The Baptism of the Lord, or Theophany, is celebrated on January 19th (January 6th according to the old calendar) in commemoration of the baptism of Jesus Christ in the waters of the Jordan River. The Gospel tells us how the prophet John the Baptist baptized people who decided to repent and change their lives in anticipation of the imminent coming of the Savior. John saw Jesus coming to him and said, "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). He said this because he recognized in Jesus the God-man. God, being without sin, does not need to be baptized for the forgiveness of sins; He Himself sanctifies everything He touches. John tried to refuse to baptize Jesus, but the Lord insisted.
The moment when Jesus was immersed in the waters of the Jordan, the heavens opened above Him, and John saw the Holy Spirit descending on Him in the form of a dove. And a voice came from heaven, saying, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased". Thus, God revealed Himself to humanity as the Holy Trinity, in Three Persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit; hence the alternate name for the holiday — Theophany.
The Incarnate God the Son Jesus Christ sanctified the waters of the Jordan river by His immersion. In honor of this event, the Church performs the Great Blessing of Waters on the feast of Theophany. The Holy Water of Theophany — the Great Agiasma — receives grace from Christ and serves for the spiritual rebirth of a person into a new, grace-filled life.
Following the example of the baptism of Christ in water, the Church established the Sacrament of Baptism — a sacred action through which the saving power of God is secretly, invisibly communicated to man. A person who has been baptized becomes a full member of the Church of Christ. "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God" (John 3:5), says the Savior.
Holy water is the vessel of God's grace. But the grace of God never acts without the consent of the person, automatically. God expects from a person a conscious faith in Him, a desire to build one's life in accordance with the Gospel. A person comes to meet God when he or she takes on the moral effort to fulfill the Commandments, constantly, every day, every minute.
Upon starting such a work on one's own, people realize: it doesn’t work out. Due to their fallen nature, they cannot help but envy, lie, judge others, become angry... And they turn to God in prayer for assistance. The Lord responds by giving him His grace-filled help — including through holy water. Gradually, a person enters into spiritual life, learns to fulfill the will of God, participates in prayer, repentance, and communion with the Holy Mysteries of Christ in the sacrament of the Eucharist, becomes truly Orthodox, "his own" to God. And the Lord does not forsake His own.
Holy water is often perceived as a magical solution that supposedly works mechanically, without faith in the Holy Trinity, without prayer and repentance, without participation in the Sacraments of the Church. It is believed to be a churchly almighty remedy for all troubles and illnesses — drink it or anoint oneself, and all diseases will disappear. This is a mistake. Saint Theophan the Recluse writes: "All grace coming from God through the holy Cross, holy icons, holy water, relics, consecrated bread (artos, antidoron, prosphora), and others, including the Most Holy Communion of the Body and Blood of Christ, has power only for those who are worthy of this grace through penitent prayers, repentance, humility, service to people, deeds of mercy, and manifestation of other Christian virtues. But if these are absent, this grace will not save; it does not act automatically, like a talisman, and is useless for the wicked and those who think themselves to be Christians."
Miracles of healing occur our days, and there are many of them. But God does not work miracles where they are expected solely for the sake of a comfortable earthly life, where there is no sincere intention to use God's grace-filled help for one's own salvation. "An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign," said the Savior about His unbelieving contemporaries, "and there shall no sign be given to it" (Matthew 12:39). Holy water will benefit us only when we discover the door to spiritual life, the door to the Orthodox Church.
In any church holiday, it is necessary to distinguish its meaning and the customs that have unfolded around it. In the feast of Baptism of the Lord, the essential event is the miracle of the Theophany, the Baptism of Christ, in which He took upon Himself the full weight of our sins and laid the foundation for our salvation. The primary task for an Orthodox Christian on this day is to attend church service, to confess and receive Holy Communion, and to take the Holy/Theophany water.
The revived tradition of bathing in ice holes today is nothing more but a pious custom. Immersion in the ice hole is not obligatory for a Christian, and, what is especially important, it does not cleanse a person of sins, as is often erroneously stated in the media.
There is no difference between the water consecrated on January 18th on the Eve of Theophany and the water consecrated on January 19th on the Feast of Theophany (or the Baptism of the Lord). On both days, after the Divine Liturgy, the same rite of the Great Blessing of Water is performed. Water can be collected on either of these days. Usually, it is first given to those who attended the service. However, if you have to stand in line for water, remember that you are partaking in something sacred and behave reverently.
An Orthodox Christian drinks holy water on an empty stomach, along with a piece of prosphora, making the sign of the cross. In cases of special need for God's help — in illnesses or attacks of evil forces — it is possible and necessary to drink holy water at any time, having received a blessing from a priest.
Also, the dwelling is sprinkled with holy water while reading the prayer to the Honorable Cross:
"Save, O Lord, Thy people, and bless Thine inheritance; grant Thou unto Orthodox Christians victory over enemies; and by the power of Thy Cross do Thou preserve Thy commonwealth. Amen."
With reverent attitude, holy water remains fresh and pleasant to taste for a long time. It should be kept in a separate place, preferably near the home icon corner. Even a few drops of holy water impart the grace-filled properties to ordinary water, so it is not necessary to stockpile it in large quantities.