From Faith to Love
June 3, 2024 - Monday of the Ninth Week - Memorial of Saint Charles Lwanga and Companions, Martyrs
2 Peter 1:2-7
We embark on this new week with the second letter of Peter composed, according to the Church tradition, just before the martyrdom of the apostle Peter, around 67-68 AD. Informed by Jesus Christ of his impending death (see 2 Peter 1:13-14), the apostle aims, through this writing, to leave his flock a testament guiding them in their life of faith. This "testament" includes a call to grow in Christian faith, teachings on apostolic authority and the authority of the Bible, a warning against false teachers, and clarifications regarding our belief in the Second Coming of Jesus and its consequences.
Two aspects stand out in today's liturgical reading from this letter: the call to participate in divine nature and the progression in Christian life from faith to genuine love. Let's briefly explore these two themes.
Saint Peter writes that we "may become partakers of the divine nature" (2 Peter 1:4). Our Church tradition views this statement as a primary rationale for the mystery of incarnation. Our Catechism teaches: "The Word became flesh to make us 'partakers of the divine nature' (CCC, 460)." To support this, the Catechism cites two Church Fathers, St. Irenaeus and St. Athanasius, and one of the greatest theologians of the Church, St. Thomas Aquinas. Both St. Athanasius and St. Thomas Aquinas teach that "the Son of God became man so that we might become gods." On the other hand, St. Irenaeus, closer to the apostolic tradition, speaks about becoming God's children: "For this is why the Word became man, and the Son of God became the Son of man: so that man, by entering into communion with the Word and thus receiving divine sonship, might become a son of God" (quotes in CCC, 460).
Irenaeus's explanation of Saint Peter's statement about becoming "partakers of the divine nature" draws on New Testament baptismal catechesis. Through the sacrament of baptism, we are united with Christ, filled with the Holy Spirit, and adopted as children of God. We die to sin and live for God, grafted into the true vine, Christ. It is no longer we who live but Christ who lives in us. Adam sought to become like God by transgressing God's command and failed miserably. We become God's children through the obedience of faith (see Rom 1:5).
Regarding the progression in Christian life, Peter leads us from faith to love through six Christian virtues: excellence, knowledge, self-control, endurance, godliness, and brotherly affection (see 2 Peter 1:5-6). The apostle doesn't elaborate on these virtues, assuming they are self-explanatory for those raised in the biblical tradition. However, most of us are more familiar with the triad of faith, hope, and love - the three theological virtues - and the four cardinal virtues of prudence, justice, temperance, and courage. Nevertheless, what stands out is faith at the beginning and love at the end. As Apostle James famously said, faith without works is dead (see James 2:17). Paraphrasing Saint Paul, we could say that faith without love is dead (see Gal 5:6).
The Son of God entered this world so we could become God's children. As God's children, we are called to glorify our heavenly Father through lives that grow daily in the love of God and neighbor. For, as Saint John of the Cross said, "In the evening of life, we will be judged on love alone."