BAPTISM OF THE LORD

 

 

 

 

The grace of Jesus, which is that of the Father and the Spirit, dwells in the water of baptism, in order that later on it may enter those baptized like him, giving them a rebirth from God and wonderfully remaking and renewing them.  As a result, since they are no longer from the old Adam, neither do they contract his curse, but, being reborn of the new Adam, they have a blessing from him.  Thus they cease to be children of the flesh and become children of God, children not born of flesh nor by the will of the flesh nor by the will of a human being, but born of God through Jesus Christ.

Heaven had formerly been closed to us and we were children of wrath, which means God’s just abandonment of us because of our sins and infidelity.  But because in Christ our nature was free of sin and utterly obedient to  God, we became the children of God’s good pleasure, who follow Christ as beloved and freeborn.  Heaven has been opened for us, too, so that the Spirit descends also on us and remains in us; in time we are to be taken up to heaven by him, when he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to our mortal bodies through his indwelling Spirit.  He will give a new form to our lowly bodies and make them like the glorious body of Christ.  Through Christ we have attained to immortality and been called back to heaven, while in him our nature has been placed on a throne, elevated above every principality and power, at the right hand of the majesty in heaven.

Now, however, since we have been thus elevated without any action of our own, we abide in humility, and, looking closely at the greatness of the promised gift, we become ever more humble.  This is the source of our salvation.

From a homily by Saint Gregory Palamas (Hom XVI: PG 151, 200-202)