Please read this passage before reading this homily.
My great-niece writes fiction. Should she publish a book using my name I would be honored. Should I publish a book under your name, I could be sued. Two thousand years ago, it would have been considered an honor to have someone publish something with someone else’s name attached to it. Not so today, except for my great-niece.
So, it came about that someone who knew Peter well, perhaps Silvanus of 5;12, could write what we call the first letter of Peter. Calling it Peter’s first letter means accepting it as an authentic expression of our Christian faith, a faith based on the Apostle Peter.
There are many reasons for dating the letter after Peter’s death, which happened about 64 A.D. There was persecution at that time, but not a general, methodical, and officially sanctioned persecution, but local persecutions, consisting of boycotts, acts of discrimination, and dislikes.
The letter starts off with a praise to God for the new birth God has given us through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It declares that we have trials now, not to kill us, but to prepare us to praise God in the glorious revelation of Jesus Christ. The purpose of the difficulties we face are to test us and to show us faithful to the faith we have in Jesus.
We, the Christians of today, suffer as did the Christians centuries ago. The purpose of our sufferings is the same. Through our difficulties we show the richness of our faith and the hope we have for the glory of God to be revealed through us.
Christ has conquered sin and death. He has given us the same victory, which he shows through us by keeping us faithful to our faith in God through Jesus Christ. Blessed be this God and Father of our Lord Jesu Christ. Amen.