Today, 4 January 2015, the Orthodox Church is on the Sunday before the Baptism of the Lord. The evangelical pericope of Saint Mark the Evangelist 1:1-8 was read in all the Orthodox Churches.
“The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, as it is written in Isaiah the prophet: “I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way” — “a voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord,make straight paths for him.’” And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. John wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. And this was his message: “After me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
Baptism of Saint John the Baptist is the beginning of the true baptism, not its fullness
His Beatitude Daniel, Patriarch of Romania delivered a sermon in the chapel of the Patriarchal Cathedral dedicated to Saint Hierarch Gregory the Enlightener, in which he explained the teaching of today’s Gospel.
The Baptism of Saint John the Baptist is the beginning of the true baptism, not its fullness, His Beatitude underlined. Then, the Patriarch of Romania spoke about the similarities and differences between the baptism of the Forerunner of the Lord and the Christian one: “The same is Saint John the Baptist was the Forerunner of Christ, our Lord, so is his baptism forerunner of the Christian Baptism. The baptism of Saint John the Baptist strengthened the awareness of sinfulness and the need to have the sins forgiven and the life changed. It is not certain if John’s Baptism provided the forgiveness of the sins, but it is obvious that this baptism was for repentance. He baptised with water for repentance in the forgiveness of the sins.
Baptism is the beginning of our resurrection from sin and death
“The Baptism the Saviour received in the River Jordan from Saint John the Prophet is the basis of the Christian Baptism, but it is only through the Christian Baptism that we receive the forgiveness of the sins”, His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel said.
“The great difference between the baptism of repentance of John the Baptist and the Christian Baptism is the fact that the Christian Baptism is celebrated in the name of the Holy Trinity, namely the establishment of a grace relation of the human person who is baptised with the divine persons of the Most Holy Trinity; a relationship of love and eternal love; it is the beginning of our adoption through the Holy Spirit and beginning of our resurrection from sin and death. Besides the forgiveness of the sins, the Christian Baptism also gives us the adoption and resurrection through grace as beginning of the new life in Christ, the Vanquisher of sin and death, the Spring of Eternal Joy”, the Patriarch of Romania also said, according to Trinitas Radio station.
On 6 January, the Orthodox Church celebrates the Baptism of the Lord.
