Слово на день Крещения Господня. (О таинстве Крещения). Святого Амвросия, епископа Медиоланского

Those who were baptized into Christ were baptized into Christ (Galatians 3:27). Since it is known that Jesus Christ was not baptized for Himself, but for our salvation, we must, beloved brethren, be baptized and draw the blessing of sanctification from the source of the Jordan, blessed by him. Thus, in the depths in which He, the All-Holy One, plunged, by one condescension to the human race, we must plunge our uncleanness, so that the water that wetted the Lord would wash the slaves, and so that through the Divine immersion of Jesus Christ, a pure source of water would be revealed to us in the same ways and sacraments through which it received a blessing from the Savior, predisposing us to future bliss, and abundantly pouring out on us the grace received from Christ. So, brothers, we must immerse ourselves in the same water in which Christ was immersed, so that we may also be like Christ. And truly, although both baptisms are the Lord’s, let us call the baptism in which we are washed more salutary than the one with which the Heavenly Lawgiver was baptized. For Jesus Christ does this, and John did this; there the teacher denies, but here the Savior calls us; in this all truth was fulfilled, in this the whole Holy Trinity was revealed. The Saint came to the first and the Saint came out; in the latter, the sinner comes, and the saints go away; in one a blessing is mysteriously given, in the other sins are mysteriously cleansed. So, brothers, we must be baptized in the same way that the Savior was baptized. But in order for us to be baptized in the same way and with the same water, for this there is no need to march to the eastern country, to the river of the land of Judea: for where Christ is now, there is the Jordan; the same sanctification that blessed the streams of the eastern river sanctifies the waters of the western rivers. Therefore, although the name of the river will be different, yet in the water there is a sacrament fulfilled on the Jordan: moreover, now the sacrament is performed with the same rituals as then, with the only difference that now there is greater grace. In fact, then we saw the Trinity with bodily eyes: now we contemplate it with the eyes of faith; then man saw God with natural sight: now we see Him with spirit and thought; then the Holy Spirit appeared to man in the form of a dove: now He is communicated to us within by Divine power; then the Father is known by hearing the voice spoken by Him for the Son: now He descends to us together with the Son. Therefore, grace is more perfect now, when God, not having taken our image, descends to people, but with His own being worthy of the children of His descent. There, as to the unfaithful, he strives to communicate faith with bodily signs: here, as to the faithful, he bestows grace spiritually. So, it is more perfect to see God as He is than to see as you demand. Here there is a perfect Trinity, there is still a testing Deity. It is more blessed to know God in His own power than to doubt Him, seeing Him in His accepted form. So, let us do for ourselves what God has created for us; Let us also create for ourselves what John wished for himself. How should we, incomparably more sinful and indecent, strive for this grace? behold the mercy of God. We are given something that the Prophet was not worthy to ask for through prayers. It is necessary to note here what the reason is that John asked for the baptism of Christ, but did not receive it. For the Lord said to him who demanded: leave it now, so that it becomes us to fulfill all righteousness (Matthew 3:15). It is known that John the Baptist was the image of the law. Therefore, it was necessary for him to be the baptizer of Christ, that is, just as Christ was born according to the flesh from the Jews, so also according to the Spirit the Gospel was born from the law, so that from where he had offspring, from there he would receive sanctification. This is what these words of Christ mean: so it behooves us to fulfill all righteousness! Justice demanded that the commandments be first preserved by the One who betrayed them, just as He Himself said nowhere: I did not come to destroy the law, but to fulfill it (Matthew 5:17). Amen 95. See “Selected instructive words of St. Ambrose, Bishop of Milan, translated into the Slavic-Russian language in 1806 in the Moscow Stavropegial Donskoy Monastery.” Kyiv. 1853, countries. 80–83. You might be interested in: