Every moment is baptism's time, Easter most of all
Basil opens his homily by reworking Solomon's saying about times, arguing that the whole of human life is the season for baptism, and that Easter, as the day of resurrection, is the most fitting moment to receive it.
The wise Solomon, dividing up the times of life's affairs and setting aside the right moment for each thing that happens, said: "There is a time for everything, and a season for every matter: a time to be born, and a time to die" (Ecclesiastes 3:1-2). But I would alter the wise man's saying just a little, and proclaim to you the saving message: there is a time to die, and a time to be born.
Why this change? Because he was speaking about things that come into being and pass away, following bodily nature, and so he placed birth before death—for no one can experience death without first being born. But I am about to speak of spiritual rebirth, and so I place death before life. For by dying to the flesh we gain birth in the Spirit, as the Lord also says: "I kill, and I make alive" (Deuteronomy 32:39). Let us die, then, so that we may live. Let us put to death the sinful nature, which cannot submit to God's law, so that the mindset of the Spirit may grow strong in us—the mindset through which life and peace naturally come. Let us be buried with Christ, who died for us, so that we may also rise with Him who secured our resurrection.
Different times suit different things: there is a time for sleep and a time for waking, a time for war and a time for peace. But for baptism, the entire life of human beings is the time. A body cannot live without breathing, and a soul cannot hold together without knowing its Creator. Ignorance of God is the death of the soul. And the unbaptized person has not been enlightened. Without light, an eye cannot see what belongs to it, nor can a soul receive the contemplation of God.
Every moment, then, offers the opportunity for salvation through baptism—whether you name night or day, an hour or an instant, or the very briefest point of time. But surely the moment most closely related to baptism is the most fitting. What could be more akin to baptism than the day of Easter? That day is the memorial of the resurrection, and baptism is the power that leads to resurrection. On the day of resurrection, then, let us receive the grace of the resurrection. This is why the Church calls her nurslings together from afar with a loud proclamation, so that those for whom she long labored in birth she may bring forth on that day—and having weaned them from the words of instruction, she may give them a taste of the solid food of the teachings.
John the Baptist preached a baptism of repentance, and all Judea went out to him. The Lord preaches a baptism of adoption—and who among those who have hoped in Him will not obey? That baptism was introductory; this one brings to completion. That one was a withdrawal from sin; this one is a kinship with God. John the Baptist's preaching was that of one man, and it drew everyone to repentance. But you—taught through the prophets, "Wash yourselves; become clean" (Isaiah 1:16); admonished through the psalms, "Come to Him, and be enlightened" (Psalm 34:5); evangelized through the apostles, "Repent, and let each of you be baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and you will receive the promise of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:38); welcomed by the Lord Himself, who says, "Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28)—for all these readings have come together today—do you still hesitate, deliberate, and keep delaying?
You have been instructed in the word since infancy, and you have not yet committed yourself to the truth? Always learning, and you have not yet come to knowledge? A tester your whole life, a spy until old age—when will you become a Christian? When will we recognize you as one of us? Last year you were waiting for this present season; now you are waiting again for the next one.
Greek
ΟΜΙΛΙΑ ΙΓʹ. Προτρεπτικὴ εἰς τὸ ἅγιον βάπτισμα. Ὁ μὲν σοφὸς Σολομὼν, τῶν κατὰ τὸν βίον πρα γμάτων τοὺς καιροὺς διαιρῶν, καὶ ἑκάστῳ τῶν γινο μένων τὸν ἐπιτήδειον ἀφορίζων, ἔφη· Τοῖς πᾶσιν ὁ χρόνος, καὶ καιρὸς τῷ παντὶ πράγματι· καιρὸς τοῦ τεκεῖν, καὶ καιρὸς τοῦ ἀποθανεῖν· ἐγὼ δὲ, μικρὸν τοῦ σοφοῦ τὴν ἀπόφασιν ὑπαλλάξας, εἴποιμι ἂν κηρύσσων ὑμῖν τὸ σωτήριον κήρυγμα, ὅτι καιρὸς τοῦ ἀποθανεῖν, καὶ καιρὸς τοῦ γεννηθῆναι. Τίς δὲ ὁ λό γος τῆς ἐναλλαγῆς; Ὅτι ὁ μὲν περὶ τῶν ἐν γενέσει καὶ φθορᾷ διαλεγόμενος, τῇ σωματικῇ ἑπόμε νος φύσει, τὴν γένεσιν προέταξε τοῦ θανάτου (ἀδύνα τον γὰρ θανάτου πεῖραν λαβεῖν τὸν μὴ πρότερον γεννηθέντα)· ἐγὼ δὲ, περὶ τῆς πνευματικῆς ἀναγεννήσεως τὸν λόγον ποιεῖσθαι μέλλων, τὸν θάνατον προτίθημι τῆς ζωῆς. Διὰ γὰρ τοῦ ἀποθανεῖν τῇ σαρκὶ περιγίνεται ἡμῖν τὸ γεννηθῆναι τῷ πνεύματι, καθά φησι καὶ ὁ Κύριος· Ἐγὼ ἀποκτενῶ, καὶ ζῇν ποιήσω. Ἀποθάνωμεν οὖν, ἵνα ζήσωμεν. Ἀποκτείνωμεν τὸ φρόνημα τῆς σαρκὸς, τὸ μὴ δυνάμενον ὑποταγῆναι τῷ νόμῳ τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἵνα τὸ φρόνημα τοῦ πνεύματος ἰσχυρὸν ἡμῖν ἐγγένηται, δι' οὗ ζωὴ καὶ εἰρήνη περιγίνεσθαι πέφυκε. Συνταφῶμεν τῷ Χριστῷ τῷ ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἀποθανόντι, ἵνα καὶ συναναστῶμεν τῷ ἡμῖν τὴν ἀνάστασιν προξενήσαντι. Καιρὸς μὲν οὖν ἄλλοις ἄλλος ἐπιτήδειος· ἴδιος ὕπνου, καὶ ἴδιος ἐγρηγόρσεως· ἴδιος πολέμου, καὶ ἴδιος εἰρήνης· καιρὸς δὲ βαπτίσματος ἅπας ὁ τῶν ἀνθρώπων βίος. Οὔτε γὰρ σώματι ζῇν μὴ ἀνα πνέοντι δυνατὸν, οὔτε ψυχῇ συνεστάναι, μὴ γνωρι ζούσῃ τὸν κτίσαντα. Θεοῦ γὰρ ἄγνοια θάνατός ἐστι ψυχῆς. Ὁ δὲ μὴ βαπτισθεὶς οὐ πεφώτισται. Ἄνευ δὲ φωτὸς οὔτε ὀφθαλμὸς τὰ ἑαυτοῦ καθορᾷ, οὔτε ψυχὴ Θεοῦ δέξασθαι δύναται θεωρίαν. Πᾶς μὲν οὖν χρόνος εὐκαιρίαν ἔχει πρὸς τὴν διὰ τοῦ βαπτίσματος σωτη ρίαν· κἂν νύκτα εἴπῃς, κἂν ἡμέραν, κἂν ὥραν, κἂν στιγμὴν χρόνου, κἄν τι βραχύτατον. Πολλῷ δὲ δήπου εἰκὸς ἐπιτηδειότερον εἶναι τὸν οἰκειότερον. Τί δ' ἂν γένοιτο τῆς ἡμέρας τοῦ Πάσχα συγγενέστερον πρὸς τὸ βάπτισμα; Ἡ μὲν γὰρ ἡμέρα μνημόσυνόν ἐστιν ἀναστάσεως· τὸ δὲ βάπτισμα δύναμίς ἐστι πρὸς τὴν ἀνάστασιν. Ἐν τοίνυν τῇ ἀναστασίμῳ ἡμέρᾳ τῆς ἀναστάσεως τὴν χάριν ὑποδεξώμεθα. Διὰ τοῦτο πόῤ ῥωθεν ἡ Ἐκκλησία τοὺς ἑαυτῆς τροφίμους ὑψηλῷ κηρύγματι συγκαλεῖ, ἵν' οὓς πάλαι ὤδινεν, ἀπο κυήσῃ τότε, καὶ ἀπογαλακτίσασα αὐτοὺς τῶν λόγων τῆς κατηχήσεως, γεύσῃ τῆς στερεᾶς τῶν δογμάτων τροφῆς. Ἰωάννης ἐκήρυσσε βάπτισμα μετανοίας, καὶ ἐξεπορεύετο πρὸς αὐτὸν πᾶσα ἡ Ἰουδαία· Κύριος κηρύσσει βάπτισμα υἱοθεσίας· καὶ τίς τῶν εἰς αὐτὸν ἠλπικότων οὐχ ὑπακούσεται; Ἐκεῖνο εἰσαγωγικὸν τὸ βάπτισμα· τοῦτο τελειωτικόν. Ἐκεῖνο ἁμαρτίας ἀναχώρησις· τοῦτο οἰκείωσις πρὸς Θεόν. Ἑνὸς ἀν δρὸς ἦν Ἰωάννου τὸ κήρυγμα, καὶ πάντας εἷλκε πρὸς τὴν μετάνοιαν· σὺ δὲ, διὰ προφητῶν διδασκόμενος· Λούσασθε, καθαροὶ γίνεσθε· διὰ ψαλμῶν νουθετούμενος· Προσέλθετε πρὸς αὐτὸν, καὶ φωτίσθητε· δι' ἀποστόλων εὐαγγελιζόμενος· Μετανοήσατε, καὶ βαπτισθήτω ἕκαστος ὑμῶν ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ Κυρίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ εἰς ἄφεσιν ἁμαρτιῶν, καὶ λήψεσθε τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύμα τος· ὑπ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ Κυρίου προσλαμβανόμενος, λέγοντος· Δεῦτε πρὸς μὲ, πάντες οἱ κοπιῶντες καὶ πεφορτισμένοι, κἀγὼ ἀναπαύσω ὑμᾶς (ταῦτα γὰρ πάντα σήμερον συνέδραμε πρὸς τὴν ἀνάγνωσιν)· ὀκνεῖς καὶ βουλεύῃ καὶ διαμέλλεις; Ἐκ νηπίου τὸν λόγον κατηχούμενος, οὔπω συνέθου τῇ ἀληθείᾳ; Πάντοτε μανθάνων, οὐδέπω ἦλθες πρὸς τὴν ἐπίγνωσιν; Πειραστὴς διὰ βίου, κατάσκοπος μέχρι γήρως, πότε γενήσῃ Χριστιανός; πότε γνωρίσομέν σε ὡς ἡμέτε ρον; Πέρυσι τὸν παρόντα καιρὸν ἐξεδέχου, νῦν πά λιν ἀναμένεις τὸν ἐπιόντα.