To be honest, spirituality is not the first word that comes to my mind when I think of 2 Corinthians. But I wonder whether Stegman does not have a point in suggesting that,
“What 2 Corinthians offers to people today is spirituality. By spirituality I mean a way of life that is inspired and empowered by the Holy Spirit. While Paul’s vocation as apostle and founder of churches has particular characteristics and responsibilities, he insists that all Christians are called to embody Jesus’ loving, self-giving way of life in their own lives, within their own life circumstances. The Paschal mystery—God’s bringing about new life through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus—is at the center of Paul’s understanding of life in the Spirit (1:3–7; 4:7–15). Christians participate in the paschal mystery by entering into the dynamic of Christ’s self-offering for the sake of others, trusting in God to bring life—to others and to oneself—out of one’s various ‘dyings.’ In these and so many other ways, 2 Corinthians —aptly called by a prominent commentator ‘the most extraordinary letter of the New Testament’[Jerome Murphy-O'Conner, Paul a Critical Life, 309 ]—is extremely relevant for Christian life today.”
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