From: 1 Peter 5:5b-14
To the Faithful
[6] Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that in due time
He may exalt you. [7] Cast all your anxieties on Him, for He cares about you.
[8] Be sober, be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring
lion, seeking some one to devour. [9] Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that
the same experience of suffering is required of your brotherhood throughout the
world. [10] And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who
has called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself restore, establish and
strengthen you. [11] To Him be the dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
Epilogue
Peace to all of you that are in Christ.
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Commentary:
5-11. The Apostle concludes his exhortation with a call to humility, which should
express itself in complete docility in the face of the trials God permits (verses 6-
7). This last piece of advice is often found in Sacred Scripture: “Cast your burden
on the Lord, and He will sustain you” (Psalm 55:22); Jesus also teaches that we
should trust in God’s fatherly providence (cf. Matthew 6:19-34). “You have such
care for each one of us”, St. Augustine exclaims, “as if you had no others to care
for” (”Confessions”, 3, 11).
However, abandonment in God does not mean irresponsibility, so St. Peter re-
minds them there is always need to be watchful against the assaults of the devil,
who will pounce on us if we lower our guard (verse 8).
The description of the devil (etymologically the word means liar, detractor: cf. Re-
velation 12:9-10) as a roaring lion seeking someone to devour has often been ta-
ken up by the Saints. “He moves round each one of us”, St. Cyprian says, “like
an enemy who has us surrounded and is checking the walls to see if there is
some weak, unsecured part, where he can get in” (”De Zelo Et Livore”).
Christians “firm in the faith” will resist the attacks of the devil. The trials they suf-
fer (cf. 1:6-7; 4:13; 5:1-4) serve to purify them and are a pledge of the glory God
will give them: “For this momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight
of glory beyond all comparisons” (2 Corinthians 4:17). “So great is the good that
I hope for, that any pain is for me a pleasure” (St. Francis of Assisi, “Reflections
on Christ’s Wounds”, 1).
5. “You who are younger”: it is not clear whether he is addressing people who
are young in age or Christians who are not “elders” (priests), that is, lay people.
“God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble”: a quotation from Pro-
verbs (cf. James 4:6 and note on same), containing an idea which runs right
through the Old Testament (cf., e.g., Job 12:19; Psalm 18:88; 31:34) and the
teachings of Christ (cf., e.g., Luke 14:11). The Blessed Virgin proclaims this
truth in the “Magnificat”: “He has put down the mighty from their thrones, and
exalted those of low degree” (Luke 1:52).
“Humility is the source and foundation of every kind of virtue,” the Cure of Ars
teaches; “it is the door by which all God-given graces enter; it is what seasons
all our actions, making them so valuable and so pleasing to God. Finally, it
makes us masters of God’s heart, to the point, so to speak, of making Him our
servant; for God has never been able to resist a humble heart” (”Selected Ser-
mons”, Tenth Sunday after Pentecost).
8. For the third time, St. Peter exhorts the faithful to be sober; earlier he referred
to the importance of sobriety so as to put one’s hope in Heavenly things (1:13)
and to help one to pray (4:7). Now he stresses that it puts us on guard against
the devil.
Man should use the goods of this world in a balanced, temperate way, so as to
avoid being ensnared by them, thereby forgetting his eternal destiny: “Detach
yourself from the goods of the world. Love and practice poverty of spirit: be con-
tent with what enables you to live a simple and sober life. Otherwise, you will
never be an apostle” (St. J. Escriva, “The Way”, 631).
12. Silvanus, called Silas in the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 15:22), accompanied
St. Paul on his second apostolic journey through Asia Minor and Greece (cf.
Acts 15:36-18:22); he was therefore well known to the Christians addressed in
this letter.
From the reference St. Peter makes to him here, it is not possible to say for
sure whether Silvanus was simply the bearer of the letter, or acted as an ama-
nuensis who took down the Apostle’s dictation, or was an editor or redactor of
ideas the Apostle gave him (on this subject, see the Introduction to this Letter).
13. “Babylon”: this is a symbolic way of referring to Rome, the prototype of the
idolatrous and worldly city of the era. Some centuries earlier Babylon had been
the subject of severe reproaches and threats by the prophets (cf., e.g., Isaiah
13:47; Jeremiah 50-51). In the Book of Revelation Rome is also referred to by
this name (cf. e.g., Revelation 17-18).
The Mark referred to is the author of the second Gospel. Tradition says that he
acted as St. Peter’s interpreter in Rome. The Apostle calls him “son”, meaning
that he was spiritually his son, and implying that they had been close to each
other for a long time (cf. “The Navarre Bible: St. Mark”, pp. 56-57).
14. “The kiss of love”: St. Paul also, at the end of some of his letters, refers to
the “holy kiss” (cf. Romans 16:16; 1 Corinthians 16:20; 2 Corinthians 13:12; 1
Thessalonians 5:26), a mark of supernatural charity and shared faith. With this
meaning the gesture passed into primitive eucharistic liturgy (cf. note on 1 Co-
rinthians 16:20).
The final words, “Peace to all of you that are in Christ”, are similar to the way St.
Paul ends many of his letters; since the first age of the Church it has been used
in liturgical celebrations. St. Cyril of Jerusalem, for example, ends his baptismal
catechism with these words: “May the God of peace hallow you entirely, and
your body and your soul remain unsullied until the coming of the Lord Jesus
Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen” (”Mystagogical Catechesis”,
5, 23).
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Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.
From: Mark 16:15-20
Jesus Appears to the Eleven. The Apostle’s Mission
The Ascension
The Apostles Go Forth and Preach
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Commentary:
15. This verse contains what is called the “universal apostolic mandate” (paral-
leled by Matthew 28:19-20 and Luke 24:46-48). This is an imperative command
from Christ to His Apostles to preach the Gospel to the whole world. This same
apostolic mission applies, especially to the Apostles’ successors, the bishops
in communion with Peter’s successor, the Pope.
But this mission extends further: the whole “Church was founded to spread the
Kingdom of Christ over all the earth for the glory of God the Father, to make all
men partakers in redemption and salvation.... Every activity of the Mystical Body
with this in view goes by the name of ‘apostolate’; the Church exercises it through
all its members, though in various ways. In fact, the Christian vocation is, of its
nature, a vocation to the apostolate as well. In the organism of a living body no
member plays a purely passive part, sharing in the life of the body it shares at
the same time in its activity. The same is true for the body of Christ, the Church:
the whole body achieves full growth in dependence on the full functioning of each
part’ (Ephesians 4:16). Between the members of this body there exists, further,
such a unity and solidarity (cf. Ephesians 4:16) that a member who does not
work at the growth of the body to the extent of his possibilities must be consi-
dered useless both to the Church and to himself.
“In the Church there is diversity of ministry but unity of mission. To the apostles
and their successors Christ has entrusted the office of teaching, sanctifying and
governing in His name and by His power. But the laity are made to share in the
priestly, prophetical and kingly office of Christ; they have therefore, in the Church
and in the world, their own assignment in the mission of the whole people of God”
(Vatican II, “Apostolicam Actuositatem”, 2).
It is true that God acts directly on each person’s soul through grace, but it must
also be said that it is Christ’s will (expressed here and elsewhere) that men
should be an instrument or vehicle of salvation for others.
Vatican II also teaches this: “On all Christians, accordingly, rests the noble obli-
gation of working to bring all men throughout the whole world to hear and accept
the divine message of salvation” (”ibid.”, 3).
16. This verse teaches that, as a consequence of the proclamation of the Good
News, faith and Baptism are indispensable pre-requisites for attaining salvation.
Conversion to the faith of Jesus Christ should lead directly to Baptism, which
confers on us “the first sanctifying grace, by which Original Sin is forgiven, and
which also forgives any actual sins there may be; it remits all punishment due
for sins; it impresses on the soul the mark of the Christian; it makes us children
of God, members of the Church and heirs to Heaven, and enables us to receive
the other Sacraments” (”St. Pius X Catechism”, 553).
Baptism is absolutely necessary for salvation, as we can see from these words
of the Lord. But physical impossibility for receiving the rite of Baptism can be
replaced either by martyrdom (called, therefore, “baptism of blood”) or by a per-
fect act of love of God and of contrition, together with an at least implicit desire
to be baptized: this is called “baptism of desire” (cf. “ibid.”, 567-568).
Regarding infant Baptism, St. Augustine taught that “the custom of our Mother
the Church of infant Baptism is in no way to be rejected or considered unneces-
sary; on the contrary, it is to be believed on the ground that it is a tradition from
the Apostles” (”De Gen., Ad Litt.”, 10, 23, 39). The new “Code of Canon Law”
also stresses the need to baptize infants: “Parents are obliged to see that their
infants are baptized within the first few weeks. As soon as possible after the
birth, indeed even before it, they are to approach the parish priest to ask for the
Sacrament for their child, and to be themselves duly prepared for it” (Canon 867).
Another consequence of the proclamation of the Gospel, closely linked with the
previous one, is that “the Church is necessary”, as Vatican II declares: “Christ
is the one mediator and way of salvation; He is present to us in His body which
is the Church. He Himself explicitly asserted the necessity of faith and Baptism
(cf. Mark 16:16; John 3:5), and thereby affirmed at the same time the necessity
of the Church which men enter through Baptism as through a door. Hence they
could not be saved who, knowing that the Church was founded as necessary by
God through Christ, would refuse to enter it, or to remain in it” (”Lumen Gentium”,
14; cf. “Presbyterorum Ordinis”, 4; “Ad Gentes”, 1-3; “Dignitatis Humanae”, 11).
17-18. In the early days of the Church, public miracles of this kind happened fre-
quently. There are numerous historical records of these events in the New Testa-
ment (cf., e.g., Acts 3:1-11; 28:3-6) and in other ancient Christian writings. It was
very fitting that this should be so, for it gave visible proof of the truth of Christiani-
ty.
Miracles of this type still occur, but much more seldom; they are very exceptio-
nal. This, too, is fitting because, on the one hand, the truth of Christianity has
been attested to enough; and, on the other, it leaves room for us to merit through
faith. St. Jerome comments: “Miracles were necessary at the beginning to con-
firm the people in the faith. But, once the faith of the Church is confirmed, mira-
cles are not necessary” (”Comm. In Marcum, in loc.”). However, God still works
miracles through saints in every generation, including our own.
19. The Lord’s ascension into Heaven and His sitting at the right hand of the Fa-
ther is the sixth article of faith confessed in the Creed. Jesus Christ went up into
Heaven body and soul, to take possession of the Kingdom He won through His
death, to prepare for us a place in Heaven (cf. Revelation 3:21) and to send the
Holy Spirit to His Church (cf. “St. Pius X Catechism”, 123).
To say that He “sat at the right hand of God” means that Jesus Christ, including
His humanity, has taken eternal possession of Heaven and that, being the equal
of His Father in that He is God, He occupies the place of highest honor beside
Him in His human capacity (cf. “St. Pius V Catechism”, I, 7, 2-3). Already in the
Old Testament the Messiah is spoken of as seated at the right hand of the Al-
mighty, thereby showing the supreme dignity of Yahweh’s Anointed (cf. Psalm
110:1). The New Testament records this truth here and also in many other pas-
sages (cf. Ephesians 1:20-22; Hebrews 1:13).
As the “St. Pius V Catechism” adds, Jesus went up to Heaven by His own po-
wer and not by any other. Nor was it only as God that He ascended, but also as
man.
20. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, the evangelist attests that the words of Christ have
already begun to be fulfilled by the time of writing. The Apostles, in other words,
were faithfully carrying out the mission of our Lord entrusted to them. They begin
to preach the Good News of salvation throughout the known world. Their prea-
ching was accompanied by the signs and wonders the Lord had promised, which
lent authority to their witness and their teaching. Yet, we know that their apostolic
work was always hard, involving much effort, danger, misunderstanding, persecu-
tion and even martyrdom — like our Lord’s own life.
Thanks to God and also to the Apostles, the strength and joy of our Lord Jesus
Christ has reached as far as us. But every Christian generation, every man and
woman, has to receive the preaching of the Gospel and, in turn, pass it on. The
grace of God will always be available to us: “Non est abbreviata manus Domini”
(Isaiah 59:1), the power of the Lord has not diminished.
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Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.