Ancient Church

Today is the Feast of the Theophany, when we celebrate the Baptism of Christ by the Forerunner John, and
the revelation of the Trinity which took place at that time. For us, it operates as kind of a bookend for this
holiday season. From the Nativity until the eve of the Theophany, we do not fast. After today, life returns to a more normal routine, and those of us with a bent for the season start looking ahead to Great Lent.

But today is the Theophany, and it is a blessed and wonderful feast. In fact, in the history of the Church, it was celebrated long, long before the Nativity, and has always been one if the most important events of the year. There are many meanings to this day, but the one that has been on my mind has been kenosis, the humility and emptying out of Jesus Christ.

I am a proud person. That is one of the things I struggle with. Pride is a terrible sin, much worse than what we normally think of it in this day and age. Our culture celebrates pride in all of its manifestations. We develop our self esteem, and take pride in our accomplishments. We encourage different kinds of group pride: anything from Gay Pride to that wince-inducing bumper sticker, The Power of Pride. In our culture, pride is a virtue. We do not even realize how great a sin pride is.

The problem with pride is that it separates us from everybody else. When I am being proud, it means that I am gauging my worth by my accomplishments, which I imagine to have been the fruit of my labors. St. John Climacus, ever the perceptive observer of souls, described it this way:

While it is disgraceful to be puffed up over the adornments of others, it is sheer lunacy to imagine that one has deserved the gifts of God. You may be proud only of the achievements you had before the time of your birth. But anything after that, indeed the birth itself, is a gift from God. You may claim only those virtues in you that are there independently of your mind, for your mind was bestowed on you by God. And you may claim only those victories you achieved independently of the body, for the body too is not yours but a work of God.

When I am proud, I show love only for myself. I do not show love for anyone else, whether that someone else is neighbor or God.

So what does this have to do with the Theophany? In accepting baptism by John, Christ gave one of many demonstrations of humility. Consider — John’s baptism was for repentance; it was a sign of repentance for those who undertook it. But what need does the Creator of the Universe have to repent or for the remission of sins? John was acutely aware of the dilemma when Christ approached. Like Peter who did not want his feet washed by Jesus, John shrank from a task which would seem to humble God. Yet the Divine insisted, and it was done.

By His incarnation, His baptism, His humble life and , most strikingly, by His death, Christ demonstrated that only by acting without pride can true love be shown. Today, on this feast, we are reminded of His dazzling example. For me, it is a much needed lesson.