This week at
daily Mass, we began to work through the Second Letter of Peter. Monday’s reading began with the second verse, so I went looking and found
the first: Simon Peter, a servant
and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained a faith of equal
standing with ours in the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ.
At first that
took me aback: those
who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours. Who is that? Whose faith is of equal standing with that of
Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of
Jesus Christ? Peter’s faith is of
the highest standing, suitable for an apostle, even the prince of the apostles. I realized that he was talking to all of the
believers who would receive his letter, including you and me. What a shock to realize that Peter would
consider my faith to be of equal standing to his!
Peter’s faith, the development of which we have all witnessed, was
all zeal and impetuosity, love and insight, until that time when it was
overcome by fear: I tell you, I do not
know the man! When the cock crowed, his
faith disintegrated. So it seemed to
him, and seems to us.
But the Peter who writes us this letter has his faith restored. The risen Jesus appeared to him, and even
made him breakfast. This, surely,
elevated Peter’s faith to a level strength and importance that surpasses
anything I could achieve – doesn’t it?
Well, expressed that way, yes, because Peter did not “achieve”
faith, and neither will I. But faith was
given to Peter from the Father, and nourished and fortified in the experience
of the risen Son. So, even if the Father
has given me faith, how can it be “of equal standing” with the faith of Peter,
who saw and touched and talked to the risen Lord?
The answer lies in that conversation on the beach after a night’s
fishing. Jesus asked, Simon, do you love me? three times, once for each denial; and
admonished Peter to feed and tend his sheep, then assured him that his death
would glorify the Lord. So Peter’s
experience of the resurrection was not characterized by the breakfast, but by
the forgiveness Jesus gave him. That is
precisely the experience of the risen Jesus that is at the root of my faith,
and yours. Therefore, our faith has
equal standing with his: it is from God, by his mercy, given to us who regret
and turn away from our sins and receive forgiveness from the risen Jesus.
Peter values the faith of us who read his letter, and encourages us
to treat it like the precious gift it is, caring for it: For
this very reason make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and
virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with
steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly
affection, and brotherly affection with love.
So if a preacher happens to encourage you to strive for greater
virtue, he is not demeaning
your faith – far from it! He is valuing
your faith as highly as his own, and Saint Peter’s, by exhorting you to
supplement it.
Similarly, if a teacher suggests that you would benefit from
studying the content of the Faith, exploring its teachings and meditating on
its truths, then he, too, is indeed showing
respect for the faith that abides in you, and calling you to do the
same by increasing your knowledge.
When we are reminded of our responsibility to nurture, teach, and
practice our faith, remember: what motivates that admonition is not an
assumption that your faith or mine is second-rate. No, your faith, and mine, is of equal standing with that of an Apostle! But let that realization be the beginning of our
work to keep it strong and make it stronger, just as this remarkable assurance
form Peter is at the beginning of a most instructional letter.
Monsignor
Smith
