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“Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the pilgrims of the Dispersion/Diaspora in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia (...) They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed. But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.” (1 Peter 1:1 and 2:8b-10)
This morning I’m thinking both about the above-quoted passage from today’s Epistle-reading, and about the speeches made recently by several world-leaders at Davos. Both St. Peter and the world-leaders reflected on what makes us “us,” based on each leader’s worldview, at a time when ‘we’ are confronted with ‘them’ who have quite different worldviews.
The Apostle Peter is explaining to dispersedChristians (‘ of the dispersion’ or ‘diaspora’) how and why they have now been united into “ a people,” having received a new purpose, identity and sense of belonging: You “ were once not a people,” he writes, “ but are now the people of God... (so) that you may proclaim the praises of Him...” Let’s remember that this new sense of identity led Christians to be regarded with suspicion by Roman society, because Christians did not participate in Roman rituals that involved worshipping idols, including the Emperor. St. Peter himself was executed by the authorities along with many other Christians, when Emperor Nero scapegoated them for the Great Fire of Rome.
In that light, it’s interesting that at Davos the Prime Minister of Canada, Mark Carney, noted that totalitarian systems are sustained “ not through violence alone, but through the participation of ordinary people in rituals they privately know to be false,” as he called for ‘us’ as countries and companies to stop participating in these rituals and “ not live within the lie.” Nonetheless, he also called ‘us’ to be both “ principled and pragmatic,” referring to Alexander Stubb’s (the President of Finland) “ value-based realism.” The President of France, Emmanuel Macron, also tried to balance principles & pragmatism, warning against “ adopting a purely moral posture” and calling for “ an efficient materialism” instead. But as Macron came to the end of his speech in his cool aviator sunglasses, he underlined what “we” prefer, as those who cherish the rule of law and its predictability as “a good place” to live: “ We prefer respect to bullies,” said Macron, “ science to plotisme (conspiracy theories in French), and the rule of law to brutality.”
This is no exhaustive analysis of the complicated issues at hand, dear readers. You think about all of it further. For myself, I feel challenged at this time to listen in to what the Apostle Peter and the rest of Tradition says to us about who “we” are, as Church. We have an identity and a purpose, as “ His own special people,” to “ proclaim the praises of Him,” not bow down before other gods, nor cave in to hopelessness and fear. I’m so grateful for that dignifying call we share together. I’m also grateful for the statesmen and stateswomen we have today, who are at pains to articulate a way forward. Regardless of what we tend to think about the messy business of political leadership, – someone has to do it! Let’s pray for them and one another, and Happy Friday to all of you.❤
