Christ is risen! Indeed he is risen!
In the early days of the Church, those who were seeking to be joined to Christ – the catechumens – often learned the faith solely through the study of the Old Testament. With the feast of Pascha, after some period of instruction (often yearslong), they were received through holy Baptism. Then, during the bright days following Christ’s Resurrection, they participated in the process of mystagogy, post-baptismal instruction in the Gospels and mysteries of the Church that complemented and completed their earlier catechesis.
Thus, on this and the following two Sundays, as we hear from the Gospels about how Christ heals and illumines via water, we are given images of holy Baptism, the great sacrament of cleansing and enlightenment. These images are not solely relevant for new converts just coming to understand the significance of the mysteries: they are an annual reminder of the great gift that we have received through Baptism. According to many ascetic fathers – Mark the Monk, the venerable Ignatius and Callistus, and more – the entire aim of our Christian life is to preserve and recover the gift given to us in holy Baptism, the sacrament through which we once and for all received everything necessary for our salvation, all that is needful for eternal life and communion with God, all the grace that we could ever hope to contain.