Fore-feast of the Procession of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord. Holy and Just Eudocimus (840).
2 Corinthians 3:4-11. Matthew 23:29-39.
Read 2 Corinthians 3:4-11
In writing to the Corinthians, St. Paul compares and contrasts the Old Testament with the New Testament. He grew up hearing and studying all the sacred events of salvation history, the amazing moments when God intervened, revealed Himself, and in the process, saved the Israelite people from oppression and disaster. These moments were awesome—in the fullest sense of the word. The people encountered God’s glory and power, and the nation of Israel was filled with awe, reverence, and fear. Only the select prophets, like Moses and others, were worthy enough to be the intermediaries and representatives of the people and these prophets were changed and marked by their encounters with the Divine. This is why St. Paul mentions Moses’ face after his encounters with God: “the Israelites could not look at Moses’ face because of its brightness.”
In the New Covenant, this amazing privilege of encountering the Living God through Jesus Christ our Lord continues to be a reality. Through God’s providential plan, it has been dispensed throughout all the world and is no longer localized exclusively to the Hebrew people. God’s glory has been spread throughout the world. Moreover, Jesus Christ opens the possibility for all people to enter into a privileged relationship with the Living God—not just Moses and the select prophets of the Old Testament. The prophet Joel sees this coming reality in a not too distant future when he says: “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Even upon the menservants and maidservants in those days, I will pour out my spirit.” (Joel 2:28-29). This is our calling: to abide in the presence of the Glory of God through Jesus Christ our Lord by the power of the Holy Spirit.