His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America Remarks at the Κατάδυσις τοῦ Τιμίου Σταυροῦ on the Holy Theophany (January 6, 2025)
Spring Bayou, Tarpon Springs, Florida
Your Eminence, and Beloved Brothers and Sisters in the Lord,
We have once again arrived at the moment which fulfills our expectations of this Holy Day – the sacred tradition of the Κατάδυσις τοῦ Τιμίου Σταυροῦ – the Immersion of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross in the waters of this sanctified bayou. But even as we plunge the Cross into the depths, we invoke the Holy Spirit by the release of the Dove into the upper regions of the air.
The tradition of the Dove reaches back to the very beginnings of this Annual Ceremony. For the Dove – the likeness of God’s Holy Spirit – is first seen in the Scripture announcing to Noah and those in the Ark the receding of the waters that had covered the earth. The Dove that he had sent forth returned to the Ark with a freshly plucked olive leaf in its beak.1 Ever since, the Dove and the Olive Branch have symbolized peace and reconciliation. But that Dove which returned to Noah in the Ark was released seven days later, and this time, it did not return. This, my beloved People, is a sign of the pervasive presence of God’s Holy Spirit in the world. In other words, the Dove is everywhere.
We release the Dove into the air and we release the Cross into the waters, uniting Heaven and Earth in the fullness of God’s Grace.
The wonderful young people who are participating today are giving us an example of what it means to be committed to these sacred actions. May the Lord bless them abundantly.
Together with them, let us bring forth in our lives the peace of the Dove and the energy of the Cross that brings the sacrifice of the One Who was baptized for our sake into the hearts of the Many.
Through the Grace of the Holy Spirit, the Harbinger of Peace, and the Power of the Holy, Precious, and Life-giving Cross!
Amen!
1 Genesis 8:11.
