11 May 2014
4th Sunday of Easter
(Mother's Day)
In the post-resurrection scene of John’s Gospel, Peter receives a special commission from the Lord: “Feed my sheep.”Although ascribed to Peter, we can't be sure that the letter we ponder in our Sunday readings this Easter season is actually from the pen of St. Peter. As a Galilean fisherman, it's unlikely that Peter could read or write. If Peter composed the letter it would have been dictated to a scribe. Or it may have been composed by a disciple of St. Peter who knew and drew from the apostle's teaching.
Nevertheless, St. Peter almost certainly inspired this brilliant letter, and in this way he continues to feed us, Christ’s sheep, even after he is martyred in Rome for doing so.
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| Crucifixion of St. Peter, Carvaggio |
The characteristic feature of 1 Peter is the sharp contrast between the sober call to suffer in imitation of Christ and the deep joy experienced in following him.
Can suffering and joy be reconciled? Peter thinks so!
Peter looks first to Christ as a model of human suffering. He speaks of the “grace of patience.” How is patient endurance a "grace" from God? There are many ways patience may be seen as "grace." It can bring us its “gifts” of perseverance, strength and hope. It can unite us with the suffering Christ, sharing in his redemptive act of love, bringing us nearer to our Lord. It can also join us in solidarity with suffering humanity, fostering ever-deeper levels of compassion.
But wherein lies the joy? Unlike the temporary joys of everyday life, this joy resides deep within the spiritual heart. It is the joy of one who knows that the suffering Christ holds us in a loving embrace. It is the joy we discover when we realize that Jesus, the "gate" of today’s Gospel, guards us against our own waywardness. It is the joy deep within the heart of one whose trials bring inner transformation, and who resides in the hope of eternal life.Our suffering is never in vain. It is the cost of our discipleship and our deepest connection to Christ and His humanity. Participation in the life of Christ in its deepest dimensions is for us “inexpressible joy.”
The author, Ms. Barbara Gawle, leads Bible studies at her parish, Incarnation Church of Wethersfield, CT. She is a CBS graduate and the 2012 recipient of the Biblical School's highest award, The Lawrence Boadt Memorial Medal.
