Post-feast of the Dormition; the Transfer from Edessa to Constantinople of the Holy Icon “Not Made with Hands” of Our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ, also Called the Holy Veil, and the Holy Martyr Diomedes (284-305)
2 Corinthians 2:14-3:3; Matthew 23:23-28
Read 2 Corinthians 2:14-3:3
Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory forever!
What a beautiful insight we receive today from St. Paul on becoming an ‘aroma of Christ to God’. In the Eastern Tradition we pride ourselves on involving all of the senses in our worship services, but often we only consider these as external stimuli associated with worship. What St. Paul wants us to see is that we are to become that pleasing aroma to God through the preaching of Christ. Ambrosiaster from the fourth century says:
“The aroma of the knowledge of God comes from Christ and through Christ. The reason why Paul said “aroma” was this: Some things are recognized by their smell, even though they are invisible. God, who is invisible, wishes to be understood through Christ. The preaching of Christ reaches our ears just as an aroma reaches our nostrils, bringing God and his only-begotten Son right into the midst of his creation. A person who speaks the truth about Christ is just such a good aroma from God, worthy of praise from the one who believes. But one who makes erroneous assertions about Christ has a bad smell to believers and unbelievers alike.” (Commentary on Paul’s Epistles).
The pleasing aroma is not just a spiritual, or invisible matter, which has no influence on our human senses. In fact, as we grow in our stature in Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit, that holiness has a pleasing fragrance. Very often people who encounter the Divine, whether with the Lord directly or His saints, experience the Heavenly aroma in a very real way. This is a fragrance of life. The opposite is true of sin, death and the evil one. They also have a particular unpleasant smell of decomposition and rot. Those who give themselves over to darkness and sin unite themselves to corruption and decomposition; on the other hand, when we give ourselves over to Christ are filled with the Heavenly and Divine aroma of life. The choice is ours.