January 6, 2016
As we celebrate this great Feast of Theophany or Epiphany, we know that the Birth of Christ and His work on earth was also the will of the Holy Trinity: it was a common will for the common good, so to speak, first of man's salvation, and, also, of all creation.
Originally, at least in the East, Christmas and Epiphany; the birth of Christ, His Baptism by John in the Jordan, and the pilgrimage of the Magi to the place of Jesus' birth were one great feast and festival celebrating, especially emphasized at Epiphany, the fact that God became man. The Second Person of the Holy Trinity takes on human nature and restores its beauty and destiny.
Immediately following the feast of the Circumcision of Our Lord, at the Pre-feast or Fore-feast for Epiphany, the Aposticha verses on January 2nd read: "The Feast just past was glorious, O Savior, but the coming feast is more luminous. Before the angel announced Thy birth, now the Forerunner prepares for your mission on earth. The former had the pouring out of the martyr's blood in the
death of the Innocents when Bethlehem cried, while on this feast, after the water is blessed, many become fruitful. There the star announced to the Magi; but now the Father reveals and the Holy Spirit confirms Thee to be the Savior of the world."
May He who deigned to be baptized by John in the Jordan for our salvation and reveal the Holy Trinity, bless you and be with you always.
+Bishop ANTHONY
Bishop of Toledo and the Midwest
Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America
| Attachment | Size |
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| Bishop Anthony's Theophany Message, 2016 (PDF) | 440.1 KB |