The New Testament is not merely different from the Old but brings to the world the incomparable uniqueness of new life in Christ. The Lord came that we may have life and have it in abundance.1John 10:10. He is the fulness of time, for He made time our very precious friend. The fulness of time is the acquisition of holiness. More concretely, this unique fulness lies in the Name of Christ, in which there is salvation and life. This Name became an inalienable inheritance of man especially in the practice of the Jesus Prayer.
Man can live continually with this fulness in his heart. The invocation of the Name of Christ builds in him the holy temple of God. Then, whether he sleeps or is awake, he is captured by the Lord’s presence within him. The saints of God bear this Name at all times in their hearts which pray without ceasing, even when they work or converse with men. Yet from time to time, they hide in a corner in order to surrender to the end to the mighty waves of this Name, which flood the heart of those who call upon it with faith and love.
The Name of Christ becomes the mark of God’s people in the New Testament. Yet, the Lord also gave us His divine and perfect word, upon which we can build our life unshakeably. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but not one jot of His words shall pass away.2Matt. 24:35. He has come and brought to us all things, even Himself as He is. How blessed we are!
These are the strange and wondrous things that came upon our planet on the day of Pentecost. These divine gifts, the name and the word of Christ, are the fulness of time, as they prepare and work our union with the Author of our faith and of our life. As Saint Philaret said, we are disciples of the Cross of Christ, but at the same time disciples of His blessedness. Glory be to Him.
Footnotes
- 1John 10:10.
- 2Matt. 24:35.