Several times during the blessing of water at Theophany we ask the Lord to send upon the water “the blessing of Jordan.” What is this gift for which we so fervently pray? The phrase has many meanings; we can deal here with only a few.
One key to understanding “the blessing of Jordan” is the entreaty with which it is often linked, for “the grace of redemption.” The Jordan is the river through which Israel passed to enter the Promised Land. For this crossing Joshua stopped the river’s flow and divided its waters so that the people could pass on dry ground. This miracle parallels the earlier parting of the Red Sea by Moses. Accounts of both incidents are read on the eve of the feast. The Fathers see both events as “types” (prophecies) of our redemption by Christ’s death and Resurrection and our access to that redemption through the mystery of Holy Baptism.
This invocation of “the blessing of Jordan” occurs both in the hymns of Theophany and in the prayers of Baptism. It underscores the connection between what Christ does at His Baptism and what He accomplishes in us, by His Spirit, in our baptism. In effect, Theophany is the baptism of the world.
At our baptism the Holy Spirit is invoked to consecrate a little water and to sanctify us through it. This simple action brings to us the benefits of our Lord’s death and Resurrection. This relatively small amount of water unites us to the Church, the community in which we continue to find forgiveness and spiritual nourishment. Baptism provides us with the spiritual resources we need to live according to Christ’s commandments. We can thus do His will in this world and prepare ourselves for His Kingdom.
Our Lord did not need St John’s baptism “for the remission of sins.” He was without any stain of sin. The Theophany manifests our Lord’s divine nature, and it marks the beginning of His ministry. St John the Baptist acknowledges both who Christ is and what He is going to do: “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John-1:29). Christ inaugurates His work by entering and sanctifying a single river. He thereby blesses the whole world, taking away the sin that corrupts it. He thus makes of the world a fit place for His labors, a proper place in which to teach and to perform miracles, an arena where He can battle Satan for the salvation of mankind.
The Lord’s ministry culminates in His death and Resurrection by which we are freed from the power of sin and death. The grace of redemption, however, enters the world already at His baptism. Prophesying this, the Psalmist sings that “He is like a tree planted by the streams of water, that yields its fruit in its season” (Psalm 1:3). The “tree” refers to the Cross. Its mention with the “streams of water” links the Cross, at the climax of His work, to the Jordan at the beginning. In a sense, the world must be cleansed before it can offer Him a Tree on which to be crucified; it must be sanctified before it can provide a tomb in which to lay His pure Body and from which He may rise. Christ accomplishes this sanctification through His material creation, bestowing upon the Jordan the grace of redemption and through its waters equipping the world for its role in salvation. Therefore “in its season,” His work “yields its fruit,” our redemption.
In the blessing of water at Theophany we remind ourselves of these things. We invoke upon water “the blessing of Jordan,” and we drink it and bless our homes with it. We remind ourselves of what Christ had done for us. We recall that He uses His material creation to bring His grace to us. We rededicate our whole lives, including our material possessions, to His service. We consecrate ourselves anew to our goal, life of grace and joy with Him in His Kingdom.
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