The
Great Blessing Of The Waters. The
Feast Of Theophany.
"Great
art Thou, O Lord, and marvellous are Thy works. No words suffice to sing the
praise of Thy wonders."
This is the opening of the prayer for the
Great Blessing of the Waters.
All
over the world, throughout the month of January, Orthodox Christians will
assemble to bless the waters. Sometimes we simply bless a large tub of water in
church, but often we will go in procession to a spring, stream, lake or even to
the sea. This links the ceremonies of the Church with the natural environment
in a way which goes back to a time long before Christianity.
In places like Russia and the Ukraine, the water
is usually covered with ice. People may simply cut a hole in the ice, but it is
a Russian custom to cut away a huge cross-shaped hole.
As part of the ceremony, the priest plunges a
large cross into the water. In Mediterranean lands young men dive into the
water to recover the cross, while crowds cheer them on. Then the priest or the
deacon scoops up a large bowl full of blessed water - "Theophany
Water" as we call it. He takes a large bunch of basil, or other fresh
herbs, dips it into the bowl, and blesses everyone by sprinkling them with the
water. People laugh, and children wriggle in surprise as the chilly water hits
them. I have seen people glistening with showers of ice and frost as the
dripping herbs are shaken over them. Then everyone crowds forward to drink
the Theophany Water, for spiritual and physical healing.
This is a powerful service which shows so much
that is typical of the way Orthodox Christians worship. We are celebrating the
Baptism of Christ in the River Jordan, but the whole service becomes
ecological and sacramental.
The
feast of the Baptism of Christ has been celebrated since early Christian times.
This was one of the special days when the learners (called the
"catechumens") were received into the Church. In those early
centuries, Christmas was not celebrated in the way it is today. After several
years of instruction, and a long fast (probably the origin of the Advent fast
which was later linked to Christmas) the catechumens were baptized and
anointed with holy oil (chrism).
This type of reception was common in January
right across all Christian lands for many centuries. (We have descriptions from
places as far apart as Greece, Italy and Ireland.) The ancient service of
baptism and Chrismation survive almost unaltered amongst Orthodox Christians,
although we receive people throughout the year nowadays.
The Orthodox call this festival of Christ's
Baptism the "Theophany". In the Gospels you have the simple account
of John the Baptist immersing Jesus in the Jordan, Then the Gospel writers add
a strange story. The Holy Spirit comes down like a dove, and the voice of the
Father speaks from the heavens, proclaiming Christ as His Son.
The early Christians understood this story as
teaching about the presence of the Holy Trinity. The Greek word for this sort
of event gives us the English word "Theophany" - an event which shows
the presence and glory of God.
"For Thou of Thine own will hast brought all
things out of nothingness into being. By Thy power Thou dost hold together the
creation ... All the spiritual powers tremble before Thee. The sun sings Thy
praises; the moon glorifies Thee; the stars supplicate before thee; the light
obeys Thee... Thou hast stretched out the heavens like a curtain; Thou hast
established the earth upon the water ... Thou hast poured forth the air so that
living things may breathe... Thou, the uncircumcised God, without beginning and
beyond speech, hast come upon earth, taking the form of a servant and being
made in the likeness of man... Thou hast sanctified the waters of Jordan,
sending down from on high the most Holy Spirit... Therefore, O King who lovest
mankind, do Thou Thyself be present now as then through the descent of Thy Holy
Spirit, and sanctify this water... Confer upon it the grace of redemption, the
blessing of Jordan. Make it a source of in-corruption, a gift of
sanctification, a remission of sins, a potent protection against disease...
that all who draw from it and partake of it may have it for cleansing of their
souls and bodies, for the healing of their passions, for the sanctification of
their dwellings... "
This is the point where the
priest gives the blessing in the name of the Holy Trinity and plunges the cross
into the water three times. The people crowd forward to be blessed with the
water. They will also bring bottles to take water home. (Plenty of bottles
saved from the Christmas celebrations.) People will use this water throughout
the year for protection against evil and healing of illness. Over the next few
weeks the priest will visit houses in the parish to bless the homes and the
families with Theophany Water.
It is the Orthodox teaching that when the Lord
became incarnate and walked on the earth, the world began to be transfigured.
Salvation is not just for individual people. It applies to the entire
cosmos. Potentially, everything becomes God-bearing, holy, as it was at the
first moment of Creation, as it was always meant to be. In a holy mystery, when
Jesus is baptized in the Jordan, the waters become filled with His presence and
His blessing. A cycle of blessings begins. The river water runs away,
evaporates gradually, enters the clouds, and falls again as a divine blessing
on all the world. As we re-enter this blessing of the Jordan River through our
church service, our water also enters the cycle. Divine blessings reach both
the people and the whole of nature.
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