Epiphany play. Epiphany: A Theatrical Meditation on Culture, Connection, and Tradition

How does Brian Watkins’ play Epiphany explore modern societal issues through the lens of a forgotten tradition. What insights does the play offer on our relationship with technology and human connection. How does Epiphany draw inspiration from James Joyce’s The Dead while creating a unique theatrical experience.

Table of Contents

The Premise and Setting of Epiphany

Brian Watkins’ play Epiphany, produced by Druid Theatre Company, presents a thought-provoking exploration of modern society through the lens of a forgotten celebration. The play is set at a dinner party hosted by Morkan, an eccentric and enthusiastic character brilliantly portrayed by Marie Mullen. Eight guests arrive, each with only a vague understanding of why they’ve been invited or what the occasion entails.

The setting itself becomes a character in the play, with Francis O’Connor’s elegant set design featuring a zig-zagging staircase and a high window through which snow falls faintly. This ambiguous, almost Beckettian environment creates a sense of placelessness that adds to the overall feeling of disorientation experienced by the characters.

The Mystery of Epiphany

What exactly is Epiphany? Even Morkan, the host, admits to having no idea about the tradition she’s attempting to revive. This confusion sets the stage for a deeper exploration of cultural memory and the importance of shared rituals in our increasingly disconnected world.

Forgotten tradition
Confused guests
Ambiguous setting
Cultural amnesia

Literary Inspirations and Theatrical Echoes

Epiphany draws inspiration from various sources, creating a rich tapestry of literary and theatrical references. The most prominent influence is James Joyce’s short story “The Dead,” which serves as a starting point for Watkins’ exploration of strained celebrations and flickering connections.

Echoes of Joyce’s The Dead

How does Epiphany reimagine elements from “The Dead”? Watkins retains some characters from Joyce’s story while introducing new ones, all set against the backdrop of a multicultural city. The play preserves the atmosphere of melancholy and introspection found in Joyce’s work, with snow falling “faintly through the universe” as a visual metaphor for the characters’ emotional states.

Druid Theatre Company’s Influence

Director Garry Hynes subtly incorporates elements that reflect Druid’s own theatrical history:

Beckettian placelessness in the set design
Comic panic and mishap reminiscent of Enda Walsh’s works
Philosophical and spiritual yearnings echoing Tom Murphy’s plays

These influences create a play that feels both familiar and uniquely contemporary, blending various theatrical traditions to comment on our current moment.

The Absent Guest and the Power of Words

A significant aspect of Epiphany is the absence of its supposed guest of honor, Gabriel Conroy. Instead of appearing in person, Gabriel’s thoughts are conveyed through a speech delivered by the ethereal character Aran, played by Grace Byers. The speech, partially obscured by snow, becomes a central focus for the gathered guests.

Deciphering Gabriel’s Message

Why do the characters fixate on Gabriel’s speech? The guests gather around a long table, reminiscent of The Last Supper, and debate the meaning of Gabriel’s words as if they were a sacred text. This scene highlights the play’s exploration of how we interpret and find meaning in the face of uncertainty and cultural amnesia.

Gabriel’s concerns about our “thought-tormented age” and the “new generation” resonate deeply with the assembled group, despite being written over a century ago. This timelessness raises questions about the cyclical nature of societal concerns and the enduring relevance of certain cultural critiques.

Modern Distractions and Disconnection

Epiphany presents a group of characters who embody many of the anxieties and behaviors of our contemporary society. Their struggles with attention spans, dependency on technology, and difficulty with physical connection serve as a mirror to our own experiences in the digital age.

The Smartphone Dilemma

How does the play address our relationship with technology? The characters in Epiphany both deplore their smartphones and exhibit a strong dependency on them. This contradiction is highlighted by the fact that their devices have been confiscated upon arrival at the dinner party, forcing them to confront their addiction and the resulting discomfort.

Physical Disconnection

In a notable departure from traditional Irish theatre, the characters in Epiphany display an aversion to physical contact, going so far as to collectively reject an invitation to dance. This reluctance to engage in physical intimacy serves as a powerful metaphor for the increasing isolation experienced in our digital world.

Character Dynamics and Philosophical Debates

While the performances in Epiphany are assured, the characters sometimes feel constrained by their roles as representatives of different philosophical positions. The dialogue often takes the form of dialectical exchanges, with characters embodying opposing viewpoints:

Kate Kennedy’s empiricist vs. Grace Byers’ aesthete
Marie Mullen’s older conservative vs. Julia McDermott’s woke millennial

These exchanges, while thought-provoking, can sometimes feel like a series of positions being advanced without reaching a satisfying conclusion. However, this structure does reflect the often fragmented and inconclusive nature of modern discourse.

Epiphany as a Meditation on Theatre

Beyond its exploration of contemporary issues, Epiphany can be viewed as a reflection on the nature of theatre itself. The play draws parallels between the dinner party gathering and the theatrical experience, both serving as spaces for communal reflection and shared ritual.

Theatre as Ritual

How does Epiphany comment on the theatrical experience? The play positions itself within the tradition of theatre as an ancient ritual in need of reinvention. By gathering people together, preferably without the distraction of phones, Epiphany creates a space for collective engagement with ideas and emotions.

The characters’ struggles to understand their purpose and connection to one another mirror the audience’s own experience of engaging with a theatrical work. As memories flare and dim, and shadows dance and retreat, both the characters and the audience grapple with questions of meaning and belonging.

The Legacy of Epiphany

While Epiphany may not provide clear answers to the questions it raises, its value lies in its ability to provoke thought and discussion. By blending literary influences, contemporary concerns, and theatrical traditions, the play creates a unique experience that resonates with audiences long after the final curtain.

Continuing the Conversation

What lasting impact does Epiphany have on its audience? The play’s exploration of disconnection, cultural amnesia, and the search for meaning in a rapidly changing world encourages viewers to reflect on their own experiences and relationships. By presenting familiar struggles in a theatrical context, Epiphany invites audiences to engage in a broader conversation about the nature of community and tradition in the modern age.

As theatre continues to evolve and adapt to changing societal norms, works like Epiphany serve as important markers of our collective anxieties and aspirations. By holding a mirror to our “thought-tormented age,” the play challenges us to consider how we might bridge the gaps between tradition and innovation, connection and isolation, in our own lives.

The Artistic Team Behind Epiphany

The success of Epiphany is due in large part to the talented team of artists who brought Brian Watkins’ vision to life. Their collective efforts have resulted in a production that is both visually striking and emotionally resonant.

Direction and Design

Garry Hynes’ direction skillfully balances the play’s various influences and themes, creating a cohesive experience that honors both its literary inspirations and contemporary relevance. The design elements further enhance the production’s impact:

Set Design: Francis O’Connor’s elegant and enigmatic set, featuring the zig-zagging staircase and snow-filled window, creates a sense of timelessness and placelessness that perfectly complements the play’s themes.
Costume Design: Doreen McKenna’s costumes, described as a “retro-jumble,” contribute to the play’s ambiguous setting and the characters’ sense of dislocation.

Notable Performances

While the entire ensemble delivers strong performances, several actors stand out for their nuanced portrayals:

Marie Mullen as Morkan: Mullen brings warmth and eccentricity to the role of the host, serving as the catalyst for the evening’s events.
Grace Byers as Aran: Byers’ ethereal presence as the messenger delivering Gabriel’s speech adds an element of mystery and otherworldliness to the production.
Kate Kennedy and Julia McDermott: These actors skillfully embody opposing philosophical viewpoints, bringing depth to their characters despite the potential limitations of their roles.

The strength of these performances helps to ground the play’s more abstract concepts in relatable human experiences, allowing audiences to connect with the characters despite their often contradictory and confused states.

Epiphany in the Context of Contemporary Theatre

As theatre continues to evolve in the 21st century, plays like Epiphany play a crucial role in addressing the unique challenges and preoccupations of our time. By blending traditional theatrical elements with contemporary concerns, Watkins’ work contributes to the ongoing conversation about the role of theatre in society.

Addressing Modern Anxieties

How does Epiphany reflect current societal concerns? The play’s focus on technological dependency, shortened attention spans, and the struggle for human connection in a digital age resonates strongly with contemporary audiences. By presenting these issues within the framework of a traditional gathering, Epiphany highlights the tension between our desire for connection and the barriers we’ve created.

Reimagining Theatrical Traditions

Epiphany’s innovative approach to storytelling, blending elements from various theatrical and literary traditions, demonstrates the potential for contemporary theatre to reinvent itself while still honoring its roots. This balance between tradition and innovation is crucial for theatre to remain relevant and engaging for modern audiences.

The play’s self-reflexive nature, positioning itself as a meditation on theatre itself, encourages viewers to consider the ongoing importance of live performance in an increasingly digital world. By creating a space for collective experience and shared reflection, Epiphany affirms the unique power of theatre to bring people together and foster meaningful connections.

The Future of Epiphany and Its Themes

As Epiphany continues its run and potentially moves to other venues, its themes and questions are likely to resonate with a wider audience. The play’s exploration of cultural amnesia, technological dependence, and the search for meaning in a fragmented world will undoubtedly spark further discussions and artistic responses.

Potential Impact on Future Works

How might Epiphany influence future theatrical productions? The play’s innovative approach to blending literary influences, contemporary issues, and theatrical traditions could inspire other playwrights and directors to explore similar territory. Its success in addressing complex societal issues through the lens of a intimate gathering may encourage more works that use personal interactions as a microcosm for broader cultural phenomena.

Continuing the Conversation

The questions raised by Epiphany about our relationship with technology, our struggle for connection, and our attempts to find meaning in shared rituals are likely to remain relevant for years to come. As society continues to grapple with these issues, works like Epiphany will serve as important touchstones for reflection and discussion.

Theatre-goers and critics alike will undoubtedly continue to unpack the layers of meaning in Watkins’ play, finding new resonances and interpretations as our cultural context evolves. The enduring power of Epiphany may lie in its ability to prompt ongoing dialogue about the nature of human connection and the role of shared experiences in an increasingly fragmented world.

The play that’s a meditation on theatre itself

Epiphany

Town Hall Theatre, Galway
★★★

None of the eight guests quite know what they’re doing here. They all know their host, Morkan – a warm, moithered eccentric, brightly played by Marie Mullen – but they’re hazy with each other. “You don’t age!” one arrival exclaims. “We’ve actually never met,” comes the reply.

If acquaintances are loose and the invitations (with their specific, complicated requests) have been ignored, perhaps the host can shed some light on the occasion? “I have no idea what Epiphany is,” Morkan confesses, undimmed in her enthusiasm for a forgotten tradition.

Why, then, does Brian Watkins’s new play for Druid feel so familiar?

There are a couple of reasons. The first is that the American playwright takes Joyce’s The Dead as his starting point, a poignant story of strained celebrations and flickering connections. Here, imagined as a dinner party for addled intellectuals in a multi-cultural city, it retains some characters, erases others and introduces more, while the snow keeps falling faintly through the universe. Or at least through the high window behind the zig-zagging staircase of Francis O’Connor’s elegant set.

The second reason, which director Garry Hynes lightly trails, are glimmers of Druid’s own history. There’s the curiously Beckettian placelessness of this amnesiac setting, stranded between a floor above and below. (“We’re in a time machine!” one character marvels over the menu, which also explains the retro-jumble of Doreen McKenna’s costumes.) There’s also the comic panic and mishap of Enda Walsh. There’s also the philosophical and spiritual yearnings, loosened with wine, that echo Tom Murphy.

That all chimes with a play that feels more haunted than self-possessed, so anxious about the confused present and fretful about its absences that the play’s guest of honour, Gabriel Conroy, fails to arrive. Instead, Grace Byers’s ethereal Aran arrives to convey his speech, made partly illegible by the snow. Behind a long table that helplessly recalls The Last Supper, the guests argue over it like a sacred text. What do Gabriel’s fears for our “thought-tormented age” and coarsening “new generation” – still fresh after more than a century – say about us?

Watkins’s characters are certainly more distracted, deploring their smartphones while hugely dependent on them (they have been confiscated on arrival), easily taxed in their attention spans, and – setting a precedent in Irish theatre – so averse to physical contact they roundly defeat an invitation to dance.

Despite assured performances, this crowd feels cramped in other ways, though, their dialogue often falling into pendulum-swing dialectic: Kate Kennedy’s lofty empiricist vs Byers’s floaty aesthete; Mullen’s older conservative vs Julia McDermott’s woke millennial, all advancing positions without quite arriving at one.

It’s easier to see the play as a meditation on theatre itself: another gathering, preferably without phones, for an ancient ritual asking to be reinvented. Epiphany places itself modestly within that tradition, where memories flare and dim, shadows dance and retreat, and the characters for life’s gatherings try to work out whether they’re coming or going.

Until July 27th

A verse play for Epiphany: Blatner, Barbara Ann: Amazon.

com: Books

BARBARA BLATNER is a playwright, poet and composer. In Fall 2010, New York Quarterly Books published her verse memoir, THE STILL POSITION; in March 2012, the same press brought out a second full-length poetry collection, LIVING WITH YOU. Her play YEARS OF SKY will be produced by Scripts Up! at the 59E59 Theaters in February 2013.

Barbara’s verse play for Epiphany, NO STAR SHINES SHARPER, was produced for stage and radio by the Mystic Theatre Company in 2004, published by Baker’s Plays in 1990, aired repeatedly on National Public Radio stations, and acquired by New York’s Museum of Television and Radio. GRASSY KNOLL was produced in the First Annual Boston Theatre Marathon (1999) and appeared in Baker’s Plays anthology of plays selected from that event, and in New York’s Turnip Theatre Short Play Festival (1997). SHADOW PLAY received a workshop production in the Cleveland Public Theatre’s 1993 New Plays Festival. Barbara’s adaptation of Tadeusz Borowski’s THIS WAY FOR THE GAS, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN was commissioned by New Voices and staged at the Boston Public Library. THE CHOICE, a video about childbearing written and produced with Diane Woodbrown, was shown in the 1991 International Women’s Video Festival. Upcoming productions include GUERNICA 2003 in the American Globe Theatre’s 15-minute Play Festival, in April of this year.

Work staged in Boston’s New Theatre’s NeWorks series includes YEARS OF SKY (ten-minute version, Honorable Mention, Nina Shengold’s Actors and Writers Short Play Contest), BETTY AND MORTIE (a musical), and MARILYN MONROE IN THE DESERT. CLEARING and WHITE ASHES were finalists in the O’Neill International Playwrights contest, POSTURES was staged by the Capital Repertory Company, and THE FAIR was produced by the Albany Playwrights’ Workshop which Ms. Blatner founded and where she worked as director, writer and composer under a CETA grant for four seasons. Compositions include songs for the 1989 Boston Shakespeare Company’s Irish Plays season, a score for the Merrimack Repertory Company’s Young Artists at Play ALICE IN WONDERLAND, and an instrumental score for New Theatre’s 1996 premiere of Rosanna Alfaro’s PABLO AND CLEOPATRA.

Ms. Blatner has taught Creative Writing and Composition at Yeshiva University since 2002. She received a Doctor of Arts in English from the SUNY-Albany, an M.A. in Creative Writing from Boston University, and a B.A. in Music Composition from Vassar College

Examples and Definition of Epiphany

Epiphany Definition

Derived from the Greek word epiphaneia, epiphany means “appearance,” or “manifestation.” In literary terms, an epiphany is that moment in the story where a character achieves realization, awareness, or a feeling of knowledge, after which events are seen through the prism of this new light in the story.

James Joyce, the great Irish writer, used this term in his writings to indicate a sudden eye-opener regarding the nature of a person or situation. He said that it is the moment in which “the soul of the commonest object … seems to us radiant, and may be manifested through any chance, word, or gesture.” He means to say that even insignificant things in our lives can suddenly inspire in us an awareness that can change our lives for good.

A Common Example of Epiphany

Let us consider an epiphany of a smoker:

I used to smoke a lot. Everyone let me know that it was bad for my health however, I didn’t pay any notice. One day I saw my two-year-old baby trying to grab a stubbed-out cigarette from the ashtray. Seeing this, it suddenly dawned on me how terrible smoking was, and I stopped smoking.

So, this sudden feeling of knowledge that brings to light what was so far hidden, and changes one’s life, is called epiphany.

Examples of Epiphany in Literature

Let us analyze some epiphany examples from different genres of literature.

Example #1:

Animal Farm (By George Orwell)

Animal Farm, written by George Orwell, is an epiphany that uses animals on a farm to describe the overthrow of the last Russian Tsar, Nicholas II, and the Communist Revolution of Russia before WWI. The actions of the animals on the farm are used to expose the greed and corruption of the revolution. It also describes how powerful people can change the ideology of a society. One of the cardinal rules on the farm is this:

All Animals are Equal but a few are more equal than others.

The animals on the farm represent different sections of Russian society after the revolution.

For instance, the pigs represent those who came to power following the revolution; “Mr. Jones,” the owner of the farm, represents the overthrown Tsar Nicholas II; while “Boxer” the horse, represents the laborer class. The use of Epiphany in the novel allows Orwell to make his position clear about the Russian Revolution and expose its evils.

Example #2:

Hamlet (By William Shakespeare)

William Shakespeare also makes use of an epiphany in his play Hamlet. It is when Hamlet, the hero, is on a ship sailing to England. Till then, he was over-burdened with thinking and planning a flawless revenge on his father’s murderer, Claudius. Suddenly there is a flash of realization and he says:

[T]here is a divinity that shapes our ends, rough-hew them how we will.

He realizes that there is no wisdom for him in trying to inflict the perfect revenge on Claudius – he must take hold of the moment and go with the current.

Example #3:

Miss Brill (By Katherine Manfield)

We find another example of epiphany in the short story Miss Brill, written by Katherine Manfield. Miss Brill, being delighted to be part of the season in the Jardins Publique, particularly on Sundays, prepares herself for the occasion on a chilly day. She wears her fur coat, and walks towards a band playing music in the park. She sees life everywhere around her. It pleases her to imagine that she is part of all that takes place. In a flash of epiphany, she recognizes that she and everyone else in the park are mere actors, acting out their roles. There was nothing important about that gathering of actors and she was alone despite being with a crowd.

Function of Epiphany

The purpose of epiphany in a novel or a short story is to point out a turning point for a character, or in the plot, in the near future. It may also be used to change the opinion of one character about other characters, events, and places after a sudden awareness of the situation. It may also be a sign of a conclusion in the story.

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Epiphany: Definition and Examples | LiteraryTerms.

net

I. What is Epiphany?

Epiphany is an “Aha!” moment. As a literary device, epiphany (pronounced ih-pif–uh-nee) is the moment when a character is suddenly struck with a life-changing realization which changes the rest of the story.

Often, an epiphany begins with a small, everyday occurrence or experience. For example:

In the middle of a typical argument with his wife, a man realizes he has been the one causing every single argument, and that in order to keep his marriage, he must stop being such an aggressive person.

In this example, the man’s epiphany is prompted by an everyday argument. The revelation, though, rises above everyday thought: he realizes he must change his attitude in order to fix his marriage.

II. Examples of Epiphany

Epiphanic moments are not restricted to literature. The same instances of revelation occur in everyday life. Here are a few examples:

Example 1

It’s a normal day in class when Mary trips on her shoelace and falls down. As she embarrassedly stands up blushing and finds her desk, Ryan realizes he is in love with her.

This epiphany is almost comedic in its randomness, but it shows how epiphanies can occur at any moment, and how they tend to occur when they are least expected. Ryan falls in love with Mary not when she looks the most beautiful or speaks the most gracefully, but when she trips on her shoelace and blushes.

Example 2

Amy has been smoking for fifteen years. She knows she would be healthier if she quit, and people have urged her to quit, but she just can’t. It isn’t until she gives birth to her daughter that she has a moment of revelation: she has to quit. She has to be a role model for her daughter, and she has to live as long as possible to see her grow up.

This third epiphany occurs when a woman gives birth to her daughter. This is a more predictable epiphany, as the moment of birth is a very emotional time for a mother. In this moment, Amy realizes she must change her life to be the best mother she can be.

III. The importance of using Epiphany

Epiphanies provide narratives with some of the most exciting and compelling events, pulled out of ordinary moments. Epiphanies are rare occurrences marked by great philosophical, spiritual, or personal insight. Because epiphanies often occur in real life at such typical and everyday moments, they provide plays, poems, prose, and film with realistic yet inspiring instances of revelation. Epiphanies also provide readers and audiences with hope, as the ability to see things in a new way and to change our lives is inspiring and redeeming, especially for people who have struggled to succeed or to find higher meaning in life. As a plot device, epiphany often marks a turning point in the character’s psyche which leads to the eventual conclusion of the story.

IV. Examples of

Epiphany in Literature

Epiphany provides literary plots with sudden turns which remarkably change the character’s point of view and life path.

Example 1

For a classic example of epiphany, read these excerpts from Edna St. Vincent Millay’s “Renascence”:

All I could see from where I stood
Was three long mountains and a wood;
I turned and looked the other way,
And saw three islands in a bay.

The poem begins simply: the speaker is looking at a nature scene. Quickly, though, upon looking at the sky, an epiphany occurs:

The gossiping of friendly spheres,
The creaking of the tented sky,
The ticking of Eternity.
I saw and heard and knew at last
The How and Why of all things, past,
And present, and forevermore.

Once simply looking upon nature’s beauty, the speaker is overwhelmed with ideas like infinity, immensity, and eternity. Suddenly, she is aware of “The How and Why of all things.” The epiphany rises from nothing and strikes the speaker with sudden revelation.

Example 2

Considered one of the most powerful users of epiphany in prose, James Joyce describes epiphany as a moment when “The soul of the commonest object, the structure of which is so adjusted, seems to us radiant.”

For an example of Joyce’s use of epiphany, read this excerpt from the novel A Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man:

A girl stood before him in midstream, alone and still, gazing out to the sea. She seemed like one whom magic had changed into the likeness of a strange and beautiful sea bird. Her long slender bare legs were as delicate as a crane’s and pure save where an emerald trail of seaweed had fashioned itself as a sign upon the flesh. … But her long fair hair was girlish: and girlish, and touched with the wonder of mortal beauty, her face.

In this scene, the protagonist Stephen Dedalus is struck still by the pure beauty of a woman standing in the surf at the beach. It is this ordinary but exalted image that compels him to turn to the pursuit of expressing beauty. Dedalus decides to become a writer.

V. Examples of Epiphany in Pop Culture

Epiphanies provide films, songs, and even advertisements with dramatic moments of recognition and discovery. Characters have revelations which change the course of the plot and remarkably transform their psyches.

Example 1

For an example of epiphany in a movie, read this excerpt from Clueless:

Cher: Josh needed someone with imagination, someone to take care of him, someone to laugh at his jokes… in case he ever makes any. Then suddenly (pause) Oh my god! I love Josh! I’m majorly, totally, butt crazy in love with Josh! But now I don’t know how to act around him. I mean normally I’d strut around in my cutest little outfits, and send myself flowers and candy but I couldn’t do that stuff with Josh.

Cher has been shopping and is walking down the street when she has an epiphany about Josh (her stepbrother). Even in her mind, she does not sound prepared for it: she is complaining about Josh’s poor style, bad music taste, and unconventional looks when she abruptly realizes she is truly in love with him.

Example 2

For a second example of epiphany in film, watch this excerpt from Big Fish:

EDWARD: My muscles couldn’t keep up with my bones, and my bones couldn’t keep up with my body’s ambition. So I spent the better part of three years confined to my bed, with the World Book Encyclopedia being my only means of exploration. I had made it all the way to the “G’s,” hoping to find an answer to my gigantificationism, when I uncovered an article about the common goldfish.
YOUNG EDWARD: “Kept in a small bowl, the goldfish will remain small. With more space, the fish can grow double, triple, or quadruple its size.”
EDWARD: It occurred to me then, that perhaps the reason for my growth was that I was intended for larger things. After all, a giant man can’t have an ordinary-sized life.

In this scene, the narrator is lying in bed reading about goldfish when he suddenly has his epiphany: he is meant to do great things with his life.

VI. Related Terms

Anagnorisis, like epiphany, is a moment of revelation. But, anaganorisis is a dark and dramatic element of a tragic story, whereas epiphany can be comedic or uplifting. Also, unlike epiphany, anagnorisis occurs as an accumulation of information that has been slowly revealed throughout the story’s plot. Epiphany, on the other hand, occurs without necessary connection to the rest of the plot, and suddenly, as if divinely inspired.

Here is an example of anagnorisis versus epiphany:

Story:

An old man has lived his entire life as someone greedy and driven by money.

Anagnorisis:

The old man has his fiftieth birthday party, attended by no one. The next week, his own daughter accuses him of being too greedy and selfish. That same day, he is informed that his wife wants a divorce and does not care about the money. At this moment, the man realizes his tragic mistake: he has lived a life focused on money rather than love and companionship.

Epiphany:

The man is walking down the street when he sees a dirty coin. He picks it up, thinking he’ll save a penny, and realizes it is only a game token from an arcade. At that moment, he realizes his money is no different—it is a game and a distraction to him. He realizes then that he should focus on more important things in life, such as love and companionship.

As is shown in the above example, both anagnorisis and epiphany result in a moment of revelation. Anagnorisis is due to a series of events related to the character’s revelation, whereas epiphany is due to a random occurrence.

VII.

In Closing

Characters are rooted in everyday life, but epiphanies allow them to rise above ordinary consciousness in order to have great revelations and realizations which drastically change their perspectives. The epiphany strengthens literary and creative pieces with moments of sudden clarity which can drastically change characters and their plots.

Epiphany — a celebration of the three kings | Explore | Awesome Activities & Fun Facts

(Janek Skarzynski/AFP/Getty Images)

Epiphany, also called Three Kings’ Day, Twelfth Day and Little Christmas, is a Christian holiday typically celebrated on January 6.

For some Christians, the feast celebrates the visit of the three kings — also known as the Magi or the Wise Men.

According to the Gospel of Matthew, the three men “from the east” followed a star across the desert to Bethlehem to meet the Baby Jesus and give him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

For other Christians, Epiphany is a celebration of the baptism of Jesus.

Pope Francis kisses a baby Jesus statue during Epiphany mass at the Vatican. (Stefano Rellandini/Reuters)

For many, it is a celebration of both, as epiphany means “revelation.” Both the visit of the Wise Men and his baptism “revealed” Jesus to be very important.

In Ethiopia, the “Timkat” festival, the Christian Orthodox celebration of Epiphany, celebrates Jesus’s baptism in the Jordan River. (Tiksa Negeri/Reuters)

How is it celebrated?

Epiphany is celebrated in many different ways by Catholics, Anglicans and Orthodox Christians all around the world.

But before we list all the ways Epiphany is observed, please keep in mind that this year’s celebrations will undergo some changes due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

“La Befana” is an imaginary old woman who brings gifts to children of Italy on the eve of Epiphany. (Manuel Silvestri/Reuters)

In Italy, La Befana is a national holiday so public offices and schools are closed. This year it also happens to be the last ‘red zone’ day during Italy’s lockdown.

Festival of the three magic kings

In Spain they throw a big festival called Fiesta de Los Tres Reyes Mages or Festival of the Three Magic Kings.

Children receive most of their Christmas presents on this day — delivered by the three kings, of course.

Candy and presents are tossed to kids by the Wise Men during the annual Epiphany parade in Spain. (Jon Nazca/Reuters)

This year many regions have cancelled the traditional parade. But the three kings will still arrive! In some areas they will be in solo balloon rides, convertible cars and virtual horseback riding. There won’t be any candy throwing into the crowds since physical distancing guidelines will be in effect.

And for those that decide to stay at home will see the Magi through video conferencing events, YouTube streams and television broadcasts.

Little wise men

In Poland, kids attend the Epiphany street parade that will feature singing and reenactments of the Nativity scene. (Janek Skarzynski/AFP/Getty Images)

Carol singing is a popular Epiphany tradition in both Poland and Portugal and Belgium. Children dress up as the wise men and go singing door-to-door for money or sweets — kind of like trick-or-treating!

Restrictions on mass gatherings will impact this year’s event.

A cross in the sea

In Greece it’s considered a special blessing if you retrieve the cross from the water during Epiphany. (Murad Sezer/Getty Images)

In Greek and Eastern Orthodox traditions, a priest will bless the waters by throwing a cross into the sea — whoever recovers it receives a special blessing from the church.

A Greek Orthodox community in Florida has set a limit on religious clergy and cross divers for this event. They have also encouraged the public to say home and stream the blessing in the safety of their homes. Mask wearing and physical distancing measures will be followed for those who do attend.

Are there any traditional foods?

Kids wait for a piece of traditional ‘Rosca de Reyes’ — Epiphany bread — in Mexico City. (Alfredo Estrella/Stringer/Getty Images)

In Spain, Mexico and France you might go to the local bakers and buy a special cake with a figure of a king, Baby Jesus or a toy crown baked inside.

A pastry chef prepares ‘Roscon de Reyes’ — Epiphany bread — in Spain. (Victor Fraille/Reuters)

If you get the slice with the figure inside, it will bring good luck for the coming year.

Place of Play in Our Spiritual Life – Epiphany Association

Observing the carefree play of children on a summer’s day awakens a sense of lost innocence in all of us. How is it that we have become so earnest about not wasting a minute and of equating time with money? No wonder the playful child living in us fades from view and the worker-bee leads the charge!

Breathtaking vistas might emerge at every turn, but we wear blinders that block our view. If we lose our capacity for play, we risk retarding growth in the life of the spirit and forfeiting the contemplative experience of presence to the Divine Presence.

When life becomes a task to be done, we minimize the leisure that lets us be. We make so many demands upon ourselves that we consign play to the clip board of functional accomplishment.

Given this emphasis on sheer functionalism, is it possible to resurrect the enchantment of childhood? Will this stressful state prevail or can we restore the rhythm between playfulness and spiritual living? Scripture reminds us of what has to occur:

People were bringing even infants to him that he might touch them; and when the disciples saw it, they sternly ordered them not to do it. But Jesus called for them and said,

“Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them, for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it” (Lk 18: 15-17).

The invitation to spiritual childhood does not detract from our duty to labor in the vineyard of the Lord. There is no reason to let useful accomplishments cancel the recreation we need to revitalize our energy.

The Sabbath Day encourages us to pray in Church and to play in the social hall! It reminds us to do the best we can and leave the rest to God. It readies us to face the challenges of life without placing undue pressure on ourselves.

If we keep our nose to the grindstone at a relentless pace, like the string on an archer’s bow that has grown too taut, we may soon snap. Play has a value in its own right, but in a work-oriented society its significance needs to be restored.

Far from diminishing our capacity to produce, play makes us more productive. It reveals the passing nature of our projects and prevents us from seeing their outcomes as ultimate. It alleviates us from suffering pangs of guilt in the face of inevitable failure.

Play eases the unrealistic demands we place upon ourselves; it is the seedbed of creative solutions. It is not the enemy of work; it is its undercurrent of excellence.

Instead of allowing the pile of unfinished work on our desk to depress us, we decide to take a walk in the park or play catch with the youngster next door. The spirit of play lets us return to the tasks at hand with renewed vigor.

While at play, unfinished plans and scattered pieces of information have time to incubate in our minds and imaginations; they mesh together like so many pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. New solutions to old problems present themselves for our evaluation. We gain a fresh outlook on the tasks at hand whenever doing for its own sake gives way to being carefree yet still full of care.

Once we experience how play enhances work, we may begin to initiate positive changes in our life as a whole. We are not as tense and anxious as we used to be. We are less impatient with ourselves and others. We temper our deadly serious attitude toward life.

It becomes clear to us that playfulness is impossible when we feel weighed down with worry and refuse to waste a minute.

Despite the benefits of play for our physical, emotional, and spiritual life, the achievement mentality might be so strong that we even turn periods of leisure, like a vacation, into another occasion for labor.

Play frees that part of our personality that lies deeper than our ability to accomplish a task. It gathers our whole self together in a way that is comparable to what happens when we pray.

Our prayers become more trusting the moment we give ourselves over to God’s care. It is not we who play but the Spirit who plays in us.

Play helps us to realize that we do not always have to be achievers. The game of life goes on under the guidance of God, however many setbacks we may have to endure. When we play before the face of the Father, we celebrate the abundant goodness that embraces us moment by moment. In our limits we detect hidden blessings.

In moments of playful surrender to the mystery in and around us, we sense in awe that the Lord himself is at play in the universe. As control and rigidity flow out of our system, we cast our care upon his shoulders. We let go of the burdens we place upon ourselves and become like little children who trust in the Lord to shelter us from any foe.

Our time on earth becomes a prelude to our journey homeward to God in the everlasting play of paradise.

“Parents commit a sin”: when is the best time to baptize children

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“Parents commit a sin”: when is the best time to baptize children

“Parents commit a sin”: when is the best time to baptize children – RIA Novosti, 09/20/2021

“Parents commit a sin”: when is the best time to baptize children

“He’s a child and doesn’t understand anything!” – these words of the ex-President of Ireland Mary McAlees caused heated debate among Christians.A consensus on how and when … RIA Novosti, 20.09.2021

2021-07-04T08: 00

2021-09-20T19: 07

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MOSCOW, July 4 – RIA Novosti, Oleg Bizinnik, “He’s a child and doesn’t understand anything!” – these words of the ex-President of Ireland Mary McAlees caused heated debate among Christians. There is still no consensus on how and when to perform an important ceremony for every believer. About the reasons for the disagreements and what the priests think about this – in the material of RIA Novosti.”They overslept the most important moment” As a rule, exorcism among people far from religion is associated with an enchanting exorcism of demons: with shouts, breaking glass and loud appeals to the Lord. At the same time, few people think that its elements are present in the sacrament of baptism and that demons are expelled in Orthodox churches almost every day. In reality, everything proceeds much more calmly: a couple of prayers and the signs of the cross. A person who wants to accept the faith of Christ publicly denies “Satan and all his works” three times. And then symbolically blows and spits on the evil one.After that, he undertakes to live according to Christian teaching. And most often babies take this vow – through their godparents. Which cannot but confuse some believers. So, the other day the ex-President of Ireland Mary McAlees said: a person, in fact, should understand what responsibility he takes on. Therefore, baptism in infancy is not a good idea. “Baptism is, in fact, an agreement between us and the Church. Violation of it can be punished. But many of us, when it was concluded, either slept or cried,” the convinced Catholic woman is indignant.Believers really disagree and cannot find an unambiguous answer even to seemingly basic questions: at what age should one be baptized? Can the same five-week-old child be considered a full-fledged member of the Church, which proclaims “free choice of faith?” The problem is that the first Christians did not have a tradition to be baptized in childhood. The introduction to the young religion was considered an extremely responsible matter. Therefore, they immersed themselves in the baptismal font mainly in adulthood. The logic is this: a person begins a “new life in Christ” and undertakes not to sin.And for breaking oaths, they were expelled from the community. To minimize such incidents, Christians established a special preparatory period. Those who wanted to accept the faith were declared “catechumens” and were given only half of the rights. For example, he could not receive communion, so about in the middle of the service he left the church. “With adults it is more and more difficult.” Over time, they began to baptize children as well. If the famous Roman emperor Constantine, who legalized Christianity, performed the sacrament practically on his deathbed, then his great-grandchildren plunged into the font at the age of five.”In fact, even during the time of the apostles, they were baptized in childhood. But a full-fledged practice took shape later. This, in addition to the historical, there is a theological explanation: baptism is the greatest gift that a person can receive in this life. It joins the divine nature, is liberated. from original sin and begins to live as a child of God “, – explains the general vicar of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of the Mother of God in Moscow, priest Kirill Gorbunov. Therefore, the Catholic Church, according to him, not only calls, but obliges parents to baptize their children in the first weeks of life.And if we are talking about a mortal threat, then without delay. “The situation with adults is much more complicated. For them there is a special order of Christian consecration. It takes about three years, during which a person must familiarize himself with the teachings of the Church, the life of the church community, and so on. “, – emphasizes the clergyman. A breakdown of tradition But with the Orthodox, everything is not so simple. There is simply no single rule for when to baptize. Therefore, believers decide for themselves. Basically, of course, they follow tradition – they undergo a ceremony in childhood.According to VTsIOM, almost 70 percent of Orthodox Russians were baptized by decision of their parents or relatives. The rest accepted faith in Christ on their own, in adulthood. Those who believe that the sacrament should be performed consciously, more and more – now 34 percent of believers. a child under ten or twelve years of age. I just baptized several of these children just yesterday, “says the well-known church publicist, Archpriest Maxim Pervozvansky.The fact is that the Christian doctrine emphasizes the importance of free choice: a person must come to faith on his own, without anyone’s compulsion. From the point of view of the canons, the priest clarifies, “church maturity” occurs at the age of 12, and a person can be baptized “without asking parents about it.” On the other hand, there is a centuries-old practice of baptizing a child during the first five months of life. “If this did not happen without a good reason, the parents are committing a sin,” the priest notes. “At the same time, one tradition claims that the sacrament can be performed on the fortieth day after birth, the other even on the eighth. ”The goal is simple: to baptize the child so that later he can receive communion and pray for him during the liturgy. For the unbaptized, according to the canons, prayers are not performed. “Therefore, I personally believe that a child should be baptized in infancy. Of course, in the future a person will often face crisis moments. He may become an atheist or change his faith, and then return to Orthodoxy again.” However, for such cases, according to him, there is a confession. The believer does it only at a conscious age – from the age of seven.That is why most Orthodox priests advise to baptize children as early as possible.

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MOSCOW, July 4 – RIA Novosti, Oleg Nalisnik, Nikita Bizin. “He’s a child and doesn’t understand anything!” – these words of the ex-President of Ireland Mary McAlees caused heated debate among Christians. There is still no consensus on how and when to perform an important ceremony for every believer. About the reasons for the disagreements and what the priests think about this – in the material of RIA Novosti.

“We overslept the most important moment”

As a rule, exorcism among people far from religion is associated with enchanting exorcism of demons: with shouts, breaking glass and loud appeals to the Lord.At the same time, few people think that its elements are present in the sacrament of baptism and that demons are expelled in Orthodox churches almost every day.

In reality, everything proceeds much more calmly: a couple of prayers and the signs of the cross. A person who wants to accept the faith of Christ publicly denies “Satan and all his works” three times. And then symbolically blows and spits on the evil one. After that, he undertakes to live according to Christian teaching.

And most often babies take this oath – through their godparents.Which cannot but confuse some believers. So, the other day the ex-President of Ireland Mary McAlees said: a person, in fact, should understand what responsibility he takes on. Therefore, baptism in infancy is not a good idea.

“Baptism is, in fact, an agreement between us and the Church. Violation of it can be punished. But many of us, when it was concluded, either slept or cried,” the convinced Catholic woman is indignant.

Believers really disagree and cannot find an unambiguous answer even to seemingly basic questions: at what age should one be baptized? Can the same five-week-old child be considered a full member of the Church that proclaims “free choice of faith”?

The problem is that the first Christians did not have a tradition to be baptized in childhood.The introduction to the young religion was considered an extremely responsible matter. Therefore, they immersed themselves in the baptismal font mainly in adulthood. The logic is this: a person begins a “new life in Christ” and undertakes not to sin. And for breaking the oaths they were expelled from the community.

To minimize such incidents, Christians have established a special preparatory period. Those who wanted to accept the faith were declared “catechumens” and were given only half of the rights. For example, he could not receive communion, so about the middle of the service he left the church.

“It is more and more difficult with adults”

Over time, they began to baptize children as well. If the famous Roman emperor Constantine, who legalized Christianity, performed the sacrament practically on his deathbed, then his great-grandchildren plunged into the font at the age of five.

“In fact, even during the time of the apostles, they were baptized in childhood. But a full-fledged practice took shape later. Besides the historical, there is a theological explanation for this: baptism is the greatest gift that a person can receive in this life. He joins the divine nature, frees himself from original sin and begins to live as a child of God, “explains the general vicar of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of the Mother of God in Moscow, priest Kirill Gorbunov. to baptize children in the first weeks of life. And if we are talking about a mortal threat – then without delay.

“The situation with adults is much more complicated. For them there is a special order of Christian initiation.It takes about three years, during which a person must familiarize himself with the teachings of the Church, the life of the church community, and so on, “the priest emphasizes. Therefore, believers decide it themselves. Basically, of course, they follow tradition – they undergo a ceremony in childhood. According to VTsIOM, almost 70 percent of Orthodox Russians were baptized by decision of their parents or relatives.The rest accepted faith in Christ on their own, in adulthood.

September 14, 15:49

How to be baptized correctly for Orthodox Christians: history, rules and mistakes

Those who believe that the sacrament should be performed deliberately, more and more – now 34 percent of believers.

“Recently, quite often situations have arisen when parents, being believers, postpone the baptism of a child until the age of ten or twelve. I just baptized several such children yesterday,” says the famous church publicist Archpriest Maxim Pervozvansky.

The fact is that the Christian doctrine emphasizes the importance of free choice: a person must come to faith on his own, without anyone’s compulsion. From the point of view of the canons, the priest clarifies, “the church’s majority” comes at the age of 12, and a person can be baptized “without asking his parents about it.”

On the other hand, there is a centuries-old practice of baptizing a child during the first five months of life. “If this did not happen without a good reason, the parents are committing a sin,” the priest notes.“At the same time, one tradition claims that the sacrament can be performed on the fortieth day after birth, the other even on the eighth.”

The goal is simple: to baptize the child so that later he can receive communion and pray for him during the liturgy. , according to the canons, are not performed.

“Therefore, personally, I believe that a child should be baptized in infancy. Of course, in the future, a person will often face crisis moments. He can become an atheist or change his faith and then return to Orthodoxy again. “

However, for such cases, according to him, there is a confession. The believer does it only at a conscious age – from the age of seven. That is why most Orthodox priests advise to baptize children as early as possible. February 12, 08:00

Estimated reading time: 12 minutes.

The Sacrament of Baptism has a very strange, at first glance, definition: “Baptism is a Sacrament in which the believer, when the body is immersed in water three times with the call of God the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, dies for a carnal, sinful life and is reborn by the Holy Spirit into spiritual life , holy “.What happens to a person when he leaves the baptismal font, and how does he differ from his unbaptized brothers? What does Baptism fundamentally change in a person?

When I am asked what the Sacrament of Baptism is, I answer briefly: “This is the Sacrament of spiritual birth. ” All of us were once born of earthly parents. But Christ says: you must be born again. Above means from Heaven, from God.

Before us, if we are baptized in adulthood, and in front of the baby, whom we hold in our arms and are going to baptize, there is a font filled with water.This is the “womb” of the Church, which gives birth to a person into a new, heavenly life. How can this be explained? Every time I turn to people who have come to be baptized, I am shy because I am afraid not to find words that express the mystery of Baptism. Because it is a Sacrament. And the very word – a sacrament – indicates a secret. This is something that we can understand only in the smallest measure.

A sacrament is performed, outwardly very earthly, with out-of-date rituals, over which one can smile: they smear oil from a bubble, blow on water, dip… But at the moment of Baptism, something mysterious, inexpressible happens. Man enters into communion with God, joins Him. The moment of Baptism is the moment of spiritual birth.

Baptism is not a formal membership in any society or party, Baptism is an entry into a new experience of life – life with God. The fact that they are Christians does not oblige many people to do anything. Children are baptized so that the child is less ill, life is more successful … But baptism does not save a person from the troubles of earthly life, does not guarantee health, financial and family well-being, does not increase life expectancy, and, finally, it does not save him from physical death.Health, business are the categories of this life, temporary, earthly. And the Lord, first of all, cares not about His child having everything in abundance, but about the fact that his soul does not forget about the heavenly Motherland, so that His son or daughter will be open to the eternal.

Anyone can be baptized. And the paradox of the Church Sacraments (including Baptism) is that with whatever intention a person approaches them, unless he accepts the Sacraments by force, they are still performed, they are valid and objective.

But for a person himself it is important with what disposition of soul he approaches the Sacrament. It will be beautiful for him, but nothing in his life that changes nothing, or an event of spiritual rebirth, Easter of the soul.

The first Christians understood this very well, and sometimes it took them several years to prepare for the Sacrament of Baptism! The man was unbaptized, but he was not forbidden to pray, attend some services, study the basics of faith. By this he showed that his intentions are really serious, that for him Baptism is the most important event in his life.

As a priest, many people come to me with the desire to be baptized. I ask what led to this decision, and I hear a variety of answers. And I am happy when they say that they want to start a new life, bright, pure, of God.

It happens that they come to be baptized for completely different reasons: “I want to baptize my child so that he is healthy,” or “well, we are Russians, so we must be baptized. ” In this case, I explain that Baptism is something else, not a guarantee of protection and patronage from God, not an element of Russian national culture.But there are also those who approach the baptismal font with a still unformed faith, but with a feeling that after the Sacrament something should happen: “I cannot explain to myself the meaning of Baptism, but I believe and know that I need it, that after this will change my relationship with God. ” The task of the priest is to explain what the life of a Christian is, what God will require from a newly baptized one. And if a person is ready to take a step into faith, I baptize him.

And more about preparation for Baptism. Both a small child and an adult who are preparing to enter the Church need successors (otherwise, godparents).In ancient times, successors, chosen from people known for their piety and virtuous life, were sureties for the person who wanted to be baptized. The successors brought such a person to the bishop for a conversation, instructed in the foundations of the Christian life. At the time of the performance of the Sacrament, they helped their godson get out of the font – they received it from the font, therefore they were called successors.

Becoming a godfather is honorable and joyful, on the other hand, it is very responsible. First of all, this means that every day until his death, the godfather will pray for his godson or daughter, as for his own child.To become a companion on the path to God, to teach prayer and the basics of spiritual life, to wake up with a phone call on Sunday morning – get up, today we are going to church! – these are the duties of a real godfather. What can a godfather, far from religious life, indifferent to questions of faith, teach ?. Let him just remain your friend or girlfriend, but does not take on such a great spiritual responsibility, does not become a successor. It is worth considering that the godfather will be held accountable before God for each of his godchildren.The sins of the godson, committed because the godfather did not teach, did not instruct, did not warn, fall on the godfather. But the spiritual success of a person living in faith extends to his godfather.

If there are no people who can become good spiritual counselors, people who have experience of Christian life, the baptism of an adult can be performed without godparents.

The Sacrament begins with … the casting out of the devil. Whether we like it or not, any person, especially an unbaptized person, is influenced by the enemy of the human race – the devil.Darkness and despair in the soul, vicious desires that have no strength to resist, these are the fruits of this influence.

Baptism unites a person with God, opens up prospects for deliverance from sins, sanctification … But first you need to break with Satan, get rid of his power. An appeal to the devil at the beginning of the Rite of Baptism is called “prohibition”. The priest does not ask the devil, but commands him by the name of God, forbids touching the baptized one.

“The devil! The Lord, who has come into the world and settled among people, drives you out. The Lord will crush your tormenting yoke and liberate the human race! .. I conjure you, devil, to the one who walked on the sea, as if on dry land, who commands the storms, whose gaze penetrates the depths and from whose words the mountains melt; He conjures you, the devil, with my lips. Frightened, go out, get away from this creation irrevocably and never return. Go out and do not hide, do not meet, do not tempt this person either night or day … Get out into the underworld until the Day of Judgment … I conjure you, Satan: go out and leave this creature with all your army and all your angels… “(the prayers are given in the Russian translation, but the Sacrament is performed in the Church Slavonic language).

Listening to prayers, those who are baptized stand facing east. The East in ancient times was considered the side of the world, God. The sun rises from the east. According to the biblical story, it was in the east that the Garden of Eden – Eden – was planted … All Orthodox churches are oriented with the altar to the east. The West, on the other hand, was considered a side of the dark forces. Denying Satan, the baptized person turns his face to the west, as if he is looking at Satan.He also looks at the question of the priest: “Do you renounce Satan, all his works, all his angels, and all his ministry, and all his pride?” resolutely replies: “I renounce!”

What does a man who has come to God renounce? There are only four concepts: works, angels, service and pride of Satan.

Works: we renounce all the godless works of the devil and promise that we will only do the works of God. Theft, deception, meanness, hypocrisy, cruelty, fornication, greed … All these are demonic deeds.

Angels: Here we are talking about the renunciation of the angels of darkness, from the demons, which in ancient times (and, alas, today too) people loved to call for help. Turning to psychics, sorcerers and healers is a search for help on the side, outside of God, outside the Church. But for a Christian, turning to otherworldly forces bypassing God seems inconceivable.

In the Jordan River, at the place where John the Baptist baptized Jesus Christ himself, there are always many who want to perform the Sacrament. Photo by ITAR-TASS

From now on, a person will be led through life by Christ, and only He.Our life is in His and only His hand.

Service: This renunciation continues the theme of breaking with the occult and magic in all its forms. The original meaning of the word service (Greek latria) is the veneration of other gods, the offering of sacrifices to idols. For a modern person, these idols often become not magic, but something else: power, money, pleasure, or something else that takes God’s place in his heart.

Pride: Originally the word rompi, translated here as pride, meant a triumphal, solemn procession in honor of pagan holidays or gods.In more recent times, the word rompi came to mean luxury, a pagan lavish celebration. Christians have renounced exactly this: from pagan celebrations, the bacchanalia of demonic rituals and mysteries, the celebration of demons. The ancient world boasted of rich spectacles, entertainment industries and sophisticated fun. For the ancient Christians, all this was nothing more than earthly vanity, leading to the death of the soul.

These denials end with a characteristic and expressive gesture: the one who denies blows and spits on Satan.

After renouncing the devil, man again turns to the east, towards God.Now he needs to be told what he came to be baptized for. The priest asks the question “Are you in harmony with Christ?” What is the meaning of this question? A combination is a tight connection. The Sacrament of Baptism gives a person a unique experience – divine sonship. From now on, God is no longer a distant and unknowable cosmic Sovereign, but a Father. To the question of the priest, the person answers: “I combine.” The priest asks another important question, “Do you believe Him?” The answer is: “I believe Him as King and God.” Why is this question important? Christianity is not a set of moral commandments, beautiful temples and a great culture. Christianity is Jesus Christ, and the attitude towards Christianity depends on the answer to the question: Who is He? Christians believe that Christ is God made man. If you do not believe in this, only a beautiful wrapper remains of Christianity, devoid of any meaning.

After the confession of Jesus Christ by God, the baptized (or his godfather) read the Symbol of Faith – a prayer, which succinctly sets out the foundations of the Christian Orthodox faith.

Naturally, a person must seriously and consciously both deny Satan, unite with Christ, and confess his faith.But what about the baptism of an infant, who not only does not understand what is happening to him, but does not even know how to speak? In this case, the godparents and parents answer all the questions of the priest.

After the confession of faith, Baptism itself begins immediately. First, the priest performs the rite of blessing the water in the font. Then he plunges the baptized person into the font three times with the words:

Baptized servant of God (servant of God):
(name)
in the name of the Father, amen.
and the Son, amen.
and the Holy Spirit, amen.

Do you not know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? – asks the apostle Paul. The holy fathers of antiquity compared the baptismal font to … a coffin. As we plunge into the waters of Baptism, we die to our former life. Threefold immersion means three days of Christ’s stay in the tomb.

But we know what happened next: after three days of Christ’s presence in the bosom of death – He was resurrected!

So we also rise from the baptismal font, regenerated for a new life.Truly, Baptism is not only, as we called it above, the Sacrament of spiritual birth, it is also the Sacrament of the resurrection of our soul! We were buried with Him by baptism into death, so that, as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we also can walk in a renewed life. For if we are united with Him in the likeness of His death, we must also be united in the likeness of the resurrection . .. (Rom. 6: 4-5). That is why in ancient times baptism was performed on Easter, and in Jerusalem the Sacrament was performed in the Church of the Resurrection of Christ.

After leaving the font, a Christian is put on a pectoral cross.The newly-baptized one is symbolically tonsured, men and boys are led into the main part of the temple – the altar, women and girls worship the Lord in front of the Royal Doors.

The baptism was completed. The spiritual birth of a new person took place. However, immediately after the three times immersion in the font, after the Christian was put on the pectoral cross, another Sacrament is performed in the Orthodox Church. It is called Confirmation. Outwardly, it is done very quickly and simply – the forehead, eyes, nostrils, lips, ears, chest, arms, legs of the newly baptized are smeared with some kind of “oil” with the words: “The seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit.”Therefore, many people do not even know that another great Sacrament of the Church has taken place. What happens during Confirmation? More on this next time.

Can I be baptized again?

The question of the uniqueness of Baptism has been resolved unequivocally: it is unique. Nevertheless, in the life of the modern Russian Church, situations constantly arise related to the era in which we live. For example, a woman of about forty comes to the priest and says: “I don’t remember whether I was baptized or not.My grandmother said that she seemed to baptize when I was little, she died, and my mother does not know anything about it. What do i do?” On the one hand, the Church Sacraments are objective, and Baptism remains Baptism, even if this woman does not remember anything. On the other hand, what if the grandmother got something wrong, what if the woman was not baptized? Each such situation requires a very careful, informal approach and a separate conversation with the priest …

Sometimes one hears the following question: “Father, if a child was baptized by a not very worthy priest or was baptized by pouring it over. ”What to do, really the second time to be baptized? Has the Baptism taken place? ” Both parents and godparents of a baby first need to look at themselves, at their own dignity. But the answer to this question is unequivocal: yes, the Sacrament was completed. Unfortunately, there are few holy people. Among the clergy there are many honest and decent people, but not saints, sometimes there are not very worthy people. Moreover, the reality and effectiveness of the Sacraments of the Church does not depend on the moral state of the priests who perform them.

At the same time – not everything is so simple.In the deepest sense, any Sacrament is an action performed by the entire Church, therefore, not only the priest, but the entire Church, that is, all Christians, is responsible for its performance. And here we find ourselves in a dual situation. On the one hand, Baptism performed by an unworthy priest is effective, real, and we believe that when a child grows up, he will not suffer damage in his spiritual life.

On the other hand, everyone who came into contact with this situation and involved in it will be responsible before God for it.Parents should be able to choose the best for their child. After all, it depends on us that the Sacrament is performed by a good priest and properly. And if there is no such desire, if this is the result of some negligence on the part of both the priest, and the parents, and the godparents, then there will be damage to the spiritual life of the child. Not because the Sacrament is flawed, but because the neglect of the Sacrament, that is, blasphemy, performed next to the child, sooner or later may have an effect on him.

There are different practices for performing the Sacrament of Baptism .According to church rules, a person must completely, head first, plunge into the font three times. If this is not possible, the priest can put the baptized person in the baptismal font and pour it three times. In special cases (illness or extreme situation that threatens human life), they can simply sprinkle three times. In all three cases, Baptism is valid.

In some Orthodox churches, grandmothers at counter , where candles are sold, say that a mother cannot be present at Epiphany. This is a wild superstition.Baptism is the greatest moment in a child’s life that can only be compared to birth. What would you say if a mother chased her own child out of childbirth? Never, in any church rule or document, the Church did not say that a mother should not be present at Baptism. However, there is a rule that for forty days after childbirth, until a special prayer of thanksgiving is read, a woman does not enter the temple. Therefore, when a child is baptized before forty days, then the mother is not present at the Christening, but if Baptism is performed later, then she must be with the child.

On the splash screen fragment of the photo 白士李 /www.flickr.com

Photos:

(1) ITAR-TASS / Nikolay Semakov
(2) ITAR-TASS / A. Semekhin

90,000 history, traditions, symbols of the holiday, a recipe for honey sacrum.

Baptism is one of the 12 major Christian holidays. According to the Gospel, on this day Jesus Christ was baptized in the Jordan River. In folk traditions, Christmastide ends on Epiphany.

“Baptism” from Greek means “immersion in water”.In the first century, in the waters of the Jordan River, John the Baptist performed this sacrament. The preacher called people to repentance and washed away sins, cleansing them from filth. Jesus Christ also came to the bank of the sacred river. During the sacrament, the Holy Spirit descended on the Savior in the form of a dove. As the Gospel narrates, a heavenly voice proclaimed: this man is the Son of the Lord, who brings His will to the world. Therefore, the feast of Epiphany is also called the Epiphany and is associated with water – consecration in temples and immersion in the font.

The evening on the eve of the holiday – Epiphany Eve – gathered the whole family together. According to Russian traditions, after a lean meal, spoons were put into a common bowl and covered with bread in the hope of a rich harvest. Preparation for the holiday was not complete without superstitions. It was customary among the people to draw crosses over the door, windows and even the stove damper in order to protect their home from evil spirits.

Girls on the Epiphany night bewitched on the betrothed, even though it was a sin to guess on the eve of such a big holiday. But the morning was certainly greeted with prayer. According to legend, the sky in the predawn hours was opened to the most intimate requests.

The main symbol of this holiday is water. It is believed that all the water on the night of Epiphany becomes miraculous: whether it be a river in an ice hole or snow in an open field. Back in 387, Archbishop John Chrysostom of Constantinople wrote about the properties of the water consecrated in Baptism:

“Christ was baptized and consecrated the nature of waters, and therefore on the feast of Baptism, everyone, having drawn water at midnight, brings it home and keeps it all year round. And so the water in its essence does not deteriorate from the continuation of time, gleaned now, for a whole year, and often for two, and three years, remains fresh and intact … “

these are the sacrum.Ritual cookies in each province were baked in their own way. Somewhere these are cakes with a cross applied, but mostly – two strips of dough that formed a cross.

“Crosses – special cookies, with an almond flavor, crumbly and sweet; where the diameters of the “cross” lie – raspberries from jam are pressed in, as if nailed with carnations. So from time immemorial they baked … “

On the eve of Epiphany, the mothers of the family baked the sacrum – as a rule, thinking about the welfare of the household. Smooth cookies without flaws promised an easy and prosperous year, cracks promised difficulties.The cross will not be baked or burned – there will be a disease. The failed cookies were crumbled to the birds, warding off trouble.

Sacrament of Baptism | History | Procedure

The Sacrament of Baptism is one of the most ancient Sacraments, and one of three, symbolizing the spiritual rebirth of a person. Details in the article!

The sacrament of Baptism – what is it?

The Sacrament of Baptism is one of the 7 Sacraments of the Orthodox Church .This is one of the most ancient Sacraments, and one of 3 (in addition to Eucharist and Marriage ), symbolizing the spiritual rebirth of a person, his birth into a new life and beginning with the priest’s exclamation “Blessed Kingdom . ..”.

Baptism is the first Sacrament with which the Church greets people who come to God . Entry into the Church, the salvation of one’s soul and communion with Eternal Life is possible through the Sacraments, the “pass” for participation in which is the first Sacrament in a person’s spiritual life – Baptism.Baptism is accepted not in order not to get sick, in order to have success in life, to get rid of troubles, but in order to have Eternal Life in God.

Baptism before Christ

Baptism, in Greek “baptisma”, means “immersion in water”. The practice of water diving itself is very ancient – much more ancient than Christian baptism.

Even in the Old Testament Church there was a practice of water diving, although in it they had a completely different meaning than in the New Testament.According to the Old Testament ordinance, any Jew, after any desecration that happened to him, had to perform a special water ablution – “mikvah”. In addition, when the Gentiles, who believed in the true God, wanted to join the Old Testament Church, it was not customary for them to be circumcised; for them there was a different, special way of joining the Church. The Old Testament Church confessed the national exclusivity, the chosen people of God, and therefore in full did not allow anyone to join itself except the sons of the chosen people.For those among the pagans who believed, there were water immersions, which were for them the way of entering the Church. Such people were called “gateway proselytes”, or else – “those who fear God.”

Baptism of John and Baptism of Christ

A completely new development and fulfillment of Baptism in the New Testament was given by the holy prophet John the Baptist. Saint John the Baptist also baptized Jews in the waters of Jordan, the baptism of John and Christian baptism are two different baptisms. John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance, although at the same time it did not free a person from the source of all sins – the original sin.Christian baptism gives forgiveness of all sins, renews a person.

John’s baptism was a preparatory one for each person who accepted it for a personal meeting with Christ, for the acceptance of the Messiah desired by the Jews. At the time of John’s baptism, a person, entering the water, confessed his sins, which is why it is called “the baptism of repentance.” The only one who entered the water and did not stay in it was the sinless God-man Jesus Christ. John urged those who received his baptism to become clean, because among them was already, was the One who came to redeem them and with whom they were to meet.So, through the baptism of John, a person had to prepare for an encounter with Christ, who had just come into the world, having entered into battle with Satan and sin. Christian baptism is the baptism of the Holy Spirit; it gives absolutely new gifts, which are a consequence of the victory over the devil already won by Christ, the resurrection with Christ, new life, new spiritual birth. The same baptism as John’s was the baptism of the apostles, performed by them even before the Resurrection of Christ.

Only after Pentecost does a new, Christian Baptism manifest itself in the New Testament Church. The book of Acts of the Apostles cites the words of the Lord, Who Himself says about this: “ John baptized with water, and you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit a few days after that ” (Acts 1, 5).

Establishment of Baptism

It is known about the establishment of Baptism from the Gospel of Matthew: “ … all authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. So go, teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded you; and behold, I am with you all the days until the end of the age ”(28, 18-20).The New Testament understanding of the spiritual meaning of Baptism is described in chapter 3 of the Gospel of John: “. … truly, truly, I say to you: unless someone is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God “(3, 5). The theological meaning of the Sacrament of Christian Baptism has always been understood by the Church in the same way: as Baptism in the Name of the Most Holy Trinity and Baptism in the image of the death and Resurrection of Christ, performed for the sake of deliverance from original sin and for the forgiveness of personal sins. Baptism is not just a moral change that happens to a person.In addition, Baptism becomes a new birth by water and the Holy Spirit for the Kingdom of God. A person who was previously outside of God and therefore did not actually possess genuine – spiritual – being (after all, there can be no real life outside of God), although he lived as flesh, but in fact was spiritually “not being”, is truly born, spiritually created in the baptismal font.

To receive Baptism, every person who accepts this Sacrament needs two most important qualities, feelings, states of mind: faith and repentance.

Baptism in the church understanding is by no means a private requirement, as it is often perceived today. In the ancient Church they baptized on the most solemn days of the year, on the most significant Christian holidays: Baptism itself was then for believers their most important and universal church holiday. The newly baptized people, dressed in white robes, solemnly walked to the main cathedral, where they first approached the Eucharistic cup; at the same time, the whole community prayed and waited for them to come from the baptismal church.

Infant Baptism Problem

One of the ancient Orthodox traditions is the custom to baptize people in infancy. Thanks to Baptism, a person enters into a completely different than before, a deep and personal relationship with God – a relationship of fidelity, obedience and love. All this, of course, requires a person’s free effort. God never saves a person without the free will of the person himself. At the same time, a person has the right even to a terrible and responsible choice: to live with God or outside of God.

But isn’t the Baptism of infants, who are not yet capable of meaningful actions, of free choice, of logical decisions, a violation of the freedom of choice given to man by the Creator Himself? A little man enters into an alliance with Christ, enters the Church, and at the same time, from the point of view of Protestants, it turns out that his parents and godparents forcefully impose all this on him against his will – after all, he is still completely unreasonable. Protestants resent this approach; they believe that Baptism should be conscious.

The Orthodox view differs from the Baptist view primarily in that babies can be baptized according to the faith of their parents. In the New Testament, there are references to the Baptism of whole houses: the house of the centurion Cornelius, the house of the jailer. All these Baptisms were performed at the will of the head of the house. Home is a family, and, most likely, there could be small children. Protestants object to this New Testament argument, saying that children in these homes may or may not have been: after all, even slaves were included in the ancient concept of “home”.

It can also be said that in the Old Testament, circumcision served as a type of Baptism, which was just performed on infants.

Strictly speaking, Protestants’ objections to Infant Baptism boil down to two statements: God saves a person only by the free will and aspiration of the person himself, and a baby cannot make an independent decision; a person can partake of Divine grace only by making a conscious, reasonable choice of life in Christ, and the baby is still small and therefore devoid of reason.

Protestants do not admit the thought that God can forgive a person’s sins through the prayer of his brothers in Christ, save him through the faith of others: heal – yes, provide grace-filled support – yes, but – not save, not forgive him sins. The question here, strictly speaking, is not even whether babies can be baptized. It is formulated by the Protestants much more broadly: can the sins of one person be forgiven by the faith of another? And if they really can forgive, as the Orthodox say, then this will mean that the Baptism of infants, performed according to the faith of the parents, can be allowed in the Church, and that in this Baptism the infant, like any other adult, is freed from original sin. …

An episode with the healing of a paralytic, whom people close to him, having dismantled the roof of the house where the Savior was at that time, lowered to the Lord on ropes, here Christ, seeing their faith, not only heals the paralyzed from his physical ailment, but also forgives him what he has done in the past sins, clearly shows us that it is by the faith of other people, and not only by the faith of one paralytic, that the Lord forgave him sins. This means that the Lord can free from sins by faith those close to him not only this gospel relaxed, but also many other people, including – to cleanse from original sin by faith of parents and baptized babies.

As already mentioned, Protestants also say that a person must accept Christ freely and consciously, making his consistent and reasonable choice. And here one more question arises: can a child feel the grace of God and somehow perceive it, being, due to his age, still deprived of the ability to make logical judgments, to unite with Christ, without making a reasonably conscious choice of the path of Christian life? In connection with this problem, there is another very important episode in the Holy Scriptures: the visit of the Mother of God to Her relative Elizabeth.It was then that the unborn baby John – the future John the Baptist, sensing the presence of the Lord who was in the womb of Mary, leaped in the womb of his mother. This baby was not yet capable of reasonably comprehending, realizing what was happening, but he had already perceived, felt the presence and action of Divine grace. We can say the same about any baptized infant: even if he still cannot understand Christ, assimilate His teaching, he is able to accept His grace-filled gifts with joyful simplicity; after all, the soul of every person, from his very birth, is by nature a Christian.

History and Order of the Sacraments of Baptism

It has developed in the Church that her two Sacraments – Baptism and Confirmation, as a single and indissoluble path of a Christian to life in the Holy Spirit, represent a common rite. Here, the Orthodox practice of performing these two Sacraments is fundamentally different from the Catholic practice (Confirmation is called confirmation there), where these Sacraments are separated from each other for the person who receives them for many years.

In the Orthodox Trebnik, the ordinance of Baptism is preceded by a number of other short ordinances. Firstly, these are “prayers on the first day, after the child has always given birth to his wife”; that is, the church prayer for the salvation of a person already begins to be performed from the very moment of the birth of a child. Here prayers are read for both the mother and the baby.

Then, in the Book of Essays, there follows a prayer “in the hedgehog to appoint the child, who accepts the name on the most important day of his birth”. In the Old Testament Church, the baby was circumcised on the eighth day, and on the fortieth day it was brought by the mother to the temple.In the New Testament Church, in a likeness to this, on the eighth day after birth, the baby is given a name. The first prayer in the succession is the prayer of giving a Christian name, which is already given to the child, although he has not yet been baptized; here the troparion of the Presentation is read, because this order is related to the event of the Presentation of the Lord.

Further in the Book of E, there are “prayers to the wife of the mother in childbirth for fourty days.” On the fortieth day, prayers are read for the cleansing of the mother and for the churching of the child.The moment of Baptism itself has changed at different times and in different local churches. Now in the Russian Church, in accordance with the established tradition, babies are baptized most often on the fortieth day. In the old days, it was not so: then they baptized on the eighth day, and it was from here that the custom arose for a mother not to be present at the christening of her child, since a mother until the fortieth day, before reading cleansing prayers over her, has no right to enter the temple. Strictly speaking, there are no canons that would generally forbid the mother to be in the temple during Epiphany.And if the fortieth day after the birth of the child has already come, if the priest read a cleansing prayer over her, she certainly has the right to be present at the Baptism of her baby.

There is another special “prayer to the wife always erupts the baby” in the Trebnik. This prayer applies only to those circumstances when some kind of accident has happened to a woman and her unborn child, which does not depend on her conscious actions aimed at getting rid of this child in one way or another. It is clear that this prayer has nothing to do with cases of abortion. Before reading this prayer, the priest must confess the mother and find out if there was any frivolous and irresponsible attitude on her part to her fetus, which led her to a miscarriage, and whether there was her fault here. And if it turns out that she is to blame for something, the priest no longer reads this prayer, since this woman has committed a sin that can only be overcome through Confession.

Further in the Book of Hebrews there is “a prayer in the hedgehog to create the catechumens”, followed by the entire rite of catechumens.Proclamation is an ordinance that immediately precedes Baptism; this is a separate rite, which has as its purpose to prepare a person for Baptism: to free him from the power of Satan and to accept him into the heritage of the Church, into the heritage of Christ.

The succession, which is today in the Trebnik e, was formed as a whole by the X century in Byzantium and from there passed to Russia.

For a person who received Baptism, according to the ancient custom, only one recipient (godfather) was needed: for a man – a man, for a woman – a woman (in accordance with the 22nd rule of the I Ecumenical Council).Such a recipient was called in Greek “anadehomenos”, i.e. “Guarantor for the debtor.” This is a legal term: every person is, as it were, a “debtor” of God, and the recipient is vouched for him. But the custom of having two godparents is a Russian tradition that has spread only since the XIV century.

It should be remembered that the Sacrament of Baptism is the only Sacrament of the Church that can be performed not only by a priest, but also by any layman under some extreme everyday circumstances (for example, with the threat of death of a nearby person who wants to receive this Sacrament, or over a dying unbaptized baby).To accomplish it, a layman will need water, and it will also be necessary to pronounce (when the baptized person is immersed in it three times, or when he is sprinkled three times) all the same baptismal words. Then, if this dying person still remains alive, the Sacrament of Baptism performed over him will need to complete the Sacrament of Confirmation, which the priest will have to carry out …

There is an ancient tradition (from the 2nd-3rd centuries) to dress a newly-baptized person in white clothes. In liturgical liturgical texts and patristic writings, these robes are called a shining robe, a royal robe, an incorruptible robe.They symbolize spiritual purity and righteousness, the communion of the “newborn” Christian with Divine grace.

A cross is also placed on the newly baptized Christian. A person who comes out of the font and is dressed in white robes is presented with a candle, testifying to the kindled light of faith that now dwells in his soul, and to the glory of the future life to which he is called.

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90,000 Baptism: myths and truth, the opinion of a priest – People

Baptism is one of the sacraments of the Orthodox Church. It is performed on a person only once in a lifetime. Many myths and legends are associated with this important church rite. The rector of St. Nicholas Church, priest Alexy Surikov spoke about the most common of them, as well as about the age at which it is better to baptize a child, how many godparents should be, what responsibility they bear and whether they can be changed.

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– More and more often we hear the opinion that children do not need to be baptized in infancy, at the age of 18 they will choose their own religion.Is it really?

– Maybe so, but I can’t imagine such a discussion in Orthodox families. Using the example of the parish of St. Nicholas Church, where I serve, I can say that the number of families who undergo public talks before the baptism of a child is steadily growing.

– It is believed that if a child is seriously ill or in danger, then an urgent need to baptize. Sometimes, in this case, a simplified baptism is performed at home.If after this the child survived, is it necessary to carry out the rite of baptism according to the full rank, or is it enough to carry out the missing ritual actions?

– Correctly. If a child is born weak and sick, he is baptized immediately. In the book of rites of Orthodox sacraments and rituals “Trebnik” there is a follow-up “Prayer of Holy Baptisms in Brief …”. In this case, any baptized Orthodox Christian can baptize, even a mother, even a nurse in a maternity hospital. And when the baby survived and got stronger, then it is necessary to bring him to the temple in order to complete the sacrament of Baptism.

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– Can you change your mind and be baptized? And where will this lead?

– In one of the most important Christian prayers – “The Symbol of Faith” there are the words “I confess one baptism . ..”, therefore, no, you cannot be baptized.

– Should a baptized person really have two godparents of different sex? They also say that they should not be married and cannot marry in the future.

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– The ancient tradition of recipients implies that there is only one recipient, he is the godfather of a person. For boys, the recipient is a man, for girls, a woman. In the tradition of the Russian Orthodox Church, parents most often choose two people for their child – a godfather and a godmother. But this is a folk tradition that does not belong to the canons of the Church. Accordingly, such godparents will be husband and wife, but, I repeat, from a canonical point of view.A person has only one recipient.

– How many times can you become a godfather?

– In principle, there are no indications in this regard. For example, the Georgian Patriarch Iliya II has more than 27,000 godchildren.

– Can parents change godparents for a child?

– No, no matter how much some would like, you cannot change godparents. But if the godparents do not pay at all attention to the spiritual life of their godchildren, then no one bothers to find a person who is more experienced in the spiritual life who will help the child grow in the Orthodox faith.

– Should a godfather only pray for his godchildren? Is it also his responsibility to take them to church, or is it the task of the parents?

– It is the responsibility of parents to help the spiritual development of the child, his formation in the Orthodox faith. The task of the godparents is to look after this, to encourage the parents to do this. But it is very good and worthy when the godparents have the opportunity to bring their godchildren to the church for Holy Communion.

– Some claim that if Orthodox parents, but did not baptize their children in infancy, and in their youth they chose a different religion, then they will not meet in the afterlife. Is it so?

– It’s so easy to dream about where, who and when to meet with whom … But if you think logically, then paradise is a state of communion with God, and what kind of communion with God can be among people who do not know anything about God and do not want to know?

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– Can parents be offended if godparents do not give expensive gifts to their children?

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– Resentment is a sin.Moreover, the main duty of godparents is not to give gifts, but to pray to God. As the Apostle Peter says, “asking God for a good conscience” for his godchildren.

– Can godparents be punished for the sins of their godchildren?

– If they are not complicit in the sin of their godchildren, then no.

– Is the godfather’s wife or husband also godfather to the child? Why are children often taught to call a married couple godparents, although in reality only one person baptized him?

– No, the husband or wife of the godfather is not the godfather for the child.I repeat, a person has only one recipient. Folk traditions have nothing to do with church canons, but there is nothing reprehensible in them.

– Is there a special prayer for godparents for their godchildren?

– Yes, there is a wonderful prayer of the godparents for their godchildren. It was compiled by the Monk Ambrose of Optina. It can be found in prayer books and on Orthodox portals.

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– Can I refuse if they offer to become a godfather?

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– It must be understood that only a believing Orthodox Christian can be a godfather. Moreover, not just calling himself a believer, but actually being one.Therefore, if you are asked to become a godfather, and you do not consider yourself to be among the church-going Orthodox believers, then you can refuse. You just need to explain your position to the child’s parents and try not to offend them with your refusal.

– Under no circumstances should anyone be invited to be a godparent?

– A person who is not baptized in Orthodoxy cannot be a godfather.

– What preparation do you need to go through before becoming a godfather?

– Before the baptism of the parents and godparents in the Moscow diocese, it is imperative to attend public talks, where they will be told about the basic concepts of the Orthodox faith and the upcoming sacrament.It is also good for parents and godparents to begin the sacraments of Penance and Communion before baptism.

90,000 why it is important to thank the Savior on this day

On January 19, Orthodox Christians celebrate Epiphany. Believers remember the gospel event – the baptism of the Lord Jesus Christ in the waters of the Jordan by the prophet John the Baptist.

The first appearance of Christ to the people

Another name for the holiday is Epiphany – in memory of the miracle that happened during Baptism: the Holy Spirit descended from heaven to Christ in the guise of a dove, and a voice from heaven called him the Son.

This is how the Evangelist Luke testifies about the Holy Theophany: “Heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on Him in bodily form, like a dove, and there was a voice from heaven, saying: You are my beloved Son; My good pleasure is in You! ”

Thus, it was testified that Jesus is not only the Son of man, but also the Son of God. God appeared to people. The baptism of the Lord was the first manifestation of Christ to the people.

After Baptism, the Savior withdrew into the wilderness, where he fasted for 40 days to prepare for a mission among the people.He was tempted by the devil and did not eat anything these days. The devil approached Christ three times and tempted Him, but the Savior remained strong and rejected the evil one.

It is extremely important for Christians on this day to thank God, who came into our world and did everything for our salvation. Therefore, it is imperative to visit solemn divine services, during which we glorify and magnify our Lord Jesus Christ.

The priest noted that, in reverence for holy water, one must understand that the holiness of the baptismal water is no greater than the holiness of the sacraments of the Church.When we are ready to stand in line for hours for holy water, but at the same time forget about the Divine Liturgy, the Sacrament of Confession and the Sacrament of Communion, we become like the pagans.

Great blessing of water

The consecration of the water takes place both on Epiphany Eve – on the night of January 18-19, and on the very day of the feast after the liturgy. In many churches it will be possible to collect baptismal holy water until January 27 – the day when the holiday is celebrated, accompanied by a more solemn service.

This means that you can come to the festive services on any of these days. And, accordingly, collect holy water.

– Water, which is consecrated on Epiphany Christmas Eve and on the Day of Epiphany, has the same power. Having taken water, believers bring it home and keep it for a year. You need to drink it a little on an empty stomach. Believers can sprinkle baptismal water on their homesteads and dwellings themselves, ”the priest said.

Epiphany water is a great shrine, and Christians have a special attitude towards it.It does not deteriorate for a long time, remains intact and fresh, and even after long storage it is not inferior to waters just taken from springs.

At the consecration of water, the priest reads a prayer in which he asks the Lord to come “and by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to sanctify this water, to give it the grace of deliverance, the gift of sanctification, sins of permission, ailments, healing, to create it a source of incorruption, to make it destructive for demons, for the spell of the enemies of the human race. and an angelic fortress fulfilled. “

The prayer ends with the great consecration of water with a petition: “Give consecration, health, cleansing and blessing to all who touch it and who receive communion and anoint it.”

Do not demand a miracle from God

As for the popular custom of plunging into an ice-hole on the day of Epiphany, which has become widespread today, it has pagan roots and is far from the church’s understanding of the feast of the Epiphany, or Epiphany.

– Historically, after the liturgy, believers walked in procession to the Jordan – the nearest reservoir with clean water, where an ice-hole was cut.Water was consecrated in it in order to collect it and drink it. Never in Russia has a baptismal font been consecrated in order to dive into it, – said the priest Anthony Shcherbina.

He says that, from the point of view of the Church, diving for Epiphany in an ice-hole is a semi-pious way to show your prowess – they say, that’s what a fine fellow I am, I’m not afraid of the cold.

The Church teaches us that sins are washed away only by repentance through the sacrament of confession. Therefore, it is much more important and salutary for the soul to visit the temple, to pray.

Here is what the pre-revolutionary handbook of church life from 1913 says about plunging into an ice-hole: “… Such a custom cannot be justified by the desire to imitate the example of immersion in the water of the Savior, as well as the example of Palestinian worshipers bathing in the Jordan River at all times. In the east, it is safe for pilgrims, because there is no such cold and such frost as ours. Belief in the healing and cleansing power of water consecrated by the Church on the very day of the baptism of the Savior cannot speak in favor of such a custom, because swimming in winter means demanding a miracle from God or completely neglecting your life and health. “

The Church teaches us that sins are washed away only by repentance through the sacrament of confession. Therefore, it is much more important and salutary for the soul to visit the temple, to pray and, together with other parishioners, glorify Christ with the words from the Troparion of the Baptism of the Lord: “We glorify Thee, Christ, the Giver of life, for the fact that You are now for us baptized with flesh from John in the waters of Jordan.”

On the night of the Baptism of the Lord, as Tradition says, all watery nature is sanctified. And it becomes like the waters of the Jordan, in which the Lord was baptized.There would be magic just if the water became holy only where the priest consecrated it. The Holy Spirit breathes wherever it wants. And there is an opinion that at any moment of Baptism, holy water is everywhere. And the consecration of water is a visible, solemn church rite that tells us about the presence of God here on earth.

What you need to know about Epiphany and how great artists saw it

In 2021, the Epiphany was lucky: the real Epiphany frosts, which returned to Russia for the first time in many years, cooled hot heads, those who gathered were about to climb into the ice-hole, even despite the pandemic …And this is great, because today the media hype around swimming in the Epiphany ice hole will not overshadow the holiday itself.

Let’s take this opportunity and take a closer look at the essence of this amazing day. For a start – and this is important! – let’s deal with two names on January 19. The people often shorten it to the word “Baptism”, implying that everyone understands: we are not talking about the baptism of any believer, but about the Baptism of Jesus Christ. But the main name of this day is still Epiphany. Look, our holiday is established in memory of the Baptism of Jesus Christ in the Jordan River, when all Three Persons, Three Hypostases of the Triune God – God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit were first revealed to people.The manifestation of all Three Persons of God to people is a fundamentally important event, therefore the Holy Epiphany is the main name of the holiday. And already next comes the name explaining when it happened – during the Baptism of the Lord, hence – the Baptism of the Lord.

Baptism of Christ, circa 1482 Pietro Perugino.

Baptism as washing with water for the removal of sins has been known for a very long time. But the Baptism that is remembered today is special. Six months before the birth of Jesus, the long-awaited son John was born into the childless family of the aged righteous priest Zechariah.By God’s providence, John escaped the fate of babies killed in Bethlehem by the henchmen of King Herod. John’s parents died when he was a child and he was raised in a religious community in the wilderness. It is known that the prophet wore rough clothes, ate wild honey and acridae (a type of locust), and prayed a lot. When John was thirty, the Lord called him to the prophetic ministry. John himself spoke of himself like this: “I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness!”

John the Baptist. Fragment of the painting “The Appearance of Christ to the People”, 1837-1857. Alexander Ivanov.

John’s mission was to prepare people to receive the Savior, calling them to repentance – hence the name “Forerunner”, that is, the predecessor. But the Son of God still had to be identified among the “sons of men.” Remember the famous painting by Alexander Ivanov “The Appearance of Christ to the People”, which depicts this very moment of recognizing the Savior.

Appearance of Christ to the people, 1837-1857Alexander Ivanov.

The Jews at that time had a custom, before the feast of ablution, to go to the lower course of the Jordan River, closer to the place where the Jordan flows into the Dead Sea. Here people washed themselves with water, believing that it would take their sins down to the Dead Sea, and they would become cleaner. It was here that John the Baptist began his sermon, saying that before external ablution, one must cleanse oneself internally, morally – to repent of one’s sins in order to prepare oneself to receive the Messiah, the Savior. Coming out to the people, baptizing them for the cleansing of sins, John the Baptist preached: “The Strongest of me is coming after me, the One from whom I am not worthy, stooping down, to untie the belt of His shoes.I baptized you with water, and He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit. “So John also baptized with water, to repentance, and people from all over Jerusalem, all Judea, came out to him, and were baptized from him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.

And during such a baptism from Galilee, Jesus comes to John – to also be baptized into repentance.But, after all, John is a prophet, and, possessing a prophetic gift, he understands: The One who stands before him is sinless. John says to Jesus: “It is I who should receive the baptism from You, and not You from me!” But Jesus replies: “Do not resist: in this way we must fulfill all righteousness.”John listens to Jesus and is baptized. It was this moment that the artists loved to portray.

Baptism of Christ. 1585 Annibale Carracci.

And when Jesus, having received Baptism, rises from the Jordanian waters, the heavens open up and the Spirit of God, like a turtle-dove descends on Jesus, and a voice from heaven announces: “This is My beloved Son, and in Him is My good pleasure.” Thus, righteousness was fulfilled, it was thus revealed that Jesus is the Son of God. And, at the same time, all Three Persons of the Holy Trinity were clearly open to people: God the Father with a voice from Heaven, God the Son – Jesus Christ coming out of the water, and God the Holy Spirit.

Baptism, sketch. The date of writing is unknown. Alexander Ivanov.

Pay attention, Christ, sinless by His nature, enters the waters of the Jordan River, in which people washed away their sins, and by this He humbly unites Himself with us, His destiny with human destiny. He plunges into these waters and thus becomes closer to our sin, our fall, our human mortality.

Baptism of the Lord (Epiphany). 1890-1894 Mikhail Nesterov.

By being baptized, Jesus shows all of us the way to salvation and by His Baptism sanctifies the entire watery nature, imparting its primary purity to the water.When now, after the coming of Christ, we are baptized, then this is no longer just the removal of sins, not just baptism into repentance, this is a Sacrament in which the Holy Spirit participates, which imparts to the baptized the grace of God, therefore they say that baptism is the spiritual birth of a person .

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The Legacy of Epiphany

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Notable Performances

Epiphany in the Context of Contemporary Theatre

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On January 19, Orthodox Christians celebrate Epiphany. Believers remember the gospel event – the baptism of the Lord Jesus Christ in the waters of the Jordan by the prophet John the Baptist.

The first appearance of Christ to the people

Great blessing of water

Do not demand a miracle from God

What you need to know about Epiphany and how great artists saw it

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