Great Tuesday; The Holy Apostles Aristarchus, Pudens, and Trophimus.
Matins – Matthew 22:15-23:39; Sixth Hour – Ezekiel 1:21-2:1; Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts – Exodus 2:5-10; Job 1:13-22; Matthew 24:36-26:2.
Read Exodus 2:5-10
Today we read the story of Moses being drawn out of the Nile by Pharaoh’s daughter—an act of unexpected mercy that sets in motion God’s great plan to save His people. Though just a child, Moses is destined to become a liberator. Hidden in a basket, raised in Pharaoh’s house, and eventually called to confront the very powers that once threatened his life, Moses becomes the instrument through which God frees Israel from slavery.
The Church has long seen Moses as a type of Christ—a figure who foreshadows the One who is to come. Just as Moses led the Israelites out of bondage in Egypt, so too has Christ come to lead us out of the far deeper slavery of sin and death. Moses parted the Red Sea; Christ parts the waters of baptism. Moses gave the Law on Mount Sinai; Christ ascended the Mount to give the new Law in the Sermon on the Mount.
And what is this new Law? The Beatitudes. In them, Christ teaches us not merely what to do, but how to love—how to become the kind of people who reflect God’s mercy and holiness. “Blessed are the merciful… the pure in heart… the peacemakers…” These are not just commands but invitations: to be transformed by grace and live in freedom. The Beatitudes are the law of love, not imposed from without, but planted within the heart by Jesus.
This week, as we walk with Christ toward His Passion, we are invited to join in a spiritual exodus of our own. Brothers and sisters, what Egypt are we still clinging to? What sins still enslave us? What comforts or fears hold us back from following Christ completely?
The same Lord who drew Moses from the water now draws near to us. He has opened the way—not just through the sea, but through death itself. This Pascha, let us follow Christ in earnest. Let us leave behind the old ways and walk in the freedom of His love. And as Israel journeyed through the desert toward the Promised Land, may we journey through Great and Holy Week toward the joy of resurrection, becoming more like Christ—merciful, humble, and free.