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The Baptism of the Lord was one of the key events in the earthly life of the Savior, the day when the Holy Spirit in the form of a snow-white dove descended from Heaven, visibly appearing to people. It is not surprising that this day is especially revered by the Orthodox Church. The feast of the Holy Theophany or the Baptism of the Lord is one of the oldest in Christianity. The earliest Christian sources already mention him (for example, St. Clement of Alexandria in the 6nd century). In the Orthodox Church, it is celebrated on January 19 (XNUMX according to the new style).
History
After thirty years, during which “he grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom” (Luke 2:40), Christ begins his ministry. And now Jesus comes to the bank of the Jordan River, to the place where the prophet John the Baptist preaches, calling people to repentance and performing the rite of holy ablution over the penitents. “In the translation of the New Testament, the Greek word “baptisma” (ablution) is translated as “baptism,” although baptism in the strict sense of the word (that is, the acceptance of the Cross) is only Christian baptism,” Father Alexander Men explains in the book “The Sacrament, word and image. John’s baptism was a symbolic ablution from sins and the acceptance of a new self, saved by the future sacrifice of the Lord. And he continues the story of those events as follows: “Suddenly, in the crowd of penitents, unknown to anyone and at first unnoticed by anyone, Jesus from Nazareth of Galilee appears. He does not want to stand out among others and asks for “baptism” from the prophet. Sinless, He shows sinners the path to God, the path that begins with cleansing repentance. Thus it behooves us to fulfill all righteousness…”
When, having been baptized, Jesus withdrew into the wilderness, the Forerunner exclaimed, addressing the people: “I did not know Him; but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, “Upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.” And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God” (John 1:33).
Why do people plunge into the hole
The custom of ablutions in ice water on this day is a , rather young folk tradition, and not an original part of the holiday. And certainly just swimming in an ice-hole cannot automatically wash away sins from a person. Another thing is that water is indeed an integral symbol of this day, a way of renewal and new life.
However, no one forces everyone to engage in winter swimming, because Baptism is not a pagan rite, but a spiritual event, and only internal ablution from sins matters. And for this, holy water is only a help, but the main work should take place in our soul.
In one of his sermons, Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh tells that the Baptism of Christ in the waters of a sinful world that had fallen away from God (“How heavy were these waters by the sin of the people who washed them!”) Was an event both majestic and tragic, “… and that’s why the waters Jordanians, bearing all the burden and all the horror of sin, by touching the body of Christ, the body of the sinless, all-pure, immortal, permeated and radiant with the Deity, the body of the God-Man, are cleansed to the depths and again become the primary, primeval waters of life, capable of cleansing and washing away sin, regenerating man return him to incorruption, to commune him with the Cross, to make him a child no longer of the flesh, but of eternal life, the Kingdom of God.”
During the baptismal service, the Great Blessing of Water is performed. Since ancient times, the church has called this consecrated water the Great Agiasma, a special shrine. Mentioning its miraculous properties, St. John Chrysostom spoke about it in the XNUMXth century: “Christ was baptized and sanctified the nature of the waters, and therefore, on the feast of Baptism, everyone, drawing water at midnight, brings it home and keeps it all year long.”
Today, quite a lot of factual material has been accumulated about the amazing properties of Epiphany water. It has been established that it, taken on an empty stomach in a teaspoon, can cure various diseases. At the same time, according to the research of scientists, water collected from the same church source at another time does not have such properties. At the same time, the physical indicators of both waters coincide. And although the fact was officially confirmed, there is no explanation for this yet.
The transformation of ordinary water into holy water is not the only baptismal miracle. There is something else that even the most inveterate skeptics give in to.
When Christ entered the waters of the Jordan River, they changed their course to the opposite – so it is said in the Bible. This could be called a legend, if since then the river has not changed its course every year on January 19th. On this day, the waters of the Jordan stop before the eyes of many thousands of pilgrims, numerous waves and whirlpools form in them, after which the river begins to flow in the other direction. At the same time, the water becomes salty to the taste, since the Jordan now does not flow into, but flows out of the Dead Sea.
Epiphany phenomena haunt many scientists. The fact that the properties of water are changing is confirmed by the instruments: “It was noted that the quality of the solutions changes on the distilled water that was prepared at that particular time. Approximately an order of magnitude increases the dispersion of indicators, in particular, electrochemical ones, by the glow of water. These anomalies are observed somewhere from 16 to 20 January. This convinces us that we are really dealing with physical processes,” experts say.
How to plunge into the hole, so as not to get sick
First of all, it is worth soberly assessing your condition and not exposing the body to shock in case of doubt. But if you decide to plunge at all costs, it will be useful to remember the basic tips that doctors repeat from year to year.
- Take off your clothes just before taking a dip – do not freeze naked in front of the water. Don’t stand barefoot on ice for long periods of time.
- Going knee-deep into the water – wash yourself. Dive in slowly.
- Try to stay in ice water for no more than 10 seconds.
- After getting out, immediately rub yourself well and dress quickly.
- In no case do not “warm up” with alcohol before diving, it is dangerous to health. After bathing, go to a warm room and drink hot tea.
Word to the priest
shared with us Rector of the Church of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos in the village. Rybachy (Alushta) about. Igor (Silchenkov):
“When the Lord came to John the Baptist, he said: “How can I baptize the very Son of God? It is I who must be baptized by You!” But the Lord objected: “Let it go, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness” (Matt. 3:15). And then John baptized our Lord Jesus Christ, and the heavens were opened, and the Holy Spirit descended from heaven in the form of a dove and rested on our Lord, and there was a voice from heaven: “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Therefore, the feast of Baptism is also called Theophany, because God first appeared to the world as a Trinity: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.
And why are we created with our body and soul? Why do we live on earth? And we live, brothers and sisters, for joy and happiness. But we rarely rejoice and blame everyone around, although we ourselves are to blame for being unhappy. Man is created in the image and likeness of God, man is also trinity, he consists of a body, soul and spirit, but the main thing in life is the spirit, that which directs us to the Kingdom of Heaven. And if a person cares only about the body, and forgot about the spirit, he will never be happy. But when the Holy Trinity descends on a person, only then can he achieve true happiness.