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Theophany Day/ Archbishop Joan: Let us reflect and follow the spiritual path that Christ has shown us

2026-01-06 12:31:00, Aktualitet CNA

Theophany Day/ Archbishop Joan: Let us reflect and follow the spiritual path

The Archbishop of Tirana, Durrës and All Albania, His Beatitude, Bishop Joani, shared a message today on Theophany Day.

In his sermon from the Church of the Apostle Paul and Saint Asti in Durrës, the Archbishop focused on the importance of today's feast that commemorates the appearance of God.

The Archbishop emphasized that the greatest message on this day is to reflect on baptism, understand the mystery of the Trinity, and follow the spiritual path that Christ has shown humanity.

 

 

“Today we celebrate Theophany, one of the most important holidays of the Orthodox Church. The very word “Theophany” or “Epiphany” explains the meaning of this holiday, which means the appearance of God or the appearance of the Most High. Last Sunday we spoke about the preparation for this holiday and its spiritual significance.

What does this feast mean for us today? In the church we do not only remember historical events; liturgical time is not the same as the chronological time of seconds, minutes or years. Liturgical time is a special time, an opportunity to have an encounter with the divine dimension, as often happens in art, when a poet is inspired and creates. This time allows us to enter another dimension and feel the presence of God in our soul. The more we prepare ourselves spiritually through prayer, fasting and readings, the more we become capable of feeling this presence.

Today we commemorate the Lord’s entry into the Jordan and His baptism, an event of great importance for each of us. It is not only a remembrance of the Lord’s baptism, but a meditation on our own baptism. Although many of us have been baptized, baptism is the beginning of a spiritual journey. If we do not continue this journey, baptism cannot bear fruit. The Lord was baptized even though He did not need to, to fulfill all righteousness and to cleanse the whole world – our weaknesses, impurities, and sins.

John's baptism was only with external water, while Christ's baptism goes beyond this: it shows us that we must be baptized with the spirit, with the living water of the Holy Spirit. In the baptism of the Lord the Holy Trinity appears – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – a divine mystery that is often difficult to understand with our logic, but which faith allows us to experience.

Christ, the Son of God, became a man like us, fulfilled all that humans needed to do, and showed the way to our salvation. His baptism was not just a symbolic act, but a touchstone for all humanity. The word “orthodoxy” means right worship—the worship of God who has been revealed to us and can be understood as far as our minds can go.

"This is the message of Theophany: to reflect on our baptism, to understand the mystery of the Trinity, and to follow the spiritual path that Christ has shown us," the Archbishop said. /CNA





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