In today’s gospel, Peter asks the Lord what they will get in return for following him. It is almost a humorous question given what we now know about Jesus and what Peter and the others were still discovering about him.
My brothers and sisters, perhaps we too are on that same road of discovery. We know something great has been given to us, but just how vast a treasure it is, will always continue to elude us. It’s almost like something too good to be true.
Like Peter we must make our journey and eventually realize the days of grace in which we live… days which the prophets only looked forward to in the Old Testament given the prophecies they were inspired with.
From the time in which today’s gospel occurred, to the time of the writing of Peter’s letters, we can appreciate how life-changing, and perspective-altering his journey of conversion was. The Lord was patient with Peter. He knew that the apostles needed time to grow. He
knew their limitations and their defects. He knew their sins. But he was merciful. He knew their secrets… like the plotting of Judas, and yet he let him be, to make his own choices. He was sad that after continually showing Judas his love and mercy and the wisdom of God’s ways, Judas still made the choices that he did.
What about us? What choices will we make after being so blessed with God’s word? How will we show our appreciation to God for the wonders he has shown us and the days of blessings he has allowed us to be partakers in?
Peter, after asking the Lord what they would receive having left everything to follow him finally realizes that to be with Jesus, is to be with the one foretold from of old by Prophets who did their due diligence but who were also inspired by the Holy Spirit.
“Concerning the salvation of your souls” he says, “the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours, searched and investigated it investigating the time and circumstances that the Spirit of Christ within them indicated when it testified in advance to the sufferings destined for Christ and the glories to follow them.”
The post-resurrection version of Peter now understands how selfish and self-centred his earlier question about recompense was, given that Jesus was God in their midst, whom Prophets and Angels longed to gaze upon, and here they were, his specially chosen ones, basking in his presence day in, and day out. What about us? Is our relationship with God based on what he will give us, or on true love which is merely content to be with the beloved?
What then is the proper response for a follower of Christ that comes to this realization, that we have been blessed beyond all peoples of all times prior to us? Peter tells us:
“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. Like obedient children, do not act in compliance with the desires of your former ignorance but, as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in every aspect of your conduct.”
Peter is pleading with us, knowing what is at stake, to be obedient and holy in every aspect of our conduct. Holy, as we know means: being set apart from the world and reserved unto God. But to do this we must be obedient and not give ourselves to former desires. A lot of us want the bliss of spiritual highs, but we’re not willing to let go the desires of the flesh. The two are at war. Let’s continue to allow the Lord to work in us, as he prunes our lives into what is pleasing to him. Amen.
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