Holy Spirit Mondays: Pharaoh's Flood to Theophany's Fountain

Each week I send a short reflection to help you deepen your relationship with the Holy Spirit.

Read:

O Lord, on the holy day of Theophany (6 Jan), we stand in wonder at the banks of the Jordan, gazing upon the mystery of Your baptism.

You who are without sin entered the waters, not to be cleansed, but to cleanse all creation. You who spoke the world into being, humbled Yourself beneath the hand of John, sanctifying the very waters that once covered the formless deep.

And then, the heavens parted.

The Holy Spirit descended. Not in fire, not in wind, but as a dove, gentle, radiant, full of peace. The same Spirit who hovered over the waters at creation now hovered over You, O Christ, as You emerged from the Jordan.

In this, a new creation was revealed. The Trinity was made known: the Father speaking, the Son baptized, the Spirit descending in visible form. Three Persons, one God, united in the work of our salvation.

As we receive the blessed waters on Theophany, Lord, breathe Your Spirit into them and into us. Let every drop remind us that You are no distant mystery. You came down. You made Yourself seen. You made Yourself heard.

That is how we can humbly ask: as You descended that day, descend upon us. As You anointed the Son that day, anoint us. As You revealed the Father's voice that day, open our ears to hear.

Fill us. Transfigure us. Lead us into all truth, the Trinity made manifest, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Ponder:

Today the nature of water is transformed. What once brought death in the flood now becomes a fountain of life. What drowned Pharaoh's army now drowns our sins.

Ask yourself: as I receive the blessed waters on Theophany will I allow them to enter the troubled waters of my heart and still them? Will I cooperate with God and let them wash not only my body but my soul as well? Will I rise to a new life each day by entering into this sacred mystery?

Pray:

"Most Holy Spirit, save me from myself and sanctify me."

Ask:

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A Coptic Orthodox icon of Pentecost.

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