Tuesday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time
The first letter of St. Peter has one of the most enthusiastic portrayals of the Good News in the whole Bible. The “salvation of your souls” that prophets have been speaking about for centuries is now fully revealed in the Good News! Angels have been eagerly waiting all this time to see how God would save his people. Through Jesus’s suffering and glorious resurrection, salvation is available for us all. We have access once again to our birthright: eternal life in the Kingdom of Heaven. This is a big deal. So, the Spirit is asking us to let this salvation of Christ be the defining event of our life. “Set your hopes completely on…Jesus Christ.” It matters to each moment in our day-to-day living: “Be holy you in every aspect of your conduct, for it is written, ‘Be holy because I am holy.’” This is salvation! It’s worth everything!
When we give all to God, we are transformed, but it doesn’t stop in our personal lives. The good works we do as a Spirit-filled people, saved from their own destruction, will eventually drive poverty, violence, sin, and darkness from the Earth. The Psalm today proclaims, “In the sight of all the nations God has revealed his Justice.” All the nations! This is a big deal.
Can you risk letting God change every part of your life? I know I am tempted to hold back some parts. Sometimes being less than holy seems like a practical compromise: “I can’t afford to spend my money only in holy ways, or be holy all the time at work.” Maybe Peter was wondering about this when he ‘reminds’ Jesus how much he gave up to be a disciple. Jesus corrects Peter: it’s not ‘giving up.’ It’s almost like an investment. What we give up for the Kingdom, we will receive back a hundred-fold. You can’t afford NOT to let God change everything in your life! This is a Big Deal! May we take God up on the offer of salvation in Christ, and allow the Spirit to continually change every part of our lives. Amen!
- Chris Nieport