany water, and the one that is consecrated on January 19 is Epiphany. But these days the water is consecrated by the same Great Order. This consecration of water is called the Great, in comparison with other, lesser ones. This holiday is imbued with the remembrance of the Baptism of the Savior from John in the Jordan River.
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| Father George |
| PRAYER FOR THE ACCEPTANCE OF PROSPORA AND HOLY WATER Lord my God, may Your holy gift and Your holy water be for the enlightenment of my mind, for the strengthening of my spiritual and bodily strength, for the health of my soul and body, for the subjugation of my passions and infirmities through Your infinite mercy through the prayers of Your Most Pure |
