Redeemed from Empty Way of Life
May 29, 2024 - Wednesday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time
1 Peter 1:18-25
Today's fragment of Peter's letter begins with an interesting phrase, an "empty way of life" that Peter’s addressees "inherited from [their] ancestors" (1 Peter 1:18). Two thousand years ago, this phrase could refer to a Roman way of life with its worship of the emperor, different gods and goddesses, sexual promiscuity, practice of abortion, and so on. The Greek word used here refers to something that is useless, has no purpose, and is devoid of truth. Paul and Barnabas, for example, told the Gentiles in Lystra to turn away from their empty or worthless idols to "a living God" (Acts 14:15).
Peter makes a rather obvious observation that we inherit our way of life from our ancestors. A Jew would never worship an idol, but a Gentile could not imagine a world without different gods. On the other hand, today many people think that religion is detrimental to human progress and that gods do not exist. The same goes for our eating habits and morality. A Jew or a Muslim will not eat pork, Koreans enjoy dog meat, and vegetarians will not touch meat at all. We all inherit our peculiar way of life through immersion - growing up in a certain cultural environment - and through education. And this cultural upbringing shapes our perception of reality and our moral judgment.
However, the apostle indicates that we are unable to free ourselves from our cultural upbringing. Many will object to such a statement, but perhaps he is right. When in 1989 the Berlin Wall was destroyed, many celebrated their newly found freedom. But with the passing months and years, many of those who grew up before 1989 did not know how to live with this gift of freedom. Imagine yourself living your whole life worshipping idols and suddenly someone tells you that idols do not exist. What needs to happen so you can accept such a message? You have to "die," and your "world" has to collapse. Then, a new life has to begin, and a new world has to emerge. How is it possible?
Peter makes it clear that our way of life, inherited from our ancestors, holds such a tight grip on us comparable to enslavement. And so, our freedom comes with a price. Peter writes: "Realize that you were ransomed from your futile conduct, handed on by your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold but with the precious Blood of Christ as of a spotless unblemished Lamb" (1 Peter 1:18-19). The price of our redemption from our useless and devoid of truth way of life is the precious Blood of Jesus Christ. The effects of this redemption - purification and new birth - point to the sacrament of baptism through which we die to sin and begin to live for God. This new life is marked by "sincere mutual love" (1 Peter 1:22).
Peter ends this fragment by highlighting the power of God's word. The apostle quotes the prophet Isaiah who proclaims the enduring power of the word of the Lord (see Isaiah 40:6-8) and then equates God's word with the Gospel - the Good News of Jesus Christ - proclaimed to the readers of this letter. This word is not just enduring but also living. And because it is "living and active" (see Hebrews 4:12), this word can liberate and give us a new birth. This should make us realize how vital it is to proclaim the Gospel. It is the only message that can save humanity from our self-destructive way of living and bring about a new life marked by love.