Dear brothers and sisters, I wholeheartedly congratulate you on the feast of the Baptism of the Lord, on the feast of Theophany!

It has been loved and revered by our people from time immemorial. Every year it bestows us strength for spiritual transformation and renewal.

On this great and special day, the Holy Church reminds us of how the Lord Jesus Christ was baptized in the waters of the Jordan River in order to sanctify them with Himself and give a start to the sacrament of Baptism for all of us. Since then, it is in the sacrament of Baptism that we come to life for true living corresponding to God’s plan for humans.

To live a happy and prosperous life, we must give up everything that separates us from the Creator. The holy prophet John the Baptist preached about this on the banks of the Jordan River. Today’s feast teaches this too.

According to a good tradition, we all go to Orthodox churches on the Day of Baptism to get some baptismal water consecrated by a special rite. The Church calls it the “Great Sacrament” and reminds us that the grace of God is bestowed upon pure hearts seeking good, rejecting all evil and false.

I wish all of us peace of mind and health, well-being and spiritual joy!

May this feast be a time of enlightenment and transformation of the world for the better.