"Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart. For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God."
First letter of Peter
The first letter of Peter was written to the Gentile Christians living in the Northern and Eastern part of Asia Minor. These Gentile Christians would be considered new in the faith and probably scattered loosely throughout the population of that area. This letter was sent to console and strengthen those newly baptized Christians who were obviously suffering from some persecution from their pagan neighbors who did not share their new found faith in Christ. So Peter is writing to urge them to remain faithful to the teachings of Christ.
The letter also offers some practical advice on how to respond to the situations of abuse they were experiencing. Just as a football coach encourages his players to remain strong to convince them of their stamina to win the game, Peter provides encouragement to these new Christians to remain strong in their faith and to be an example to those who may not share their view.
What can we learn from this letter? Today, we live in a culture that is not as Christianised as it has been in the past. Although we who practice our Christian faith may not be suffering from persecutions and abuse, we can at times feel at a loss as to how to respond to the situations we experience as we encounter those who do not share our faith. This is particularly true with people from our own families. Do we respond forcibly? Do we separate ourselves from them? How should we act in those situations? These are often the questions we are confronted with.
The first thing that Peter suggests is to know who we are. We are seekers of the truth, and we have the desire to live that truth in our lives. As Christians, there is a need that we give witness to that truth by the way we live. As expressed in Peter's letter: "Let your love for each other be real and from the heart. It is this love that we possess for one another that gives witness to the truth of who we are to those who may not share our beliefs."
I've never experienced a situation where a forcible sharing of my faith has had a positive affect. In fact, it is just the opposite. It just turns people off. It pushes them away, and may cause them to become more deeply entrenched in their opposing views. Create an environment where others feel accepted, loved, and free to communicate their concerns without judgement. Then you will have an environment where love and faith can grow and flourish. One of the common expressions used in the Cursillo retreat experience is: "Make a friend, be a friend, bring a friend to Christ". That is why experiences like Cursillo, Alpha, Life in the Spirit Seminars etc., are effective at evangelization. They are invitational, and stress love and community development.
The first letter of Peter gives so many good examples of how we as Christians can respond to the needs of our family, the needs of our community, and the needs of those who may seem to be opposing our Christian views. Many times we must go against what would be considered our normal human response. "Those who are slaves, accept the authority of your masters, with all deference, not only those who are kind and gentle, but also those who are harsh." This makes little sense unless we are convinced that faith and love have the power to move and change a heart that is hardened by hatred and sin. Jesus was convinced of this.
"You know that among the pagans, their so-called rulers lord it over them, and their great men make their authority felt. This is not to happen among you. No, anyone who wants to be great among you, must be your servant, and anyone who wants to be first among you, must be slave to all."
Gospel of Matthew
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