Today we continue to celebrate the feast of Theophany, the feast of our Lord’s baptism in the Jordan river, the feast of the revelation of Jesus as the Son of God, and of God as Trinity. This feast is also often called the “Feast of Lights.” We see it as the fulfillment of Hanukkah, which is the Jewish feast of lights, a celebration of the miracle that took place when the Temple in Jerusalem was rededicated. Although there was only enough oil for the menorah in the Temple to burn for one day, it miraculously kept burning for 8 days.

The miracle of the Theophany, however, is even more wonderful. Not only can God make the oil lamp in the Temple continue burning brightly for 8 days, but He Himself enters into the darkness of this world, bringing illumination to the whole world. This feast is connected with the last feast - the feast of Christmas - in which Christ is described as the Sun of Righteousness. We see that Sun shining ever more brightly at this feast. The light of Christ illumines all!

Today’s Gospel speaks of this illumination. Quoting from the prophet Isaiah, St. Matthew’s Gospel proclaims that “the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light.” We are those people, along with those who lived in the regions of Zebulon and Naphtali in the land of Israel. The whole human race has existed in darkness apart from Christ. But now the “light of the world” has dawned and shone forth in our midst.

Truly this feast speaks to us of the triumph of the light and the meaning of our lives as Christians. We are baptized, as Christ was baptized in the Jordan. Our baptism is connected with His. His makes ours possible. He cleanses the water, which cleanses us. And as He illumines the world, we personally receive the benefits of this illumination from the time of our baptism and chrismation.

But our life is an ongoing epiphany, an ongoing Theophany - a revelation of God and His love. We might think of ourselves, in our lives as Christians, as being like moths. Moths are drawn by the light; they are attracted, for example, to a candle or a porch light. As Christians, in so far as we are being Christians, we are drawn to Christ and to His light.

Unlike moths, however, we must stand in that fiery light and be remade. The light of Christ warms us, thaws out our hardness, softens our hearts. The darkness within us must be overcome by that Light.

Alexander Solzhenitsyn famously spoke of the line between good and evil that runs right through every human heart. It is not that the line between good and evil is between “us” and “them” or me and you, but it runs right through my heart, and there is a war of light against darkness being waged within.

That's where repentance comes in. We heard in the Gospel reading how when the Lord began to preach the first thing He said was “Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand!” That’s precisely what we’re called to do. It’s not just the sinners out there who stand in need of repentance, but each of us, each day.

Sometimes we think of repentance like some kind of gloomy exercise. Actually, while it involves some discomfort and goes against our laziness, as we get deeper into it, we can find that it can be an exciting adventure. It's like shining light into a dusty, cobwebby attic. We see all the dirt and cobwebs, but as we clear them away, we also see a lot of amazing treasures. Little by little, as that light shines more fully on and in us, we become more transparent to it, and the light shines through us to those around us.

As St. John Chrysostom says, “If but ten among us lead a holy life, we shall kindle a fire which shall light up the entire city.” A small amount of light can overcome a great deal of darkness. And in Christ, there is no small amount of light…it is infinite!

The fire and the light come from Christ. They are kindled by the action of the Holy Spirit. But our job is to cling to the light and let the fire purify us. That purifying fire and illuminating light of Christ is what can make our lives holy. Holiness comes from walking in the light, not in the darkness - in other words, opening up the attic so that light can shine in.

Christ is the light of the world. We are called to be windows through which that light can shine to others. May he cleanse us, so that we might be clear windows, that the light might be in no way obscured in us, but shine brilliantly. Amen.