Acqua Santa

Homily on the 32nd Sunday after Pentecost.

This coming Monday evening the Church Universal (Katholic) will gather to commemorate the feast of our Lord’s Theophany, where Christ immerses Himself into the river Jordan; sanctifying the waters in order for His chosen people to use as a means of healing (both physical and spiritual)

Holy baptism is a rite of initiation where a catechumen (person receiving instruction regarding the faith) enters fully into the faith of course alongside the rite of Chrismation.

Hence, dying of our old self in the sense that we lay aside all our stupidities, ie our lusts, passions, pride, laziness …. learning to surrender ourselves totally to Jesus via living in Him through the Mysteries He has bestowed upon His Church in order for one day to glorify Him eternally in His Glorious Kingdom.

Thus, this is what Jesus meant when He said we are to be born again. To being Born Again is not what the protestant evangelical cults teach, to be slain by the spirit; producing fowl sounds from their mouths. These “spiritual leaders” or “pastors” as they call themselves or as I enjoy referring to them as - spaghetti or fettuccini, mentally condition the people to think in such a way that is totally contrary and foreign to the true Apostolic teaching of the Church.

Furthermore, these “leaders are very well educated in the art of “rubare” as we Italians say “to steal”. These dysfunctional men and women are taught to take as much money as possible from their people. For example, several months ago I came across one of these evangelical videos on YouTube and the person was say - “if you are suffering from pain or if your loved one if going through a hard time, make a donation and see the power of God work through your generosity. Whether it $5, $50 or $100 it doesn't matter but the more you give the more you will receive.” (The heresy of the prosperity gospel)

One common misconception people make is that Christ needed to be baptized by His cousin John in the river Jorden. Yes, Jesus was washed by John in the river however, this was to show the humility of the All-Holy-Trinity; thus, showing us if God is – Meek and Humble of heart Mt11:29 so too must we be in our day to day lives.

Sadly, a beloved tradition stemming from the East (Greece) that is practiced at the time of Theophany has become swamped via a competitive nature which is now the norm however, it is totally unorthodox and is has become the equivalent to a circus act that bishops are the ring leaders and the rest of the clergy are the clowns!

The faithful, clergy and several men in Speedos go to the waters whether it be at the beach, a local river or sometimes even a swimming pool. So, the “game” which it is goes like this - The bishop holds a cross of the Lord. After he offers prayers, he throws the Lord’s cross it into the waters. Then then men in Speedos jump into the waters to retrieve the cross. The first man in Speedos to retrieve the cross out of the waters is granted abundant good luck for him and his family.

What an absolute JOKE! Good luck? In God there is no such thing as luck! There is grace and Divine intervention that is it!

In addition, there is another belief that is circulating through the Greek community stating that on the day of the Lord’s Theophany all the water the runs through the rivers, beaches and through the house taps of the faithful is sanctified water. Excuse me but if that is the case why do we need to go to Church to receive the sanctified waters? If that is the case why do we need to attend the Divine Liturgy to receive Jesus in the Mystery of Holy communion, why don’t we simply get some bread from the pantry (Baker’s Delight) and wine (Dan Murphy's), say the Our Father and commune ourselves every Sunday and truly have mass for you at home!

When we sever ourselves from Christ the vine, we begin to lose grace, begin to appear as clowns to the outside world and ultimately begin to die in the Spirit of God! No wonder why the institutional church is beginning to die off. No person especially the young would want anything to do with such a sect. It is spiritual schizophrenia that they are teaching.

Therefore, Theophany is a time for us to reflect on our own baptism. The promise our parents and perhaps godparents (Parentes in Deus) made on our behalf as infants and ask ourselves - “are we living our life according to Christ’s teachings to love thy neighbor, to be charitable, to love God and keep the Sabath day sacred ect?

Thus, we as orthodox Christians consume the sanctified waters in order to be refreshed spiritually and to remind us of our baptism that we are a holy people. St Luke of Simferopol said- “Drinking Holy water as often as possible. It’s the best and most effective medicine. I say this not as a bishop, but as a doctor, from my experience in medicine.”

The Exarchate looks forward to see you all on Monday evening where we will all receive the very same waters that Christ immersed Himself in 2021 years ago.

Through the prayers of the Theotoks ,Her spouse St Joseph and Saint John the Baptist Lord Jesus Christ our God have mercy on us and save us through the waters that He sanctifies in rendering us cleansed and refreshed in body and soul. Amen