WEBVTT 00:00:00.780 --> 00:00:05.179 the illumination, the showing forth of the Father, 00:00:05.179 --> 00:00:07.879 Son, Holy Spirit, the sanctification of the waters. 00:00:08.560 --> 00:00:13.359 Such a time of joy for us in the church, for 00:00:13.359 --> 00:00:16.879 the message that is given to us is to encourage 00:00:16.879 --> 00:00:21.739 us. I'm really also very happy that the weather, 00:00:21.800 --> 00:00:25.559 it is sunny, and the weather... cleared for today, 00:00:25.719 --> 00:00:28.160 because if it was like last night, it would be 00:00:28.160 --> 00:00:30.519 too treacherous to drive on the way to church. 00:00:30.620 --> 00:00:33.520 So many of you are here today, and I'm so happy 00:00:33.520 --> 00:00:38.520 to see you. This gospel takes, that you heard, 00:00:38.640 --> 00:00:42.399 this takes place, St. Matthew describes what 00:00:42.399 --> 00:00:47.600 happened after Jesus was baptized. So, it wasn't 00:00:47.600 --> 00:00:49.759 so long ago we celebrated Christmas. Twelve days 00:00:49.759 --> 00:00:52.899 later, we have the Feast of Theophany. Fresco's 00:00:52.899 --> 00:00:56.950 right up there. Jesus comes to the Jordan where 00:00:56.950 --> 00:01:02.289 John is baptizing. And Jesus is baptized and 00:01:02.289 --> 00:01:05.530 he hears the voice of the Father saying, this 00:01:05.530 --> 00:01:08.489 is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. 00:01:09.230 --> 00:01:15.810 And the Spirit alights upon him. And then Jesus 00:01:15.810 --> 00:01:20.090 goes out into the wilderness and he is tempted. 00:01:21.650 --> 00:01:24.329 You know the story of the temptations of Christ. 00:01:25.099 --> 00:01:28.739 And angels minister to him. There's a lesson 00:01:28.739 --> 00:01:31.480 there for us, too. When we're tempted, we call 00:01:31.480 --> 00:01:35.079 upon the name of God. We don't negotiate with 00:01:35.079 --> 00:01:39.099 the devil. Christ could speak to Satan, who was 00:01:39.099 --> 00:01:43.500 quoting scripture to him, by the way. But Christ 00:01:43.500 --> 00:01:47.640 didn't give in to any of that. And when we're 00:01:47.640 --> 00:01:49.980 tempted, we also call upon the name of the Lord. 00:01:50.019 --> 00:01:55.060 And angels, yes, angels minister to us. trouble. 00:01:56.120 --> 00:01:59.340 And then Jesus comes, it says in Matthew, to 00:01:59.340 --> 00:02:03.760 the land of Zebulun, Naphtali, Galilee of the 00:02:03.760 --> 00:02:07.239 Gentiles, those who were in darkness. They didn't 00:02:07.239 --> 00:02:11.580 have the message of the Jewish law. They were 00:02:11.580 --> 00:02:16.580 pagans. They were idol worshippers. And Jesus 00:02:16.580 --> 00:02:21.099 goes there, to that place. St. Matthew quotes 00:02:21.629 --> 00:02:23.729 the Old Testament, that Jesus came to the place 00:02:23.729 --> 00:02:26.990 of darkness and death and a light has sprung 00:02:26.990 --> 00:02:32.729 up. Since Christmas, think about it. We hear 00:02:32.729 --> 00:02:39.810 over and over again illumination, God's light, 00:02:40.009 --> 00:02:44.150 God's understanding imparted to us. Thy nativity, 00:02:44.229 --> 00:02:46.210 O Christ our God, has shown to the world the 00:02:46.210 --> 00:02:51.039 light of wisdom, shown to the world. And one 00:02:51.039 --> 00:02:55.199 of the prayers at the baptism says, God illumines 00:02:55.199 --> 00:02:58.719 every single person that comes into the world. 00:02:59.939 --> 00:03:04.199 The light shines on that person. Not all people 00:03:04.199 --> 00:03:08.020 open their eyes. And some of us are stuck in 00:03:08.020 --> 00:03:12.979 sin. So our gaze is down in the mud. And then 00:03:12.979 --> 00:03:17.939 the Feast of Theophany. Thou hast come, O light 00:03:17.939 --> 00:03:20.900 unapproachable. Thy light has shone upon us. 00:03:21.840 --> 00:03:26.159 How do we, brothers and sisters, then, how do 00:03:26.159 --> 00:03:29.819 we understand this? We seem so troubled all the 00:03:29.819 --> 00:03:35.400 time. We need to turn our gaze to the light. 00:03:37.400 --> 00:03:41.120 And that means to do what Jesus has said. Which 00:03:41.120 --> 00:03:45.719 is very simple. He says, as soon as he comes 00:03:45.719 --> 00:03:47.740 to this land of darkness, he says, what's his 00:03:47.740 --> 00:03:51.259 first words? What's his first sermon? Concise, 00:03:51.259 --> 00:03:57.500 brief, to the point. No extra. Like what I do. 00:03:58.159 --> 00:04:04.500 He says, repent. Turn. Go a different direction. 00:04:05.020 --> 00:04:07.699 Follow me. Repent. For the kingdom of heaven 00:04:07.699 --> 00:04:10.840 is at hand. He's the kingdom of heaven. Jesus 00:04:10.840 --> 00:04:15.419 is the kingdom of heaven. He's there. Repent 00:04:15.419 --> 00:04:21.379 of what? For us, repenting of believing that 00:04:21.379 --> 00:04:25.660 the kingdom of heaven is not at hand. Repenting 00:04:25.660 --> 00:04:29.899 of thinking that, well, that was then. You hear 00:04:29.899 --> 00:04:34.620 this gospel today because it's for us that when 00:04:34.620 --> 00:04:39.660 the gospel comes out of the altar, This is Christ 00:04:39.660 --> 00:04:43.920 for us. He's speaking to you personally, to me 00:04:43.920 --> 00:04:48.160 personally, here and now. Repent, for the kingdom 00:04:48.160 --> 00:04:54.019 of heaven is at hand. So I have a few things 00:04:54.019 --> 00:04:57.819 I want to share with you today about how to repent. 00:04:58.980 --> 00:05:01.759 It's not the usual thing, like I usually say. 00:05:01.920 --> 00:05:04.540 Do this, do that, and do the other thing. No, 00:05:04.579 --> 00:05:07.040 I want you to think about the baptism we just 00:05:07.040 --> 00:05:11.209 had. And in particular, I want you to think about 00:05:11.209 --> 00:05:16.430 three things in the baptism and one thing that 00:05:16.430 --> 00:05:21.649 we heard in the epistle. The first thing, when 00:05:21.649 --> 00:05:28.810 someone sees the light of Christ, even dimly, 00:05:28.810 --> 00:05:34.519 what they also see... Is that the darkness around 00:05:34.519 --> 00:05:36.939 them has started to disperse. But that there 00:05:36.939 --> 00:05:40.500 is darkness and they were in it. St. Paul says 00:05:40.500 --> 00:05:42.519 sometimes you were in darkness but now you're 00:05:42.519 --> 00:05:45.980 in light. So live as children of the light. But 00:05:45.980 --> 00:05:49.139 the darkness is there and we cannot forget it. 00:05:50.060 --> 00:05:54.339 Because God loves this world to save it from 00:05:54.339 --> 00:05:59.199 that. He sends his light to every single person. 00:06:01.740 --> 00:06:05.519 So what happens with the catechumens? They stand 00:06:05.519 --> 00:06:08.420 at the door and they face the west, the place 00:06:08.420 --> 00:06:11.160 where the sun goes down. Spiritual darkness, 00:06:11.399 --> 00:06:16.259 that's the symbol. And they're asked two questions, 00:06:16.300 --> 00:06:20.660 but three times each. Do you renounce Satan, 00:06:20.839 --> 00:06:25.759 all his works, all his angels, all his service, 00:06:25.899 --> 00:06:30.459 and all his pride? And they say, I renounce him. 00:06:31.000 --> 00:06:34.060 And we say it three times because this is something 00:06:34.060 --> 00:06:36.860 that we continually say as we go on our way to 00:06:36.860 --> 00:06:39.899 renounce the darkness and to affirm the light. 00:06:39.980 --> 00:06:45.199 We cannot fight the darkness. Only God can because 00:06:45.199 --> 00:06:49.199 he brings the light into the dark room and what 00:06:49.199 --> 00:06:56.060 happens? Darkness goes. And then the catechumens 00:06:56.060 --> 00:06:59.879 turn around after they spit upon the devil. They 00:06:59.879 --> 00:07:03.720 spit. After saying, I renounce the devil. They 00:07:03.720 --> 00:07:06.220 don't say, you, oh devil. I renounce the devil. 00:07:06.339 --> 00:07:08.519 They speak because they're not going to talk 00:07:08.519 --> 00:07:12.240 to him. And then they turn their back on him 00:07:12.240 --> 00:07:15.199 to show that only Christ can fight this evil. 00:07:15.740 --> 00:07:19.800 And then they're asked this question. Do you 00:07:19.800 --> 00:07:23.319 unite yourself to Christ? And they say, I unite 00:07:23.319 --> 00:07:28.060 myself to Christ. Again, three times. This is 00:07:28.060 --> 00:07:30.540 to show us, brothers and sisters, that it doesn't 00:07:30.540 --> 00:07:33.319 matter if you were baptized as an infant, as 00:07:33.319 --> 00:07:36.480 I was, or you were baptized today, as these two 00:07:36.480 --> 00:07:39.279 wonderful, blessed people were. We continually 00:07:39.279 --> 00:07:44.300 remember this act, that the world is not the 00:07:44.300 --> 00:07:47.220 paradise that God has intended it to be yet. 00:07:47.779 --> 00:07:54.100 But he will come. He shall not tarry. And then 00:07:54.100 --> 00:08:00.819 the next thing, to give us... strength to give 00:08:00.819 --> 00:08:06.220 us understanding about the light coming. We come 00:08:06.220 --> 00:08:09.259 into the church and we begin to bless the water. 00:08:09.740 --> 00:08:12.600 And we say these amazing words, which you heard 00:08:12.600 --> 00:08:15.540 for the water blessing the other day and you 00:08:15.540 --> 00:08:20.259 heard today. Bringing to our mind God's mighty 00:08:20.259 --> 00:08:24.699 works, his love for us, his care for us. Great 00:08:24.699 --> 00:08:28.000 art thou, Lord. and marvelous are thy works, 00:08:28.180 --> 00:08:30.819 and there is no word which suffices to him thy 00:08:30.819 --> 00:08:36.779 wonders. Thank you. Do we say it once? No, of 00:08:36.779 --> 00:08:39.500 course not. Have you ever seen the bumper sticker? 00:08:39.740 --> 00:08:44.419 If you're Orthodox, honk 40 times. We say it 00:08:44.419 --> 00:08:48.360 three times. Great art thou, O Lord, and marvelous 00:08:48.360 --> 00:08:50.700 are thy works, and there is no word which suffices 00:08:50.700 --> 00:08:56.320 to him thy wonders. We then go on. to speak about 00:08:56.320 --> 00:08:59.179 how God has formed the world, how the sun and 00:08:59.179 --> 00:09:03.720 the moon worship him. They call out to him. The 00:09:03.720 --> 00:09:07.480 psalm itself says, Thy words have gone forth 00:09:07.480 --> 00:09:10.200 into all the earth and the words to the ends 00:09:10.200 --> 00:09:13.659 of the universe. This is the stars and the sun, 00:09:13.860 --> 00:09:17.100 the moon, the universe, singing God's praises, 00:09:17.120 --> 00:09:21.980 manifesting that he is the creator. And he doesn't 00:09:21.980 --> 00:09:27.399 have to fight anyone for the creation. It's his. 00:09:27.820 --> 00:09:30.700 And we remind ourselves and then we remind the 00:09:30.700 --> 00:09:33.639 devil too that he has no power even over pigs. 00:09:34.840 --> 00:09:39.639 That's pretty low. So we don't give him that 00:09:39.639 --> 00:09:44.919 power. And then to remember again, it's about 00:09:44.919 --> 00:09:49.860 illumination. That we are to live in the light 00:09:49.860 --> 00:09:56.220 of God. To rejoice in the light of God. To yearn 00:09:56.220 --> 00:10:01.899 for more of it so that the darkness in us is 00:10:01.899 --> 00:10:05.340 dispersed. And by the way, let me go back a minute. 00:10:06.220 --> 00:10:09.120 When we say we renounce the devil, all his works, 00:10:09.159 --> 00:10:11.059 all his angels, all his service, and all his 00:10:11.059 --> 00:10:14.220 pride, we don't also say, and I also renounce 00:10:14.220 --> 00:10:16.759 all these other people and this political party 00:10:16.759 --> 00:10:19.200 and these people I don't like and the people 00:10:19.200 --> 00:10:23.840 that kind of humiliated me. No, that's not the 00:10:23.840 --> 00:10:28.519 enemy. The evil one is the one searching for 00:10:28.519 --> 00:10:33.799 destruction of us because God loves us so much. 00:10:34.259 --> 00:10:38.539 The other people, the Lord himself says, not 00:10:38.539 --> 00:10:42.759 only do unto others as you would have them do 00:10:42.759 --> 00:10:45.299 unto you, but he says a couple of verses later, 00:10:45.440 --> 00:10:49.840 love your enemy. We can only love our enemy because 00:10:49.840 --> 00:10:52.940 they are not our enemy, even if they make us 00:10:52.940 --> 00:10:56.659 theirs. Because they also have the image of God 00:10:56.659 --> 00:11:01.100 in them. It's a very tough lesson. So, back to 00:11:01.100 --> 00:11:08.379 the Enlightenment. We say this prayer. O Master, 00:11:08.580 --> 00:11:14.019 be pleased that the light of thy face may shine 00:11:14.019 --> 00:11:19.860 in their hearts forever. Do we feel that way 00:11:19.860 --> 00:11:26.809 very much? Keep the shield of their faith unbroken 00:11:26.809 --> 00:11:30.610 by enemies. Preserve for them the garment that 00:11:30.610 --> 00:11:32.850 they have put on, this white garment, which tells 00:11:32.850 --> 00:11:35.389 us that they are now equal to the martyrs who 00:11:35.389 --> 00:11:37.389 are on the throne of God, which we read about 00:11:37.389 --> 00:11:39.990 in the book of Revelation. Preserve that garment 00:11:39.990 --> 00:11:45.029 of incorruption, pure and undefiled. Brothers 00:11:45.029 --> 00:11:48.090 and sisters, we have this great grace of baptism, 00:11:48.289 --> 00:11:53.309 which is not a reminder. But it's a power within 00:11:53.309 --> 00:11:58.610 us of the Holy Spirit to live forever in the 00:11:58.610 --> 00:12:02.509 light of Christ. Yes, we renounce the darkness. 00:12:02.629 --> 00:12:06.450 Yes, we renounce the works of the demons and 00:12:06.450 --> 00:12:08.929 the angels and their service and their pride. 00:12:10.769 --> 00:12:15.169 And finally, if we're actually going to live 00:12:15.169 --> 00:12:20.039 in the light of God. Remember the chaparion of 00:12:20.039 --> 00:12:22.320 Christmas, thy nativity, O Christ our God, has 00:12:22.320 --> 00:12:26.679 shone upon the world, the light of wisdom. If 00:12:26.679 --> 00:12:28.820 we're going to live in that light, then we do 00:12:28.820 --> 00:12:31.860 what St. Paul said to do. He reminds us today 00:12:31.860 --> 00:12:35.220 in that epistle from Ephesians, every person 00:12:35.220 --> 00:12:38.139 that has been baptized and chrismated has received 00:12:38.139 --> 00:12:44.220 grace, that is, the Holy Spirit, according to 00:12:44.220 --> 00:12:47.529 the measure of the gift of Christ. What does 00:12:47.529 --> 00:12:51.629 that mean? It means how much we make ourselves 00:12:51.629 --> 00:12:54.950 open to receive that gift of Christ. How much 00:12:54.950 --> 00:12:58.029 we prepare ourselves to be carriers of that gift, 00:12:58.129 --> 00:13:01.049 that grace of the gift of Christ. That's what 00:13:01.049 --> 00:13:04.649 it means. Because in the church, the Lord has 00:13:04.649 --> 00:13:07.610 given us everything we need. Brothers and sisters, 00:13:07.889 --> 00:13:11.629 I greet you again on these bright days, these 00:13:11.629 --> 00:13:15.080 days of illumination. and understanding of God's 00:13:15.080 --> 00:13:18.379 glory and wish and pray that the light of God 00:13:18.379 --> 00:13:21.279 shines in your hearts forevermore too. Amen.