 Good evening, everyone. Good evening, and thank you, Dr. Hahn, and thank you, sisters and brothers, thank you for your presence, for your participation, for your commitment to this faith-filled, joy-filled, Christ-filled gathering. It's a real gift, a true gift and a grace to be together. Thank you. Second, what Scott said earlier about tuning out the speaker and tuning in the Lord, whatever. I probably have over-prepared some thoughts, and I hope the Lord blesses them, but what is important to me is the word that the Lord wants to speak to your minds and to your hearts. So know this, know this well. I am eminently tune-outable. And there's a story, I wasn't prepared to tell it, but a little, little funny story about someone who went to an extreme in tuning out a bishop. And the story goes that it's a country where a severe persecution broke out against the church, and a bishop, a priest, and a deacon were arrested for defending the faith, and they were held before a kangaroo court and sentenced to death. And so the day that the execution was to be carried out by firing squad, a few hours before that, an officer came to where they were being held, and he said to the deacon, do you have any final request? And the deacon thought for him, and he said, well, you know, this is going to be the end. He said, maybe I just like a really nice steak, medium well, baked potato with all the fixings, some couple veggies, maybe a glass of nice red wine to go with that. The officer turned to the bishop and he said, do you have a final request? The bishop said, well, you know, all my life I wanted to do something, and I never had the chance. I always wanted to, in one comprehensive presentation, give the entire history of salvation. I wanted to start with the fall, go to the election of Abraham and the unfolding of salvation history until the fullness of time when the incarnate son comes and then the unfolding of that in the New Testament, and then bring the entire history of the church down to the present day. And he turned to the priest and he said, do you have a final request? And he said, yeah, before the bishop speaks, shoot me. Now, that's taking it to an extreme, but I hope during the course of this talk, no one is saying, hey, shoot me. But again, it's a grace and a true gift to be with you, and let's keep the joy of our faith as we try our best to defend our faith, but let's not lose that joy that we have. There's another story that I did want to begin with tonight. Maybe you've heard it. It's about a time management consultant who was having a luncheon conversation with a number of his colleagues. And this consultant traveled the country, working with top line, top corporate executives, working with minimum wage assembly line workers and everyone in between. And he was an absolute authority on efficiency. He had a tremendous gift to size up any process and make it more efficient and more productive. And so over lunch, he was telling his colleagues of an experience from his own home life. For several days, he observed how his wife prepared his breakfast. Each morning, it took her exactly 18 minutes to make his breakfast. But he noticed that she took countless trips between the fridge and the table, the table and the stove, the stove and the sink. She went back and forth and each trip carrying in her hand only one item. So after four days of analyzing this, the professional consultant sat his wife down and he explained to her how she could get that same breakfast ready for him with half the effort in half the time. Then he announced to his colleagues at this luncheon and now every morning, in only nine minutes, I get my own breakfast. No surprise there, huh? The story illustrates though how important appreciation and affirmation are. Important in married life, in family life, in the church, in ministry, appreciation and affirmation. In that story, instead of gratitude and encouragement and affirmation, the expert offered correction and direction to his wife. I begin with that story, not simply because the hope is that a little chuckle might help you keep awake during this talk at this late hour, but rather the author of the New Testament epistle that I want to comment on understood well how much Christian communities and those to whom he was writing needed affirmation and encouragement in the situation living among antagonistic pagan Gentiles and how much they needed to be grateful themselves for the faith and the living hope which by God's grace they had received. Saint Peter in this his first letter basically told his Christian hearers always forward, siempre adelante. The first letter of Peter addresses the actual life situation in which the readers found themselves. A situation that I will argue and I think you might agree is strikingly similar to our own in which you and I are called to defend the faith. The original recipients of this epistle had come to faith in Christ through baptism. In the words of the letter they were given quote a new birth to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. They had been born anew and had moved away from their former behaviors and values. Quite simply this made them unpopular and the object of hostility in the ambient pagan culture in which they found themselves sound vaguely familiar. Life had become agonizing for them. The author often refers to the tests to which they were being subjected and the Greek word for test is agonia a well-chosen word well-chosen because it originally referred to athletic contests brutal and violent often to the death of the contestants but a contest in which the surviving athletes received the prize. First Peter is a letter of encouragement and an exhortation for the Christians to know that by God's grace they can resist anything that comes their way and that in the end the magnificent reward of life with God an indescribable and glorious joyful life awaits those who persevere to the end and in the end the victorious saving power of Christ will be undeniably displayed. Before we get too far into the content of this epistle let us turn just a little attention to some of the fundamentals regarding the first letter of St. Peter. Since the fourth century the time of Eusebius first Peter has been designated as one of the seven general or Catholic epistles. The Catholic epistles have two distinguishing characteristics they are not attributed to St. Paul and they are addressed not to one particular church for instance his letter to the Corinthians or the Ephesians but rather to a group of churches. These are the distinguishing marks of the Catholic epistles. I would add that first Peter is also Catholic in a secondary sense it's Catholic because its message is universal across time and speaks to all Christians alienated from secular society and slandered for their faith. First Peter is one of the most attractive and pastorally rich writings in the New Testament that offers insight comfort and direction from the end of the first century to us at the beginning of the 21st. With the exception of first Peter and first John the ancient church showed reluctance to include the Catholic epistles in the New Testament canon. The reason was simple the widespread doubt that they actually had been written by the apostolic figures to whom they are attributed. The designated authors of the Catholic epistles are those who had seen Jesus in his earthly ministry and who were witnesses to his suffering death and Easter victory. The designated authors are two relatives of our Lord James and Jude and two of the most important members of the 12 Peter and John. Eventually though by the late 4th century or early 5th most objections have been overcome in both the Greek and the Latin churches. Come the 19th century and almost every aspect of the Catholic epistles began to be debated anew. Their genre are they really truly letters since they lack some of the usual marks that distinguish letters and most especially the designated authorship had once again been called into question. Some reasons why the authorship of Saint Peter has been questioned are first the rather elegant style of the Greek composition which would not be characteristic of a Galilean fisherman. Secondly when the Old Testament is quoted in the text of the letter the author uses the Septuagint the Greek translation of the Hebrew scriptures and not the texts of the Hebrew scriptures as one would expect from a Jewish Peter. In my opinion and I think in the majority opinion today it is safe to attribute this letter directly or at least indirectly to Saint Peter himself as was common at the time Peter an apostle of Jesus Christ as he introduces himself in verse chapter one verse one probably used a secretary in writing the letter. At chapter five verse 12 we read quote I write you this brief briefly through Sylvanus whom I consider a faithful brother. Sylvanus the Latinized form of the name Silas was a companion of Saint Paul and a Roman citizen according to the Acts of the Apostles. Sylvanus would have been more learned in Greek composition and served as a secretary and perhaps even the courier to take the letter to the five regions of Asia Minor named as the addresses of the letter Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia. On the question of authorship let me simply quote two scripture scholars whom I think say it best. The Jesuit father Jerome Nere in the Collegeville Bible commentary says this this letter is no less valuable for faith if Peter did not write it nor more precious for faith if he did it speaks for itself. And Father Raymond Brown in his introduction to the New Testament comments of all the Catholic epistles first Peter has the best chance of being written by the figure to whom it is attributed. I rest my case. The letter develops two major themes and this is now the important part. First the church Christians are reminded of their free election by God and in response to that election their conversion from former ways of life and former ways of thinking to the noble and rich life in Christ through grace. The Christians are exhorted to understand and embrace the superiority of life in Christ over pagan society and religion. Secondly the letter relying on the fundamental carigma of faith affirms how Jesus is the pattern for Christian life. How God saves us insofar as we are joined to Christ and to his suffering. Thus throughout the letter Christian experience is interpreted in the light of Christ's paschal mystery. First Peter is truly a pastoral letter because it aims at encouraging Christians in the face of real problems and real crises which afflict their daily lives but it encourages them to be sober alert and steadfast. This is how the faith is defended then and now. This is how we go always forward. An important result I think of the Second Vatican Council and we've been hearing it referred to frequently was to reach back, dust off and offer fresh to the church a spirituality centered in the paschal mystery. The rich history of our Catholic church offers many different spiritualities certainly Franciscan to be mentioned first, Augustinian, Benedictine, Ignatian, Carmelite just to name a few of the western traditions. They have all stood the test of time. They have the blessing of the church as authentic paths, wholesome spiritual traditions. But I believe that all of these rest on and are derived from one essential spiritual tradition which we might call paschal spirituality or Easter spirituality or resurrection spirituality. It was this spiritual path recognized and lived in the early church that was renewed for us by the Second Vatican Council and it is this paschal spirituality that is front and center in the first epistle of Peter who himself witnessed and was transformed by the Easter mystery. The contemporary citations just to show a few from first Peter abound the catechism of the Catholic church cites first Peter 53 times. The lectionary includes 44 readings from first Peter and as we commemorate this year the 50th anniversary of the closing of the Second Vatican Council. First Peter recited 19 times in just the four constitutions of the church, 14 of those times in lumigencium the dogmatic constitution on the church. What I propose to do now is to take a closer look at five short passages from first Peter which I hope you will find affirming for us in our contemporary situation and illuminating our way as we fulfill our duty to defend our faith in Christ. First first Peter chapter one three to five blessed be the god and father of our Lord Jesus Christ who in his great mercy gave us a new birth to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to an inheritance that is imperishable undefiled and unfading kept in heaven for you who by the power of God are safeguarded through faith to a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the final time. The note of encouragement affirmation is evident from the very beginning of this letter. These verses are the beginning of a beautiful benediction or barakah in Hebrew. This is a prayer of praise and blessing, blessing God with which we have become familiar in the prayers of the novice ordo at the time of the preparation of the gifts at mass. As the gifts are being prepared the celebrant says blessed are you Lord God of all creation for through your goodness we have received the bread we offer you and blessed are you Lord God of all creation through your goodness we offer you we have received the wine the fruit of the vine that we offer you. However here in first Peter we have a Christian expansion of the traditional barakah of Israel. The father is blessed for his merciful acts toward us revealed in Jesus his son. This benediction reminds me of the preface of the mass each preface which opens the Eucharistic prayer states the theme or the specific reason for praising and thanking God in the great act of the Eucharist. Specifically here God's great act is a new birth to a living hope for this the Christians are invited to lift up their hearts. While the theme of being born again is obvious elsewhere in the New Testament for instance in the Lord's nighttime conversation with Nicodemus in John chapter three. This is the only use of the phrase the actual phrase new birth in the New Testament. This experience of new birth is a fundamental foundational theme in first Peter and actually sets the context for the rest of the letter. What God has done is to create a new reborn people. This new life is in contrast to their old life. Christians by God's grace are to preserve and live this new birth. The consequences of the new birth are threefold a living hope a new inheritance and salvation the goal of faith the old life with its dead hope perishable inheritance and unreliable salvation has been left behind. In the Hellenistic world it might be helpful to know hope was not universally admired the stoic philosophers for instance did not prize hope but rather listed it as a vice not a virtue for them hope was merely wishful thinking a vain effort to trick oneself from falling into despair hope was always an illusion but for first Peter we have been given a living hope that is a hope that gives life a living hope because it is grounded in the resurrection of Jesus and thus our living hope links us to the life and person of the risen Christ it is living because death cannot overcome this hope and with this hope you and I can face up to trials instead of shrinking or running from them another consequence flowing from the new birth is an imperishable inheritance here we must think of the Old Testament inheritance of land so precious to God's promise to His chosen people but it that inheritance the land is perishable or at least it can be taken away those who set their hearts on the perishable Saint Peter tells us will perish and those who set their hearts on what endures can endure the second passage is from 1 Peter chapter 1 13 to 16 therefore gird up the loins of your mind live soberly and set your hopes completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ you can read the rest of that but it concludes very importantly for it is written be holy as I am holy in these four verses the author turns to his immediate purpose that is to exhort the believers to live lives of holiness I'm reminded of chapter 5 of Lumen Gentium where 1 Peter is quoted twice in that one chapter two citations and that chapter is entitled the universal call to holiness all the baptized the universal call to holiness this section of 1 Peter begins with an interesting phrase gird the loins of your minds this is truly a mixed metaphor if there ever was one and it evokes of course the journey image of the exodus exodus 12 we read there how to eat the Passover meal and gird your loins get ready to move as you complete this ritual meal given the daily trials they face now from 1 Peter there is an urgent need for readiness and active movement in effect Peter is saying roll up your sleeves and be ready to respond to those who malign you images of the exodus event can be found at various places in this letter for instance the author refers to the blood of the spotless lamb at 119 and kingdom of priests and holy nation at 2 9 just as the ancient Israelites had been delivered by the powerful acts of God and became a special possession of God the God of Israel so now the Christians have been delivered by God's powerful acts in and through the death and resurrection of Christ the believers are exhorted to live in a manner that is sober-minded and self-controlled this exhortation is central to 1 Peter and it can be found again at chapter four verse seven chapter five verse eight in contrast to the unchecked passions and inebriation of self-indulgence which characterizes the pagans the Christians stance must be that of alert virtue however the cost of discipleship while it is high priced results not in grim endurance but lively joyful life-giving virtue the author reminds the Christians that the original conversion which they experienced is not enough for the future it's not an end in and of itself they must live worthy of the faith that they have embraced which necessarily means to live out of step with the surrounding dominant pagan culture this is emphasized by the letters reference to the holiness of God the author references Leviticus chapter 19 verse two be holy because I am holy a holy god demands a holy people just as a god of hope demands a hope filled people the biblical notion of holiness I'm sure you know is well known by you this holiness is the result of their election by god their sanctification by the holy spirit and their redemption through the blood of christ holiness therefore is a paramount quality uniting the believers with christ and distinguishing them from non-believers holiness is the consequence of their consecration to god and their separation from all that is pure unclean and polluted there is an important insight for us I think to consider here in this verse the christian believers identity of holiness given them in grace requires holy conduct this is the proper order for understanding christian morality the imperative the good that must be done and the evil to be avoided grows out of the indicative who we are for me the best definition of morality is what we ought to do because of who we are first peter carefully underscores the believer's identity in christ what they have become because of christ and only then does peter spell out for them how they must conduct their lives because of that identity perhaps today the problem among so many catholics who disagree or outright reject catholic moral teaching is that they are ignorant of the indicative and therefore can't possibly understand the reason for the imperative the work of the new evangelization promoted by our recent holy fathers is to affirm for us who we are in christ and to come to a new zeal a new ardor in that identity the better we grasp that identity the magnificence of our faith and the power of god's grace at work in us the more we can be at peace with what is required of that identity with the imperative of moral conduct this is understood this is emphasized in the first letter of peter the third passage that i would comment on briefly is first peter 2 11 and 12 beloved i urge you as aliens and sojourners to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against the soul maintain good conduct among the Gentiles so that if they speak of you as evildoers they may observe your good works and glorify god on the day of visitation this passage begins with the word beloved an address which expresses the author's vision of the church the community of believers who love one another it stands in contrast to the next phrase strangers and sojourners in first peter worldly desires or desires of the flesh as it is sometimes translated that wage war against the soul designate not only sexual indulgence but all the misguided and unrestrained desires typical of pagans that oppose life in the holy spirit at chapter four verse four the letter spells out some of those things that the Gentiles quote like to do living in debauchery evil desires drunkenness orgies carousing and wanton idolatry a life formed by the gospel is a life changed and demands inner freedom from all destructive desires and behaviors hardship will surely follow conversion but the changes in their lives will cause the christians to be perceived as unwelcome troublemakers by their pagan contemporaries and so first peter instructs them and us that the best defense of their faith the best apologia is a blameless life a blameless life by which they give public witness and can affect the non-believers for the sake of christ this is an instruction of perennial importance the author is convinced that many of the values of the surrounding culture are opposed to and destructive of redeemed humanity however instead of giving the order to circle the ecclesial wagons urging definitive separation from the world as a protection from its corrosive influence the author urges christians to engage the culture by making their virtuous lives transparent for the world to see by this bold witness non-believers may be moved to glorify god there is a solid confidence that christian witness can bring non-believers to god the letter makes clear the ultimate scope of the christian community's mission in the world the new life that animates the christians in the church can bring Gentiles to acknowledge the truth of the gospel we heard illustrations of that this day this is not just sheer optimism but confidence confidence in christ's power at work in and through the church in and through the lives of believers peter's choice of the word aliens has a particular significance for us in the catholic church the greek word alien is parochos the prefix para meaning alongside of parallel and the greek word for home or house oikos oikos is more than a brand of greek yogurt therefore a parochos is one who lives alongside of those settled in their homes a parallel existence alongside of those who are comfortable and at home in the dominant culture and society a foreigner without citizenship in first peter this is who the christian is a parochos an alien now why do i say this has particular significance for us catholics the word parochos is the very word that from the fourth century christians have used to designate their local communities of faith and we catholics still do it's the same word from which we get our english words parochial and parish the first letter of peter reminds us that while the church has a mission in and to the world and may not be legitimately divorced from the world our true home cannot be found in the culture among those comfortably adjusted to the world but rather our true home is in the christian community our parochos the communion we share with christ and with one another here in the parochos the parish is a foretaste of the eschatological communion of heaven here and now the church is our home ultimately in the world to come the heavenly banquet in the father's house is our true home where we will no longer be aliens from now on whenever you use those words parish parishioner parochial be reminded of this teaching from the first letter of st peter the fourth passage is first peter 3 15 and 16 sanctify christ as lord in your hearts always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope but do it with gentleness and reverence keeping your conscience clear so that when you are maligned those who defame your good conduct in christ may themselves be put to shame first peter 3 15 begins with a phrase found nowhere else in the bible totally unique to this letter sanctify christ as lord in your hearts to sanctify christ as lord is to honor as holy the one whose holiness is beyond question the command echoes yet again the central theme of the holiness of god the holiness of christ the holiness of christians through baptism and their obligation of a holy way of life in witness before the world the author makes clear that this sanctification of christ as the lord begins in the believers hearts which as we know is the biblical organ of thought disposition and intention it is the internal disposition of the heart that comes first and only then can it issue in fruitful external action this passage also contains one of the most frequently quoted sentences from first peter despite the hostilities that they experience christians must always be ready to give testimony to defend the hope which is in them before anyone who might question them the greek word for explanation used here in first peter is apologia this is a technical term for a defendants rebuttal of charges against him in a court of law in this context however it does not seem to have such a forensic connotation but rather a personal and more general meaning it may come to pass the christians will be brought before magistrates to defend their beliefs and practices and it did but here in this text it's clear in saying anyone who asks you a much broader situation than just the courtroom the trials faced by the heroes of this letter are not thought to be those of a systematic persecution but rather the day-to-day hostilities mockeries suspicions and rejections of the dominant culture in which they live the manner in which this defense or explanation is to be given is also spelled out by st peter do it with gentleness and reverence the defense of our faith the defense of the hope that is in us is to be given eagerly but charitably these are essential christian virtues that must be practiced by believers in imitation of christ himself eagerness charity in first peter the hope is that the hope that is in us stands for the entire christian life most commentators would tell us that hope in this letter is equivalent to what paul calls faith a radical trust in god that shapes one's entire life finally first peter chapter five verses eight and nine be sober and be vigilant your opponent the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour resist him steadfast in faith knowing that your fellow believers throughout the world undergo the same sufferings this is the final selection from first peter that i would like to comment on before some closing remarks those of you who pray the liturgy of the hour is recognized i'm sure that this passage is used in night prayer or compland the final hour of prayer each day given the late hour and the duration of this talk i can't imagine a passage more appropriate for my concluding consideration once again we hear the exhortation be sober and vigilant the believers must be self-possessed clearheaded and attentive to what's going on around them the command to be vigilant appears in the gospels in jesus eschatological discourses mark 13 matthew 24 i'm reminded of the theme for this special year of consecrated life pope francis calls on women and men religious to wake up the world the theme of being vigilant staying awake is characteristic of our liturgical season of advent but it's a theme that must be constantly on the minds and in the hearts of christ's followers this is the third call in the letter to this kind of sobriety but in this context there is a new and ominous reason for sobriety your opponent the devil is prowling about looking to devour someone the believers need to be sober and vigilant because the ultimate enemy is not simply the surrounding pagan society the threat they face is not simply caused by the non-believing majority with their suspicions and rash judgments and evil intentions rather underneath this underneath this and beyond all of this is the power of the demonic the christians are struggling against evil natural yes but also supernatural our word opponent translates the greek word ontidikos which has the technical meaning of an adversary in a court of law this is its meaning in three other uses in the new testament however here it has a more deadly meaning and is best translated adversary or enemy there are five new testament references to wolves threatening the flock but this is the only explicit new testament reference to the devil as a roaring lion the mightiest of all the beasts with great strength and voracious appetite up against this powerfully threatening beast the sheep are especially vulnerable and so they are told resist him steadfast in faith finally the author reminds the christians in the five region regions of asia minor that fellow believers throughout the world are also experiencing similar sufferings this awareness that the wider church is suffering adds to the opinion that the epistle was written in rome where peter in the capital of the world would have benefited from a broader vantage point to know what was happening in other parts of the church the truth must be clear in our minds divine protection does not eliminate the need for constant vigilance because the afflictor of mankind that evil personal force opposed to god and to god's people is on the prowl and can be fingered as the instigator of attacks against the church and its members it is against the temptation to scatter and flee that the author wants to warn and strengthen the believers sheep scatter at the roar of the lion but christians must hold fast to the faith and to the community because they already share in the victory won by christ over their powerful but now vanquished enemy in the light of this selective study of the first letter of peter i propose that its message has a particular relevance for us in today's world and is appropriate to start this defending the faith conference the refusal of the christian believers born anew in baptism to conform to the values and standards of the pagan culture in which they lived kindled mockery rejection suspicion and hostility after conversion the christians no longer participated in practices that they had adhered to previously in their lives the author senses that the present climate of opposition and contradiction could easily lead to a more severe storm a deadly and systematic persecution of the church and so it did the recipients of peter's letter were experiencing what we also experienced today and what could eventually lead to an organized more organized persecution of our faith our brothers and sisters in the mid east africa and elsewhere are experiencing this violent storm of deadly persecution at this very moment and so first peter exhorts us to maintain the integrity of our christian lives in a world that has little or no sympathy for our faith or for our values and considers us strangers aliens in our own homeland rather than circle the wagons however and separate ourselves disengaged from a hostile world first peter urges us to be good citizens participate in the structures of society kimberley hawn is running for city council all the while preserving and strengthening our faith in christ and our loyalty to one another first peter not only frames the contemporary problems that we face in maintaining our christian commitment in a hostile world but it also gives us catechesis on how to do it we need to maintain an awareness of the gospel's profound vision of human destiny and the beauty of life in christ and life in the christian community the church we must know the dignity given us through baptism and the unshakable living hope that is ours we must be conscious of god's abiding presence with us the virtues of discipline and vigilance must increase in us we must give witness to the hope that is within us readily reverently clearly and charitably mutual respect and love in imitation of christ must be the guiding virtues of our parishes our church and our mission and finally the letter exhorts us to be confident and hope filled with the assurance that whenever we suffer unjustly our faith is refined and we become an icon of christ before the world we become an affirmation of the gospel let my final words echo what st peter wrote to his original hearers to encourage and affirm them the god of all grace who called you to his eternal glory through christ will himself restore confirm strengthen and establish you after you have suffered a little to him be dominion forever amen