We stand on the precipice of another glorious feast day, a celebration and an illumination of the world with the Light of Christ, Who shines down upon not only the river Jordan, but upon all of His Creation. For both those that are new to the faith and those who have been patiently looking forward to these days, welcome to Holy Theophany!
One of the main participants in this glorious Feast Day is that of St. John the Baptist…the one who was called to “pave the way of the Lord.” He is called by the Church: “The Radiant candle stick of Light. The Voice of the Word. The Friend of the Bridegroom. The Child of the Wilderness. The preacher of repentance.”
On the bookend Sundays of the Feast of Theophany, there are always two specific Gospels that are read. Today, we are introduced to the Holy Forerunner and his high calling. Next week, the Gospel from St. Matthew begins with the aftermath of what happened to St. John when he fulfilled His Divine Mission: He was put into prison!
Someone asked me last week why icons of St. John will sometimes show him with wings. It is because he lived the angelic life that was truly not of this world. He lived for many years in the desert fasting and praying. His clothes were made out of camel’s hair and his food was locusts and wild honey. He drank from the waters of the Jordan river. He slept on sand and in the caves. He kept company only with the wild beasts of the desert. Yet in spite of all of this, the earthly angel was arrested and thrown into prison...eventually leading to the loss of his head!
What did St. John do to deserve this? He preached the truth with boldness. He called the light, light and the darkness, darkness. St. John didn’t live to flatter anyone, and he preached the truth to everyone, both small and great.
Look at the words St. John used in the Gospel of Luke when speaking to masses:
“Brood of Vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say “We have Abraham as our Father” For I say to you that God is able to raise up Children of Abraham from these stones…
And even now, the ax is laid at the root of the trees. Therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire!”
All who came to St. John and heard these words were immediately struck to the heart, asking him what must they do to be saved? His responses were never something that the people couldn’t handle. He didn’t demand that they too go into the desert to live as he did. Instead, St. John urged the people to give to those who have less than they do. To the tax collectors (the IRS) he said to collect no more than what was needed. To the soldiers he said to never intimidate or falsely accuse anyone…and to bear good fruit with the blessings that God had given them.
Preaching these truths wasn’t enough to get St. John thrown into prison. It was the truth that was spoken to those in authority that ultimately got him arrested. We remember how King Herod sent away his wife, took another woman (the wife of his brother) and married her. No one protested, despite everyone knowing what Herod had done. No one except for the revealer of truth, St. John the Forerunner. This bold proclamation of Truth was what eventually led to his beheading which the Church doesn’t mourn, but rather on August 29th.
What can we learn on the eve of Theophany from this great revealer of truth? Let’s start with what truth is…Truth is virtue. It is the most important thing there is on earth. Truth is God, and the lie is the devil. Truth comes down to us from the Church, and despite what some phycologists might say, there is no such thing as “my truth”.
Bishop Augoustinos of Florina Greece says in his book “Drops of Living Water”:
“Although truth is a heavenly thing and all should love it, in a faithfulness and corrupt era, if there’s anything that people hate, turn away from, and even persecute…it’s the truth. Just as someone whose sight is damaged by the sun finds the sun burdensome and wishes to live in a dark place, evil and corrupt people want to live in sin and ignorance, which is the terrible darkness of the soul. When they see some light of the truth, they tremble in fear that their evil deeds will become known. Like bats and owls that don’t like the light of the day but hide from it and fly only in the night. People who commit crimes want to live in darkness where no one can see and criticize them.”
I offer a meditation for all of us on this feast of Theophany: If St. John were to come to our homes this evening after Compline and sit down with us for a cup of coffee, what truths would he reveal about the state of our own souls that we have tried to hide in the dark recesses of our hearts?
Do we have enmity in our hearts against anyone? Have we helped all of those who have come to us in need? Have we visited the sick? Have we been overcome with laziness? Have we been too lax in our spiritual disciplines? Have we lusted after anyone? Have we been jealous of the way others live…not being content with what God has already given us?
What ugly lies about ourselves have we hidden in the darkness…that on the feast of Holy Theophany, we can not only uncover, but wash away with the sanctifying waters of the Jordan?
St. John revealed the true direction of our lives on this earth to all who came to him. He echoes the words of Christ that we will hear in next Sunday’s Gospel, urging us to “Repent”! Not to feel remorse or sorry for the lies we have told ourselves, but rather to change the direction of our hearts towards the truth, light, and life that is only found in Christ.
May this be the direction that we walk in as we approach great and Holy Theophany.