About the knowledge of God, both for the Holy Epiphany, and for the newly enlightened.

Just as people who have lost their bodily sight need guides so as not to suffer by falling out of ignorance into a pit, so people whose eyes of the soul are darkened need those who would instruct them in Godliness, since otherwise they will perish, out of ignorance falling into the abyss of evil. And before, the whole human race suffered from this disease of blindness; and just as it happens with people suffering from a lack of vision that instead of what really exists, they often see something completely non-existent, so people who have damaged spiritual vision, instead of the one and only God, saw many non-existent gods. Then the Physician of bodies and souls gave people the law and the prophets, healing their blindness and guiding them to the knowledge of Him. But the people rejected this healing offered to them in the law and the prophets. They closed their eyes so as not to see, and closed their ears so as not to hear, according to the words of the prophet Isaiah, so as not to turn to God and not be healed (Is. 6:10). Another prophet, Jeremiah, loudly declared something similar to this: “We healed Babylon, but it was not healed” (Jer. 51:9); the healing had no effect on him. Babylon means “confusion,” and humanity in its blindness is indeed mixed. But the method of treatment is the work of the best doctors; healing old wounds is beyond the strength of the students. So our Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, seeing that the wickedness of people is not cured by the law and the prophets, descends from the heights of heaven, is born of the holy Virgin Mary, first of all overthrows the devil with the cross, then, captivating death, and with his three-day resurrection, giving peace to those far and near, he led everyone to the knowledge that He is God. "Death! where is your sting? (1 Cor. 15:55). This is bliss from God. Having foreseen this, the prophet David said: “Blessed is he whose iniquities are forgiven and whose sins are covered!” (Ps. 31:1). “Who can forgive sins except God alone?” (Mark 2:7; Luke 5:21)? People, while pleasing people, do not benefit them, and often even harm them, as the prophet Isaiah says: “Your leaders lead you astray and spoil the way of your paths” (“My people, who are blessed with you, flatter you, and trouble the paths of your feet”) (Isa. 3:12). Но ублажающий разумно оказывает услугу. Вот пример в подтверждение. When the Lord asked his disciples: “Who do people say that I, the Son of Man, am?” (Matt. 16:13), then He then said to Simon: “Blessed are you, Simon, son of Jonah, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 16:17) - Heavenly, and not the one whom on earth was considered His father. You have uttered blessings, and give me the reward of the kingdom of heaven. But you saw what reward follows this word. In the beatitudes we have just read, we have heard that each of them has a promise corresponding to it. But let us return to the subject of the present holiday before us. The arrival of an earthly king somewhere usually brings joy and pleasure to those present. And since here the heavenly King descends from heaven to earth, not only we, who are present at this appearance of Him, should rejoice, but the whole earth triumphs with us. After all, if at the rising of the sun everything around is illuminated by it, then when the Sun of righteousness has risen, how will every soul not be enlightened on this luminous night, about which the prophet David, foreseeing by the Holy Spirit, said: “but darkness will not darken from You, and the night is as bright as the day: both darkness and light” (Ps. 139:12). See what they say about the real night? As much as its darkness is visible to the eyes of the body, so much is its light contemplated by the eyes of the soul. Oh, luminous and amazing night, brightest of any day! Every day gives way to night, but this luminous night has no change for itself, because “the light shines in darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it” (John 1:5). Don't be attached to the letter, but delve into the spirit. Light is the only begotten Son of God, and night is the works of darkness. Therefore, when your soul, which was in darkness, is enlightened by the appearance of this light, the works of darkness can no longer control you. That is why this light appeared, to drive away the darkness; life appeared to abolish death; and first of all, it is preached about it through angels to the shepherds, not so that this miracle can be confirmed in words, but so that the shepherds of the verbal sheep will find in this an incentive to preach to people about the love of God for mankind. We hastened to render due worship in the holy city of Bethlehem to our common Master God, who was worthy to become human for our sake. He appeared on earth, descending from heaven for our salvation, but did not cease to be there. “Do I not fill the heavens and the earth? says the Lord” (Jer. 23:24), says Jeremiah, and David confirms: “If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I go down into the underworld, you will be there too” (Ps. 139:8). He had not yet become man on earth, and already the prophet was proclaiming His appearance in hell. This means that it would not be a great thing if we, having made this short journey from our city, went to that place to worship. Let us go again to the Jordan to see the mysteries that took place on it, how the sea saw its Master and ran away, and “the Jordan turned back” (Ps. 114:3). Let us again look at John performing baptism over the One who “takes upon Himself the sin of the world” (John 1:29), and the Father, testifying from above to His glorious condescension the Son, and the Spirit dear to them both, descending in the form of a dove and resting on the witness. Oh, glorious miracles of the glorious King! How did a perishable hand, touching the top of the whole world, not become scorched? Who has ever seen or heard of hay touching fire and not being damaged by the fire? Truly blessed and thrice blessed is this offspring of Zechariah and Elizabeth! Blessed are we now that we see the fruits of our loins shining from the holy font, like stars, and joining in the fullness of the church. But, O Father, and Word, and Holy Soul, Trinitarian Being, and power, and will, and action, deign us, who confess Your unfused and inseparable hypostases, to stand on Your right side, when You come from heaven to judge the universe in truth! To you belongs glory, honor and worship, to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen. Creations attributed to St. John Chrysostom, and classified in the Minya edition as Spuria. The paragraphs in the text were arranged by us. – Editorial staff of “ABC of Faith” You might be interested in: