2nd Reading for the 2nd Sunday of Easter (Divine Mercy Sunday)

From: 1 Peter 1:3-9

Praise and Thanksgiving to God

[3] Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy we have been born anew to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, [4] and to an inheritance which is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, [5] who by God's power are guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. [6] In this you rejoice, though now for a little while you may have to suffer various trials, [7] so that the genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold which though perishable is tested by fire, may redound to praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. [8] Without having seen him you love him; though you do not now see him you believe in him and rejoice with unutterable and exalted joy. [9] As the outcome of your faith you obtain the salvation of your souls.
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Commentary:

3-12. This passage, a hymn of praise and gratitude to God, developing what is proclaimed in v. 2, is more explicit about the action of each Person of the Blessed Trinity: by making his choice of Christians, God the Father has destined us to a marvellous heritage in heaven (vv. 3-5); to attain this we need to love and believe in Jesus Christ our Lord (vv. 6-9); the Holy Spirit, who earlier proclaimed salvation by the mouth of the Old Testament prophets, is now, through those who preach the Gospel, announcing that salvation has arrived (vv. 10-12).

3-5. When the fruits of the Redemption are applied to us, a kind of rebirth takes place. St Peter is the only New Testament writer to use the Greek term translated here "we have been born anew" (cf. also 1:23). However, the same idea occurs elsewhere: St John speaks of the action of the Holy Spirit at Baptism as causing one to be born again (cf. Jn 3:1ff; also, e.g., 1:12-13; 1 Jn 2:29; 3:9); St Paul refers to "a new creation" to describe the effects of Redemption (cf., e.g., Gal 6:15; 2 Cor 5:17); and St James calls Christians the "first fruits of his creatures"(Jas 1:16-18).

Through this being born again, God destines us "to a living hope", which centers on the inheritance of heaven, here described as "imperishable" (it is eternal), "undefiled" (it contains no evil) and "unfading" (it will never grow old). The sacred writer uses these adjectives of negation to show that heavenly things are not subject to any of the imperfections and defects of earthly things.

For those Christians who stay true to their calling, their inheritance is "kept in heaven". This key theme will be addressed in various parts of the letter (cf. 2:18-25; 3:13-17; 4:12-19; 5:5-11); the letter is very much aimed at encouraging the faithful to bear sufferings with joy, knowing that they are a means to and a guarantee of heaven.

3. God brought about the work of Redemption "by his great mercy". For God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ" (Eph 2:4-5). And just as the work of Creation is a manifestation of God's omnipotence, so his new Creation is an expression of his mercy (cf. "Summa Theologiae", II-II, q. 30, a. 4; cf. note on 2 Cor 5:17).

"Through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead": the resurrection of our Lord marks the climax of his salvific work, for it assures men of their redemption and their own resurrection. In its Easter liturgy the Church joyfully reminds of this: "He is the true Lamb who took away the sins of the world. By dying he destroyed our death; by rising he restored our life" ("Easter Preface", I).

6-9. Hope of obtaining the inheritance of heaven gives Christians joy in the midst of trials which test their faith. At the center of that faith is Jesus, whom they strive to love above all, thereby attaining "unutterable and exalted joy", a foretaste of the joy of heaven itself.

Exhortations to be joyful in the midst of affliction occur often in the New Testament (cf., e.g., Mt 5:11-12; 2 Cor 1:3-7; Jas 1:2) and reflect a deep Christian conviction, which St. Bede refers to in his commentary: "St Peter says that it is good to suffer trials because eternal joys cannot be obtained except through the afflictions and sorrows of this passing world. 'For a little while', he says, however, because when one receives an eternal reward, the afflictions of this world--which appeared so heavy and bitter--seem then to have been very short-lived and slight" ("Super 1 Pet. Expositio, ad loc.").

Christian joy is the fruit of faith, hope and love. "You should realize that God wants us to be happy and that, if you do all you can, you will be happy, very, very happy, although you will never be a moment without the Cross. But that Cross is no longer a gallows. It is the throne from which Christ reigns" (J. Escriva, "Friends of God", 141).

7. The refining of gold by fire is often referred to in Scripture (cf., e.g., Ps 66:10; Prov 17:3; 1 Cor 3:12-13; Rev 3:18) to explain that the sufferings of this life help to improve the quality of one's faith. "If I experience pain," St Augustine teaches, "relief will come in due course. If I am offered tribulation, it will serve for my purification. Does gold shine in the craftman's furnace? It will shine later, when it forms part of the collar, when it is part of the jewelry. But, for the time being, it puts up with being in the fire because when it sheds its impurities it will acquire its brilliant shine" ("Enarrationes in Psalmos", 61, 11).

The thought of Christ coming in glory (cf. 1:5-13; 4:13) should greatly encourage the Christian to bear trials cheerfully.