‘When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (Mathew 3-16).
Imagine being on the banks of the river Jordan and witnessing this awesome and marvellous scene. How would we react? Would we walk away? Would we kneel in prayer? Would we jump into the river and be baptized?
Suppose CNN was present at the Baptism and the correspondent asked Jesus to show the Father. Jesus reply would be; “He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say show us the Father.” (John 14:9)
Through this event God has directly revealed to us His triune nature. God is the Holy Trinity of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit: One God, One undivided being, and three distinct divine persons.
Our minds cannot grasp this true nature of God, yet is understood by our hearts. St. Patrick used a shamrock to describe the Holy Trinity: for a shamrock is one clover with 3 leaves.
Saint Basil of Caesarea described the relationship of the three divine persons in this way: “Everything subsists by the will of the Father, comes into being through the action of the Son, and reaches its perfection through the Holy Spirit.”
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit now and ever and unto the ages amen!
On January 6th, the Orthodox Church celebrates the Holy Theophany of Lord God.
