LETTER OF ST. PETER
CHRISTIAN RESTRAINT 1-6
Therefore, since Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same attitude. For whoever suffers in the flesh has broken with sin, so as not to spend what remains of one’s life in the flesh on human desires, but on the will of God.
For the time that has passed is sufficient for doing what the Gentiles like to do: living in debauchery, evil desires, drunkenness, orgies, carousing, and wanton idolatry.
They are surprised that you do not plunge into the same swamp of profligacy, and they vilify you; but they will give an account to him who stands ready to judge the living and the dead
REFLECTION
We must deny ourselves daily and attach ourselves to the will of God. We must fast from more than food. We must remove ourselves from any addiction that separates us from God.
If Christ suffered from deprivation why not us his disciples? We certainly are not superior to the Master. The flesh is weak and easily manipulated by the devil as he tempts us to choose to be our own gods like he did our first parents. .
The Gentiles (The World) vilifies Christians for not participating in their depravity. The pressure to go along to get along is immense! Many man-made laws go against God’s laws. We must choose to love God and His will over the way of the world that subjects us to the latest trends and popular poll numbers.
Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. Matthew 7:13-14
SAINT PETER MARTYR
You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, The gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Matthew 16:18
TRIAL OF PERSECUTION 12-19
Beloved, do not be surprised that a trial by fire is occurring among you, as if something strange were happening to you. But rejoice to the extent that you share in the sufferings of Christ, so that when his glory is revealed you may also rejoice exultantly.
If you are insulted for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. But let no one among you be made to suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as an intriguer….
And if the righteous one is barely saved, where will the godless and the sinner appear?” As a result, those who suffer in accord with God’s will, hand their souls over to a faithful creator as they do good.
REFLECTION
Peter was a martyr for the faith. “The blood of martyrs is the seed of the church.”
Persecution of Christians may not be as bloody today as it was in earlier centuries but the un-bloody persecution today is just as severe and prevalent.
“If the world hates you, realize that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, the world would love its own; but because you do not belong to the world, and I have chosen you out of the world, the world hates you. Remember the word I spoke to you, ‘No slave is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you… John 15:18-20
….Let us rid ourselves of every obstacle and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let’s run with endurance the race that is set before us Hebrews 12:1
OBEDIENCE OF FAITH CATHOLIC CATECHISM #144
To obey in faith is to submit freely to the word that has been heard, because its truth is guaranteed by God, who is Truth itself… The Virgin Mary is its most perfect embodiment.