The New Birth (2nd Sunday of Easter)

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In this reading, St. Peter is writing to the Church to remind them that they received a new birth to a living hope. Here he echoes the words of Christ, who told Nicodemus in John 3:1-8 that one must be born in again in order to enter the Kingdom of God. This new birth was accomplished by the Holy Spirit in our lives when we Peter rejoices in the fact that, although the world will do everything it can to lead believers away from the faith, God’s power is protecting them.

This accords with Jesus’ teaching concerning His sheep: “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. What my Father has given me is greater than all else, and no one can snatch it out of the Father’s hand.” (John 10:28-29). In a similar vein, St. Paul writes that, “neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39).

Peter also tells readers to expect trials for their faith. These trials are meant make them holy and more closely united to God. The language of refining comes from the Old Testament, which speaks of God as the refining fire that purifies His people and make them acceptable to Him:

But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap; he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the descendants of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, until they present offerings to the Lord in righteousness. Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in former years. (Malachi 3:2-4)

In light of this, we should not be surprised if the world tests our faith, and such testing should not cause us to be disheartened. Trials are necessary, but our response to those trials shows whether we have a heart that is truly born again and seeks God above all.

J. Luis Dizon