Feast of the Theophany Icon

by Sr. Bonnie Komarnicki, ssmi, of the Ukrainian Catholic Religious Education Centre

Theophany is a Greek word for manifestation.  This Feast day celebrates the Baptism of Christ in the Jordan river.  It is a Feast that is found in Scripture.  All three Synoptic Gospels, Matthew (3: 13-17), Luke (3:21-22) and Mark (9:1-13), have accounts of Christ’s baptism.  The icon reflects the readings. 

We see Christ in the center of the icon standing in the water.  He has come to be baptized by John.  He does not need baptism but submits to it to unite Himself with us.  He is blessing the water of the Jordan.  The cloth that He is wearing is reminiscent of the burial cloths he will wear as a reminder to us of His sacrifice.  Today’s Feast day is a celebration of the Trinity.  We cannot see the Father but we hear His voice.  In this icon, the Father is represented by the half-moon of light at the top of the icon from which the rays of light proceed.  The dove of the Holy Spirit rests on Christ’s head.  This is the Trinity which is manifested to us today and every day and to which we give praise.

St. John the Baptist stands to the left of Christ in the act of baptizing Christ.  He is dressed in animal skins.  We know from Scripture that he has been living in the desert and preaching the coming of the Messiah.  He is the Precursor, the one who comes before.  He also preaches repentance and conversion; he reveals Jesus as the “Lamb of God” (John 1: 29-34).  Although he does not feel worthy to baptize Jesus, because he recognizes who Jesus is, John agrees to the Baptism because Jesus insists.

Angels stand to the right of Christ.  Their hands are covered.  They wait to attend to the needs of Jesus but they will not touch Him with their bare hands because He is God.  It is a reminder to us that as we approach Christ to do so with reverence.

There is a small tree in the foreground with an ax at its root.  This represents the tree that does not bear good fruit. “ Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” Matthew 3:10.  It is in contrast to Jesus’ life which bears abundant fruit - everlasting life.

The Church blesses water on this day.  In fact, quite a bit of our service talks to the River Jordan.  Sometimes in icons, two figures are in the water which represent the River Jordan.  Listen to the prayers of the Great Water Blessing and see if you can picture the River Jordan turning back.

Water is extremely important in our world today.  We know from different studies done that clean drinking water is a valuable resource.  We are urged to use our water with care and respect.  What a gift it is to have blessed water.  The blessed water is used not only to bless our houses but to heal us throughout the year.  Be sure to take some home with you after the Theophany services.