For people, Christ is, first of all, a person who was able to pass through the great trials of fate and at the same time always remained cheerful and good-natured towards others.
The Baptism of the Lord is a rite that helped Jesus merge with the “holy sky” and revealed to the people a different, brighter side of the world. Since then it has become a whole tradition, and until today, people turn to God through this custom.
When does heaven open at the baptism of the Lord? This question excites many people because only at this moment can you feel the full power of the sacred sacrament.
The origins of the holiday
According to sermons in the Gospel, Jesus turned to Saint John, who lived on the Jordan River, with the request to christen him (at that time he was already about 30 years old).
He was surprised to see such an adult man who asked him about it, but nevertheless began to perform the rite. During this sacrament, the sacred Sky was revealed, from which the voice of God was heard. He said that Jesus is now the beloved Son, and may blessings come to him.
Since then, thanks to John, the messianic mission of Jesus was made public. The sacrament of the rite and the open Heaven for Baptism was the first manifestation of the sacred ministerial canons.
After carrying out this kind of custom, John began to popularize this event among the common people, mastering more and more new territories.
Ancient baptism
After Christ returned to society, he told the sacrament to his brothers and began to preach the Orthodox religion and read prayers in the open squares of the city.
At that moment, when Heaven opens at Baptism, the water takes all the blessed power, and the light of God is shed. Jesus led his people to rivers and performed this rite over all comers.
After that, a man became one step closer to the supreme forgiveness and was cleansed of all the evil sins that he had acquired.
Also, the baptized took upon himself the whole path of Christ, and thus, after death, the resurrection awaited him.
The main condition for this rite is faith and repentance. Those who were forcibly brought in order to save the evil one were doomed to failure in advance. If a person is an atheist, then even sacred water will not help him.
Age Sacrament
If you bring a child to baptism, then you need to know that the parents must first go through the ritual of purification and repent, thereby purifying themselves from the negative influence and bad energy.
An open Heaven for Baptism will symbolize that the rite will bring maximum protection for your child and give him unprecedented strength.
If an adult steps over the threshold of the church, then he must realize his entire life path and come to the sacrament of confession on his own. Only then will the priest be able to conduct the rite of Baptism and put up protection from the negative influence of the underworld.
Main traditions
On the great day of the holiday, when all the waters of the world become holy, people try to purify their spirit by bathing in the holy hole. When heaven opens for Baptism, namely on the night of January 19 according to the Orthodox calendar, people pay tribute to their God, ask for forgiveness and pray for the health of their neighbors.
The Jordanian waters, which flow into many sources of the world, bring peace and tranquility to those who touch them at least once. People who are baptized on this day are doomed to eternal happiness and strong protection. Also, river waters flow back and show significant changes in the natural cycle, which is one of the miracles of the sacred sacrament.
On such a significant day, when the Sky opens for desires for Baptism, people make simple, but at the same time very important things. Basically, this is not material wealth, since God despises and does not fulfill monetary requests. Here comes to the fore the health, love and peace, as well as the birth of heirs.
The mystery of the holy spring
When heaven opens at Baptism, all fresh rivers are endowed with healing power, but this is sometimes not enough, and additional lighting through prayers is required. Two methods were spelled out in the Gospel: great and small sanctification.
The first type of sacrament is carried out on the eve of the evening of the holiday, where the deeds of Christ are glorified, and protection against evil spirits, which can penetrate through transparent sources on a person, is put on. At the end of such a rite, the grace cross is immersed three times in water and prayers are read.
When Heaven opens at Baptism, this sacrament takes on greater significance, since earthly worship of Christ the Savior and sacred forces give a truly healing and pacifying effect.
The rite of small water blessing is held every month. It also gives glory to Christ, reads prayers and purifies oneself and space from negativity. And in the same way, events are held on the eve of holy holidays, for example, Easter. Here, water also represents eternal life and youth, but all kinds of liturgies and church chants are added to this .
Icon Images
When Heaven opens for Baptism, all believers turn not only to holy water, but also to scriptures and blessed pictures. After all, God's light from heaven is shed only on those people who honor the memory of Jesus, referring to his image on the icons.
Of the earlier images that were presented in the holy temples, is the image of Christ in the Rabbinical mosaics. The Savior is represented here naked, hair is long, a beard is present, and hands are down. He is immersed waist-deep in water, and from above the Sky opens, through which the Holy Spirit descends.
In the eleventh century, frescoes also depicted Christ in the nude. The icon shows that when the Sky opens at the Baptism of the Savior, divine radiance pours from above, and angels descend.
Also on many images is the Holy Trinity and the apostles, who were faithful helpers of Jesus.
Nowadays, priests note that these icons are endowed with extraordinary power and can help in difficult times if prayers are read in front of them. This applies to all days of the year, and not just holy holidays.
Modern rites
In Russia at Epiphany it is customary to swim in the "Jordanian ice hole" or in ordinary fresh water bodies. Mostly during this period it is very cold, but this does not stop people, and they plunge into the spring for at least a few seconds, where a holy, open Sky reigns above them. At Epiphany, priests come from different temples and pre-hollow an ice hole for the best healing effect.
In ancient times, such “open” sinners participated in such rites, those who resorted to fortune telling or witchcraft. It was believed that with such a cleansing all the evil spirits that walked freely on the Earth would go away.
Prohibited Actions
As previously stated, fortune-telling on such a holiday is prohibited by the church, since periods on holy days are considered borderline. At these crucial moments, evil spirits are quite actively trying to break through to the Earth, and the open Sky at Baptism helps her in this. She can take the form of an angel and take root in the life of ordinary people. Therefore, if you still want to tell fortunes, then during the holy holy days, this should not be done.