12b We act very boldly 13 and not like Moses, who put a veil over his face so that the Israelites could not look intently at the cessation of what was fading. 14 Rather, their thoughts were rendered dull, for to this present day the same veil remains unlifted when they read the old covenant, because through Christ it is taken away. 15 To this day, in fact, whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their hearts, 16 but whenever a person turns to the Lord the veil is removed. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 All of us, gazing with unveiled face on the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, as from the Lord who is the Spirit.
3 And even though our gospel is veiled, it is veiled for those who are perishing, 4 in whose case the god of this age has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, so that they may not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5 For we do not preach ourselves but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your slaves for the sake of Jesus. 6 For God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to bring to light the knowledge of the glory of God on the face of [Jesus] Christ.
St. Paul, writing to the Christian community in Corinth, draws a powerful contrast between the Old Covenant and the new life given in Christ. He refers to Moses, whose face shone after speaking with God on Mount Sinai, and who veiled it so that the Israelites could not see the fading glory (cf. Ex. 34:29–35; 2 Cor. 3:13). This phrase refers to the temporary radiance that shone from Moses’ face—glory that was real but destined to fade. It signified the transitory nature of the Old Covenant—real, divinely ordained, and truly holy (cf. Rom. 7:12), yet not the final or fullest revelation of God’s redemptive plan. The brightness fading from Moses’ face became a symbol of a covenant that would one day be fulfilled and surpassed in Christ. Paul draws on this to emphasize that in the New Covenant, the glory revealed in Christ does not fade but endures; it transforms. Unlike Moses, who veiled his face to shield the people from a glory that was passing away, Christians now behold the glory of the Lord with unveiled faces and are being inwardly renewed by it through the Spirit (2 Cor. 3:18).
Yet this vision of glory is not to be confused with the final and perfect vision of God that Scripture describes—the direct, unmediated sight of God as He truly is, which is the promise of heaven (cf. 1 Jn. 3:2). In this life, we do not yet see God fully “face to face,” but rather “as in a mirror, dimly” (1 Cor. 13:12). Still, the glory that believers see now is not a mere symbol or shadow—it is a real participation in the divine life. Through faith, prayer, the Word of God, and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, we are drawn into communion with Christ and inwardly transformed. The early Church Fathers, such as St. Gregory of Nyssa (c. 335–c. 395 AD), spoke of this as the soul being gradually conformed to God’s image, ascending from one degree of glory to another. St. Augustine (354–430 AD) echoed this when he wrote that faith begins our transformation now, preparing us for the day when we shall see fully what we now know only in part.
Paul’s message continues in chapter 4 with a sober but hopeful tone. If the Gospel seems veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing—those who, in turning away from the light of Christ, remain in spiritual blindness. He refers to “the god of this age” (4:4), meaning Satan, who blinds minds and hardens hearts. The light of the Gospel is not dim, but it is resisted. The solution is not greater eloquence or persuasion, but the power of God Himself who says, “Let light shine out of darkness” (4:6), echoing the first words spoken at creation (Gen. 1:3). This light now shines in the hearts of believers through the face of Jesus Christ.
Paul’s imagery resonates deeply with the Prologue of John’s Gospel: “The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world” (Jn. 1:9). It also recalls his own dramatic conversion—when the light of Christ literally broke into his life and unveiled the truth he once opposed. As the Navarre Bible points out, this transformation is not only personal but ecclesial: the Spirit unveils the hearts of believers and builds up the Church as the radiant Body of Christ. The Paulist Biblical Commentary adds that Paul’s language is not merely metaphorical—it speaks of a real encounter with divine glory that reshapes the soul.
So we are invited to walk in this unveiled freedom, allowing Christ to illuminate our hearts and free us from every form of spiritual blindness. This transformation, though incomplete, is real. It prepares us for the day when we shall behold God without shadow or veil, in the fullness of His glory.
Lord Jesus, Light of the world, remove from our hearts every veil of pride and unbelief. Let Your Spirit shine within us, that beholding Your glory, we may be transformed into Your likeness. Grant us courage to reflect Your light in a world often shrouded in darkness. Amen!
Sources
- McSorley, Joseph. An Outline History of the Church by Centuries (From St. Peter to Pius XII). 2nd ed., B. Herder Book Co., 1944.
- Orchard, Bernard, et al. A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture. Feb. 1953.
- Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
- Faculty of the University of Navarre. The Navarre Bible: New Testament Expanded Edition. Four Courts / Scepter, 2008.
- Faculty of the University of Navarre. The Navarre Bible: The Pentateuch. Four Courts Press, 2017
- Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Prentice Hall, 1990.
- Charpentier, Etienne. How to Read the Old Testament. Translated by John Bowden, 1981.
- Komonchak, Joseph, et al., editors. The New Dictionary of Theology.
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