Christ is Born! Glorify Him!

On this Sunday we commemorate the Sunday after Theophany, the manifestation of God to the world as Trinity, the three great Lights of Father, Son and Spirit, one in essence and glory.

Theophany is one of the Great Feasts of the Church along with Pascha, Pentecost and Christmas. Theophany means divine manifestation and celebrates the revelation of God to the world.

The Gospel for this Sunday tells how the beginning of Jesus’ work in Galilee was like a great light that began to shine to all. Jesus calls us to repentance as the way of preparing to see Christ’s Light: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!”.

Repentance is God’s offer to us to begin our journey with a fresh start. Therefore how can God forgive us and liberate us from whatever enslaved us unless we turn to Him!  How can we experience our new self in Christ unless we are willing to leave the old self behind? This is why Jesus began His ministry by asking people to turn their eyes from themselves and to look toward God and His Kingdom.

Let us recall the words of the Gospel, “Turn away from your sins, because the Kingdom is near!” This is the good news of the Gospel!