القداس األلهي و خدمة تقديس المياه )الغطاس( مساء الخميس ١٨ كانون الثاني الساعة ٠٠ ر ٧ مساءا. Theophany Prayer Services SAINT JAMES ORTHODOX CHURCH

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1 SAINT JAMES ORTHODOX CHURCH 195 N. Main Street Milpitas, Ca Sundays Matins 8:00 a.m. Sundays Liturgy 10:30 a.m. The Very Reverend Fr. Jiris Hanna (408) Dcn. Joseph Kawar (408) Issue No. 727 Sunday January 21 (1/8), rd Sunday after Pentecost Sunday after the Theophany St. George the Chosebite, abbot (7 th Century) St. Domnica of Constantinople (395) األحد الثالث والثالثون بعد العنصرة األحد الذي بعد الظهور تذكار أبينا البار جاورجيوس الخوزيبي والبارة دومينيكية Matins (Eothina XI): John 21:15 25 Epistle: Ephesians 4:7 13 Gospel: Matthew 4:12 17 Theophany Prayer Services Tuesday January 16 th 2018 The Royal Hours for the Theophany (1 st, 3 rd, 6 th, and 9 th Hours) starting at 10:00am Wednesday January 17 th 2018 Vesperal Divine Liturgy at 10:00am Thursday January 18 th, 2018 Theophany Liturgy Service and the Sanctification of the Waters Starting at 7:00pm كل عام وأنتم بخير القداس األلهي و خدمة تقديس المياه )الغطاس( مساء الخميس ١٨ كانون الثاني الساعة ٠٠ ر ٧ مساءا

2 The Glory of Jesus Baptism Friday 1/19 (1/6) This glorious of Theophany feast is our illumination because it shines so eminently upon the whole world the knowledge of the One True God: the Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. In our Lord s Nativity we worshipped His divinity. We adored Him with the shepherds. We offered Him our obeisance with the Magi. We sang His praise with the angelic host. But we did it in a cave, in a manger hidden in a small town. Today, before the masses the light of our Lord s identity shines forth before all publicly as he ascends from the font of the Jordan. Jesus descends into the waters. St. John s trembling hand touches the divine head. The heavens open. The Father speaks, This is My beloved Son, in Whom I am well-pleased. And the Holy Spirit descends as a dove. Truly the Prophet Isaiah s words are fulfilled, Cry aloud and shout for joy, O inhabitant of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel (12:6). Great is the Holy Trinity! God is manifested to the world. Our Lord did not need baptism. He had no sin. This is why St. John the Baptist was in fear. He protested saying, I have need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me? This is why the water saw Christ and fled. The Jordan river turned back. All creation shook, as the Creator descended into the waters. Why did He do it? In order to place His lot with sinners. To identify with us and to open for us the gates of paradise in baptism. It was at our Lord s baptism that the heavens were opened! It was that holy and humble baptism that called down the Holy Spirit as a dove. Then did the Holy Spirit unite Himself to water so that we could all be born again of water and the spirit, and have the heavens opened up to us in our baptisms. The Lord s baptism is our redemption. It is the cornerstone and fountain of our baptism and of every good thing we receive in baptism to this day. What is so beautiful about the picture on the right is that there, the person being baptized is illumined by the Holy Spirit! As clear as day. Great is the condescension of the Spirit of God Who allowed this photo, and great is this feast of Theophany which is our redemption. Christ Himself brings His saving presence to us in the waters for the healing of our souls and bodies, for the averting of everything evil, for the strengthening of virtue, for the holiness of our homes. The practice of house blessings which always follows the Great Feast of Theophany in which the priest visits the homes of the faithful in order to bless them with the water from the Great Sanctification is a very important sign that we are joyously drawing water from the springs of salvation. The illumination of the Theophany cannot be contained in the Church. It is spilling out into our homes and into all of creation and this is exactly how it is supposed to be. May the true knowledge of the Holy Trinity illumine our hearts so that we may know the Only God. And may we hasten to fulfill the responsibility of those who keep this feast by joyously drawing water from the springs of salvation and making known God s deeds to ourselves, our families, and even among all nations. Eve of the Theophany (1/18) is always a Fasting Day. This year it falls on Thursday. The day of the Theophany (1/19) is always fast-free day. This year it falls on Friday. A Holy Invitation When arriving at the church for services, we should seek to arrive a few minutes before the service begins, in order to prepare ourselves and clear our minds. Jesus Christ our Lord has invited us to His Mystical Supper. Imagine, for a moment, if you were invited to dinner at the White House with your favorite president, and how much time and effort you would put into making sure you were dressed properly and would not arrive late.

3 7 No Services Nativity Fasting Nativity Fasting 9 10am Archdeacon Stephen January 2018 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat am Royal Hours of the Nativity 8 Nativity Fasting 10 Nativity Fasting 11 7:30pm Board Meeting Nativity Fasting 12 6 Nativity Fasting 7:30pm The Nativity of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ followed by Potluck Dinner and end of Nativity Fasting 13 5pm Vespers 14 The Circumcision of Our Lord St. Basil the Great am Theophany Royal Hours 17 10am Theophany Vesperal Liturgy 18 7pm Eve of the Theophany Divine Liturgy and Blessings of the Waters Fasting Day 19 Theophany of the Lord Fast-Free Day pm Vespers Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee am St. Anthony the Great 31 Week Week Week

4 General Parish Meeting Sunday February 11, 2018 Immediately after liturgy in the church to present the Budget Forecast for 2018, and to present the 2018 Board of Trustees. Please do your very best to stay in the church and listen to the latest updates about the church and meet the new Board Members. Home Blessings Fr. Giris will be more than happy to come and bless your house with Holy Water any time starting Friday 1/20. Hanan Aboujudom will schedule Fr. Giris daily visits and home blessings. Please contact Hanan at (408) to schedule. Fr. Giris would like to finish all home blessings before the start of Great Lent on February 19. It will be much harder to schedule him during Lent. If at all possible, please help Fr. Giris do home blessings during the day time. Please help make Fr. Giris visits as short as possible so he can bless as many homes as possible. Home blessings should not take more than 15 minutes or 30 minutes at the most. House Blessings are a yearly tradition. On and for a few weeks following Theophany but before the beginning of Great Lent, it is customary to invite the parish priest to bless your home with the Holy Water. The priest will go to each room, blessing it by sprinkling Holy Water, which will protect you and your family from evil spirits. For House Blessings, it is appropriate that all family members are in attendance. All electronic devices and distractions should be turned off. The Lord said: Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me (Matthew 25:40). Similar things happen in almsgiving and in Holy Communion. In Holy Communion we receive the Living Lord Christ Himself, in the form of bread and wine; in the form of the poor and needy. A certain man in Constantinople was unusually merciful. Walking along the streets of the city, he would press his gift into the hands of the poor and hurry onward, so he could not hear their gratitude or be recognized. When a friend of his asked how he had become so merciful, he replied Once in church I heard a priest say that whoever gives to the poor, gives into the hands of Christ Himself. I didn t believe it, for I thought, How can this be, when Christ is in heaven? However, I was on my way home one day and I saw a poor man begging, and the face of Christ shone above his head! Just then a passerby gave the beggar a piece of bread, and I saw the Lord extend His hand, take the bread, and bless the donor. From then on, I have always seen Christ s face shining above the beggars. Therefore, with great fear I perform as much charity as I can. Mark Your Calendar Saturday February 10 th + St. Nikolai Velimirovich Lunch This Sunday January 21 will be provided by Joachim & Anna Perry and Family Thank you and God bless you. sjoc@earthlink.net for your bulletin personal announcements, comments, or feedback. St. James Annual Crab Feed dinner. Please see attached flier for more details!

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6 MEDICAL TREATMENT A monk should not undergo serious medical treatment, but be treated only for a while. - St. Ambrose 2018 Board of Trustees Nominations Nominations for 2018 Board of Trustees have started. If you are interested in joining the church board in 2018 please talk to Nomination Committee members: George Swaiss, Samer Aboujudom, Jimmy Swaiss, or Yousef Hanna before January 28 th The board will evaluate each candidate per the church by-laws. Thank you in advance for your support to your church. From The Treasurer Starting today and until February 11, we will have a table outside the church near the candles with 2018 pledge forms and Pledge Envelopes. Please fill out the pledge form to help us keep track of our budget forecast. Your donations will help determine the church budget and activities throughout the year. Please turn your pledge form by end of February. This will help track your cash donations at the end of the year. Please pick up Church box envelopes even if you don t want to fill out the form. Church tax letters for 2017 donations will be available at the end of January. If you want your tax letter earlier, please send a request to the Treasurer Samer Aboujudom by at SAboujudom@aol.com If you donated items to the church, please turn your receipts to the Church Treasurer so he can add them to your church donation. Living a Life of Theophany Shirtless and the More Happy for It After Christ was baptized, the first words that He said were: Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. Why? Because after we have been baptized, we are always tempted again and the only way to end temptation is to repent. But what exactly do these words mean? What is repentance? What is the Kingdom of Heaven? In order to understand the meaning of the word repentance, we must first understand the nature of the opposite of repentance, the reason for repentance sin. Sin comes to us in three stages. Firstly, we have a thought, a temptation towards evil. Secondly, we entertain that thought and imagine its attraction until it becomes irresistible. Thirdly, we act on that thought that we have entertained. These are the three stages of sin. Repentance also has three stages. Firstly, our consciences are pricked, we have the thought that what we have done is bad. Secondly, we entertain that consciousness and develop it until action becomes irresistible. Thirdly, we act. These are the three stages of repentance.

7 Repentance then is not just an idea, a thought, it is above all an action. Repentance is a change of mind which leads to a practical and visible change in our way of life. Yes, it is true, that often we seem to come to confession with the same sins as before. Yes, it is true, that often we seem to make no progress, that although we have done wrong yet again, we have no tears, no depth of repentance to make us change our way of life. However, this should not mean that we lose hope, that we despair. That would be to fall to another temptation of the demon, the thought that we are unable to repent and that all our efforts are futile. Merely coming to confession and saying that we are weak, that we have done wrong yet again, that our repentance lacks depth, is an act of repentance in itself. As the Gospel says, we must forgive even unto seven times seventy. Moreover, by continued repentance and the determination to repent, eventually depth of repentance and tears will come to us. If this is repentance, what then is the Kingdom of Heaven? Firstly, the Kingdom of Heaven was Christ Himself Who spoke these words to the people of that time, before whom He stood. The Kingdom of Heaven was indeed at hand, for He stood before them. Secondly, the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand in another sense and stands before us in the here and now. The Kingdom of Heaven is here and now, but it depends on our willingness to accept Christ and His Holiness, Mercy and Grace. At this very moment each one of us is in fact able to meet God and enter into His eternal joy, but only if we wish to do so through deep repentance. The joy of the Kingdom of Heaven, simply the state of contentment with God, our well-being, is open to all who wish to accept Christ, the Word of God. Yes, it is true that our well-being does to some extent depend on whether we have a job, a roof over our heads, enough money to pay our way in the world. But none of these things is absolutely essential, for there are people who have all these things but are still unhappy, they do not have the Kingdom of Heaven. And there are people who have none of these things and yet they are happy, they have the Kingdom of Heaven. This reminds me of film-stars who marry and then divorce, remarry and redivorce and do this six or seven times, and each time blame the others for the divorce. In fact it is the film-stars who bear the problem inside themselves, in their selfishness and hardness of heart. It reminds me of someone who goes from country to country and job to job, blaming each uprooting on others. In fact the problem is carried in the suitcase, the problem is with the instability of the person, their inability to get on with others, it is not in external circumstances. It also reminds me also of the old folk-tale about happiness, which goes like this: There was once a King who was very sad. He was told by his advisors that he should send out servants to find someone who was completely happy, take the shirt from his back and put it on. Then the King would be completely happy. So the King sent out his servants and they searched up and down the kingdom. Eventually one of the royal servants found a man who was completely happy. The servant returned to the King with the good news. The King asked impatiently: But where then is the man s shirt? Unfortunately, replied the servant, this man who was completely happy was so poor that he did not have a shirt. In other words the presence of the Kingdom of Heaven depends ultimately not on our external circumstances but on ourselves, on our interior disposition, on our ability to repent. Indeed it is only if we repent that the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. May God grant us the desire for that repentance. - Archpriest Andrew Phillips, Orthodox England The Theophany Eve Fast January 18 th (1/5) The Feast of Theophany (or Epiphany; or Feast of Lights), which essentially closes the holy Twelve Days of Christmas (and is followed by the honorary celebration of the Synaxis of the Forerunner, because St. John the

8 Forerunner first met Christ at His baptism and played a significant role in it), is one of the biggest feasts of our Orthodox people, with rich folklore, which of course is dominated by the sanctification of the waters, the diving for the Cross in seas and lakes and rivers, the blessing by priests of homes and places of work and fields and even automobiles and agricultural machinery, among other things. An old Greek folk tradition states that on the Feast of Theophany the Kalikantzaroi depart. Kalikantzaroi are said to be small demon-like creatures who reside in the bowels of the earth and escape after Christmas, and during the Twelve Days of Christmas they pester and bother people, looking for sausages and sweets. They would only depart after the waters have been sanctified by the priest. Of course, this is all part of Greek folklore and mythology, though it is based on the truth that every demonic presence is rid of with the sanctification of the waters. "Today is the day of Lights and illumination..." The most important custom for January 18th, the eve of Theophany, is that it is a day of preparation and strict fasting. In fact, it is such a strict fasting day that no oil (with the exception of Saturdays & Sundays) is permitted, together with no meat, fish, eggs or milk. Basically it is a day to eat vegetables and legumes. This day of strict fasting is part of our preparation to drink the Holy Water from the Service of the Great Blessing of the Waters, the Feast of Lights. In Crete, where this tradition is still alive by many, they prepared on Theophany Eve a Lenten meal with no oil called "fotokolyva" or "papoudia". It was boiled wheat (kolyva) with various beans like fava and lentils, generally any type of bean found in the house, that was served for the eve of the Feast of Lights (Foton). They boiled and ate it with salt, accompanied by bread, onion, olives, etc. (when we fast we can eat olives for nourishment but not olive oil). They would also give the fotokolyva to the birds, such as the chickens and pigeons, together with the animals of the house like the cattle, because the cattle plowed the fields to sow the wheat and legumes. It was considered necessary for them to taste the fruit of their labors Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John Saturday January 20 In the Orthodox Church it is customary, on the day following the Great Feasts of the Lord and the Mother of God, to remember those saints who participated directly in the sacred event. So, on the day following the Theophany of the Lord, the Church honors the one who participated directly in the Baptism of Christ, placing his own hand upon the head of the Savior. St John, the holy Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord, whom the Lord called the greatest of the prophets, concludes the history of the Old Testament and opens the era of the New Testament. The holy Prophet John bore witness to the Only-Begotten Son of God, incarnate in the flesh. St John was accounted worthy to baptize Him in the waters of the Jordan, and he was a witness of the Theophany of the Most Holy Trinity on the day of the Savior s Baptism.

9 The holy Prophet John was related to the Lord on His mother s side, the son of the Priest Zachariah and Righteous Elizabeth. The holy Forerunner, John, was born six months before Christ. The Archangel Gabriel announced his birth in the Temple at Jerusalem, revealing to Zachariah that a son was to be born to him. Through the prayers offered beforehand, the child was filled with the Holy Spirit. St John prepared himself in the wilds of the desert for his great service by a strict life, by fasting, prayer and sympathy for the fate of God s people. At the age of thirty, he came forth preaching repentance. He appeared on the banks of the Jordan, to prepare the people by his preaching to accept the Savior of the world. In church hymnology, St John is called a bright morning star, whose gleaming outshone the brilliance of all the other stars, announcing the coming dawn of the day of grace, illumined with the light of the spiritual Sun, our Lord Jesus Christ. Having baptized the sinless Lamb of God, St John soon died a martyr s death, beheaded by the sword on orders of King Herod at the request of his daughter Salome. The Transfer of the Right Hand of the holy Forerunner from Antioch to Constantinople (956) and the Miracle of Saint John the Forerunner against the Hagarenes (Moslems) at Chios: The body of Saint John the Baptist was buried in the Samaritan city of Sebaste. The holy Evangelist Luke, who went preaching Christ in various cities and towns, came to Sebaste, where they gave him the right hand of the holy Prophet John, the very hand with which he had baptized the Savior. The Evangelist Luke took it with him to his native city of Antioch. When the Moslems seized Antioch centuries later, a deacon named Job brought the holy hand of the Forerunner from Antioch to Chalcedon. From there, on the eve of the Theophany of the Lord, it was transferred to Constantinople (956) and kept thereafter. The right hand continued to be kept in Constantinople. And at the end of the fourteenth to the beginning of the fifteenth centuries, the holy relic was seen at Constantinople in the Peribleptos monastery by the Russian pilgrims Stephen of Novgorod, the deacon Ignatius, the cantor Alexander and the deacon Zosimus. When Constantinople fell to the Turks in 1453, sacred objects were gathered up at the the conqueror s orders and kept under lock in the imperial treasury. In the Lives of the Saints is clear testimony that in the year 1484 the right hand of the holy Forerunner was given away by the son of the Moslem sultan Bayazet to the knights of Rhodes to gain their good will, since a dangerous rival for Bayazet, his own brother, had allied himself with them. A contemporary participant, the vice-chancellor of Rhodes, Wilhelm Gaorsan Gallo, also speaks of this event. The knights of Rhodes, having established their base on the island of Malta (in the Mediterranean Sea), then transferred the sacred relic they had received to Malta. When the Russian Tsar Paul I ( ) became Grand Master of the Maltese Order in honor of the holy Prophet John, the right hand of the Baptist, part of the Life-Creating Cross and the Philermos Icon of the Mother of God (from Mt Philermos on the island of Rhodes) were transferred in 1799 from the island of Malta to Russia [because of the Napoleonic threat], to the chapel at Gatchina. In the same year these sacred items were transferred into the church dedicated to the Icon of the Savior Not Made by Hands at the Winter Palace. A special service was composed for this Feast.

10 An Annual Theophany Miracle The Jordan Reverses Its Flow "Today the nature of water is sanctified. The Jordan is parted and reverses its flow on seeing its Master being baptized." - Orthodox Hymn for Theophany This video was recorded through a cell phone camera on the day before Theophany on January 5th (according to the Old Julian Calendar; on January 18 according to the Revised Julian Calendar) in 2006, during the blessing of the waters which takes place every year on the same day at the Jordan, in the very same area where Jesus Christ himself was baptized. What is captured in that video is a recurring annual miracle in the Holy Land on the Feast of Holy Theophany, as followed by the Jerusalem Patriarchate. When standing on the Israeli side, the Jordan River normally flows towards the right. However, during the blessing of the waters service on Theophany, a miracle takes place that is said to have also taken place on the day Jesus was baptized in that same area: "The Jordan reverses its flow!" This other video, filmed in 2011, better shows what takes place. During the ceremony, which is led by the Patriarch of Jerusalem (who is standing on the Israeli side), and by one of Jordan s Orthodox priests (on the Jordanian side) the waters continue to flow as usual toward the right. However, as soon as the Patriarch and the Jordanian priest drop the Cross into the river, chanting En Iorthani Vaptizomenou Sou Kyrie ( When You were baptized in the Jordan, Lord ), the waters start to mysteriously bubble in places. The bubbling then spreads, and the river develops two currents, one running to the right and another running to the left, with the two currents finally merging into each other! Eventually, after a few minutes, the miracle is completed. The new current is steadily flowing! The Jordan had reversed its flow like then, when God Himself was baptized in it and blessed it! The miracle takes place as long as the Crosses are in the rive r. When they are removed, the Jordan normalizes its flow Something to understand about the priesthood By Fr. Anthony Perkins Abbot Tryphon says at the end of his essay; I m sharing all of this with you because I know your priest will not. He s right; I m reluctant to post it myself. I ve never countenanced whining, especially when it seems to cheapen the One thing Needful. But it s a good essay and worth sharing for at least three reasons; 1) those considering a vocation need to adjust their expectations to match the realities of life in clerical ministry, 2) priests and bishops need to know that they are not alone in struggling with the lack of sympathy and support from those whom they serve, and 3) there is always the chance that it might lead lay leaders to see it is part of their responsibility to protect their priests and their families. You Can Better Help Your Priest and Bishop by Understanding this One Thing

11 Parish priests feel pressures that are found in no other profession. The type of man that generally is drawn to the holy priesthood is one who has a heart for serving others. Bishops and priests are often expected to do far more than is humanly possible. Bishops, as fathers to their people, are expected to be superhuman. Judged if they are not. Over the years I ve heard terrible stories of parish priests having to cancel vacations at the last minute because of sudden deaths in their parishes, requiring them to cancel airline tickets, leaving both they and their families without the much needed time away. One priest told me how his young son had been looking forward to a camping trip and cried when his dad had to tell him they couldn t go, because an important family in the parish requested that only he could do the funeral, rejecting having another priest step in. Countless priests have to put in long hours, missing dinner with their families because of wedding rehearsals, hospital calls, counseling sessions. The average priest gets Monday off, yet is expected to forgo his only day off if someone needs to see him, or a parish council decides to have a meeting that evening. They demand their priest be available whenever they need him, regardless of the time of day, or the needs of his family. One priest told me about having performed a baptism of a child for a family that rarely came to church, only to have them walk out immediately following the service, leaving him to mop up the spilled water, while they and their friends ran off to celebrate at a restaurant. He was given such a pitiful stipend for his services that he just dropped it in the poor box. They didn t even invite him to join them at the restaurant. He said he wouldn t have had the time to join them, but the invitation to do so would have been nice. Most clergy receive a very small salary and are expected by their parishioners to be happy with what they have. The stipend is thus very important to the priest, yet I know of countless clergy who travel many miles from their rectory, bless the home and receive nothing for their services. Like all children, priest s kids need time with their father. Normal jobs allow dads to leave their job at work, giving themselves plenty of time to meet the needs of their children, but not in the case of clergy. Being on call 24/7, the families of priests often have to forgo planned meals, outings and family affairs because of the demands of their people. Most priests have such a strong desire to be in service, they simply can t say no. The children of priests, as well as their wives, also must suffer the undo scrutiny of the parishioners, expected, as they are, to be perfect. Given all this, is it any wonder the children of priests often wouldn t think of becoming priests themselves? Please, whatever you do, don t criticize your priest in front of his family. How often I ve heard priest s wives and children lament having to put up with attacks on their husbands/fathers by people who don t think he s doing enough! People airing their grievances at parish meetings, with the children and wives having to hear it all. I share all this with my readers because most of you are unaware just how difficult a job your priest has and how much is demanded of his time. Most of you love your priests but are just unaware that he rarely gets his own needs met. I remember one priest in Detroit, who lived in substandard housing, while all his parishioners lived in nice homes. No one made any effort to make sure their priest (single in his case) was living in medium income housing, somewhere in the middle of all his people (the norm for most protestant churches). How can a priest take care of the education of his children when his salary is at the poverty line? One horror story I remember hearing was of a priest who s parish council gave him an increase in salary that put him just over the line so he d no longer qualify for food stamps, since this made the parish look bad. The priest and his family ended up with less, rather than more!

12 All of the above could be said for bishops as well. We really need to start taking care of our bishops, making sure they have adequate compensation, days off for restoration of soul and proper rest, and a whole lot less criticism from their people. Love your priests and bishops, just as they love you. Give them support. Show them you care by sending them a little gift on their names day, or ing them on occasion, letting them know you care about them. Tell them when you ve liked their homily, invite them and their families to dinner on occasion. Let them know you care. Remember your bishop and priest with a thoughtful little gift, or a check, on Christmas and Pascha. Let them know you care about them. Make sure the parish council knows you think your priest should receive a proper salary. You d be shocked at the average income of most protestant clergy compared to what most Orthodox priests receive. The life of your priest can be greatly extended if you don t allow him to work himself to death. Make sure he does take at least one day off. Tell him to turn off his cell phone on those days. Call the rectory before knocking at the door. You have no idea how many priests evenings with their families are derailed with a knock at the door. I m sharing all of this with you because I know your priest will not. He loves you and he loves Christ whom he serves. Make him pace himself and you ll have him around to baptize your grandchildren. Don t expect him to be perfect. Most importantly, pray for your bishops and your priests. Honor and love them, and refrain from judging them. With love in Christ, Abbot Tryphon ليست معمودية يسوع هي فقط ظهوره في العالم كمسيح وغطاسه: إن المعمودية تظهره كابن هللا. وهو من هنا بالذات "التجلي" يعني ظهور هللا ألنه كشف لنا سر هللا العظيم أي الثالوث القدوس. رأى يوحنا الروح القدس نازال على يسوع مثل حمامة ومستقرا عليه. وتبين كلمة "االستقرار" أنه منذ األزل يحل عليه الروح القدس الذي أتى صوته من السماء قائال : "هذا هو ابني الحبيب." لهذا يقول لنا القديس كيرلس األورشليمي: أنه بظهور يسوع كمسيح تكشف لنا معمودية يسوع في الوقت نفسه سر الثالوث اإللهي. ويقول أنه كي يكون هناك مسيح وممسوح هو "االبن" البد أن يمسحه أحد وهو "اآلب". ومن أحد تكون المسحة وهو الروح القدس الذي يحل عليه. هكذا النستطيع التفكير في المسيح من دون التفكير في اآلب وفي الروح القدس من دونهما قد ال يكون لكلمة مسيح معنى. نحن ال يمكننا االعتراف بيسوع كمسيح من دون االعتراف باهلل الواحد كإله في ثالثة أقانيم. من المألوف أن نكون فكرة خاطئة عن هللا: يبدو لنا أحيانا أن اآلب قد يكون إله "العهد القديم" ثم يأتي االبن ليحل مكانه في "العهد الجديد" طوال حياة يسوع أخيرا يأتي دور الروح القدس في زمن الكنيسة الحالي ولن يحتفى بذكرى يسوع إال كماض تاريخي. نعم علينا كثيرا أن نتصور األقانيم الثالثة في إله واحد يعمل في العالم بمشيئة واحدة. فكيف يمكن مقاربة سر الثالوث القدوس لنعد إلى معمودية يسوع عندما صعد من الماء. يرى يوحنا المعمدان المسيح يحل عليه الروح ويسمع صوت اآلب يسمي يسوع "االبن الحبيب". لقد عرف يوحنا إلها واحدا في ثالثة أقانيم. ففي األردن ظهر الثالوث للمرة األولى. هذا ما تقوله لنا الكنيسة عبر األيقونة وترتيلة العيد في عيد الغطاس )أو عيد الظهور اإللهي). هذا وإذ تأملنا أيقونة "الظهور اإللهي" فسنجد يسوع متسربل الماء كأنه يخترق الكون بكامله ليبله بحضوره لينيره بنوره ويضيئه ويقدسه. في األعلى تماما يد تمثل "الذي" يمسح: أي اآلب غير المنظور لكن الذي تقدم صوته بالشهادة ليسوع مسميا إياه "االبن الحبيب". وتمثل الحمامة الروح القدس الذي يؤيد حقيقة الشهادة بحلوله على رأس يسوع واستقراره فوقه: هي المسح. أخيرا "االبن" الذي مسح يسوع متسربل المياه.

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