If we are sheep, we overcome; if wolves, we are overcome

Treasures of Our Faith with Deacon Richard Vehige

On Thursday of the Thirty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time our Church invites us to first read and reflect on a passage from the second letter of the apostle Peter (2: 9-22) entitled “The condemnation of the wicked”. Our treasure, which follows, is from a homily on Matthew by Saint John Chrysostom, bishop.

Saint John Chrysostom was an important, fourth century, Early Church Father who served as Archbishop of Constantinople. He is known for his preaching and public speaking, and for his denunciation of abuse of authority of both ecclesiastical and political leaders. He was among the most prolific authors in the early Christian church. The word ’Chrysostom’ means ‘golden-mounted’. This name was given to him after he died because all his sermons were eloquent and lovely to hear.

St. John Chrysostom's homilies on the Gospel of Matthew. Widely regarded as an eloquent speaker, these homilies are a wonder to behold. These spiritually enlightening texts have aided Christians for over a thousand years, and remain instructive and fruitful even today!

The second letter of the Apostle Peter can be appreciated both for its positive teachings and for its earnest warnings. It seeks to strengthen readers in faith, hope for the future, knowledge, love, and other virtues. This aim is carried out especially by warning against false teachers, the condemnation of whom occupies the long central section of the letter. A particular crisis is the claim by “scoffers” that there will be no second coming of Jesus, a doctrine that the author vigorously affirms. The concept of God’s “promises” is particularly precious in the theology of 2 Peter. Closing comments well sum up the twin concerns: that you not “be led into” error and “fall” but instead “grow in grace” and “knowledge” of Jesus Christ.

Second Peter is clearly structured in its presentation of these points. It reminds its readers of the divine authenticity of Christ’s teaching, continues with reflections on Christian conduct, then returns to the exalted dignity of Jesus by incorporating into the text the apostolic witness to his transfiguration. It takes up the question of the interpretation of scripture by pointing out that it is possible to misunderstand the sacred writings and that divine punishment will overtake false teachers. It proclaims that the parousia is the teaching of the Lord and of the apostles and is therefore an eventual certainty. At the same time, it warns that the meaning of Paul’s writings on this question should not be distorted.