Fr Anish John, Vicar, St.Thomas Parish & Vice President Ecumenical relations (Indian Orthodox Church, Ireland Region) provided this report for ECI:
The feast of Epiphany in Orthodox Churches has a profound feature of blessing the sources of water and re-affirming the need for care of nature. The Church was exhorted for the care of our precious water sources and Sunday school children encouraged for eco-friendly living.
Traditionally, after Scripture reading, the procession starts from the sanctuary and ends at a nearby water source (fountain, spring or water tank), where the order of the Feast is celebrated. St.John Chrysostom in an Epiphany sermon preached at Antioch in 387 CE, speaks of the faithful taking water home after the solemnities in the middle of the night, which is still practised our Church.
“For this is the day on which, he was baptised and sanctified the nature of the waters. Therefore also on this solemnity in the middle of the night all who are gathered, having drawn the water, set the liquid aside in their houses and preserve it throughout the year, for today the waters are sanctified. And this evident marvel is produced, that this water is not corrupted by the long passage of time, but through an entire year or even two or three years the water drawn today remains pure and fresh, and after such a long time it rivals that just drawn from the spring”. He also gives some allusions to the blessing of the water on the Eve of Epiphany. He writes, “for today the waters are sanctified”.
