The First Letter of St. Peter
Chapter 2
¹ Rid yourselves therefore of all malice, and all guile, insincerity, envy, and all slander. ² Like newborn infants long for the pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow into salvation- ³ if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.
(The First Letter of St. Peter Chapter 2 verses 1 to 3)
Amen Oh God my Father it is truly wise to rid ourselves of all traces of negativity with Your help oh God my Father. Therefore let we all seek repentance of our sins and receive cleansing by means of the sacrament of salvation. Amen. I thank You for sowing within me a love for You and the messages found in the entire Bible especially the 'Good News' Amen, may I always be guided by means of it Amen.
⁴ Come to him, a living stone, though rejected by mortals yet chosen and precious in God's sight, and ⁵ like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
(The First Letter of St. Peter Chapter 2 verses 4 to 5)
Oh God my Father You are the potter and I am the clay. I pray that every day of my life and in every circumstance, You keep on moulding me so, that in time I will be transformed from my material self to my spiritual self which finds its meaning and origin in You Amen.
⁶ For it stands in scripture: "See, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame." ⁷ To you then who believe, he is precious; but for those who do not believe, "The stone that the builders rejected has become the very head of the corner."
(The First Letter of St. Peter Chapter 2 verses 6 to 7)
Oh God my Father, You are truly the cornerstone of my building or home. Whenever I try to build on different stones, such as hobbies, work, friendships, family the foundations start cracking and the whole structure becomes unstable. Oh God, there is none like You. I pray that we all lay down our foundations on You, the real cornerstone of my life Amen.
⁸ and "A stone that makes them stumble, and a rock that makes them fall." They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.
(The First Letter of St. Peter Chapter 2 verse 8)
Oh God my Father for those of us who believe in You and in the message of the Good News the Bible offers us many consolation and strength, however for those who do not, religion is called opium or alienation, however when the time comes, everybody will reap the fruits of their belief. Amen.
⁹ But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
(The First Letter of St. Peter Chapter 2 verse 9)
Oh God my Father I thank You for having chosen the Hebrew nation as Your people. Even to this day I believe that although they disobeyed You many times, they are still the apple of Your eye, Your chosen ones. Even though we proclaim to be descendants through Jesus Christ, the original chosen people are still the Hebrews even though You inspired St. Paul to turn on to us the 'gentiles' of these times and proclaim to us the dear message of the 'Good News' Amen. I pray that both Hebrews, Catholics, Roman Catholics, Protestants and many others of different denominations remain faithful to what or whom they believe in especially if they believe in You like I do.
¹⁰ Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
(The First Letter of St. Peter Chapter 2 verse 10)
Oh God my Father I thank You for having reclaimed me for having called me from my previous life and for having given me the dignity of being called and considered as being one of Your many sons Amen.
¹¹ Beloved, I urge you as aliens and exiles to abstain from the desires of the flesh that wage war against the soul.
(The First Letter of St. Peter Chapter 2 verse 11)
Oh God my Father I am aware of this conflict between the promptings of the spirit, and the promptings of the flesh. When considering how You made us it is not easy to overcome the flesh, however there are those who have benefitted from Your grace and have conquered the flesh. I pray for the grace to overcome the lures of the body so that the urges of the Holy Spirit will become stronger and find nothing to block it. Amen.
¹² Conduct yourselves honorably among the Gentiles, so that, though they malign you as evildoers, they may see your honorable deeds and glorify God when he comes to judge.
(The First Letter of St. Peter Chapter 2 verse 12)
Oh God my Father, both for our sake, and for the sake of others, especially people who do not believe in You our behaviour is to be exemplary, for such people may expect perfect behaviour from us, even though they themselves are not perfect, however from us Christians, Catholics and people of other faiths they expect more from us Amen. May I always be a living example of Your presence Amen.
¹³ For the Lord's sake accept the authority of every human institution, whether of the emperor as supreme, ¹⁴ or of governors, as sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to praise those who do right.
(The First Letter of St. Peter Chapter 2 verses 13 to 14)
Oh God my Father, how nice it is to imitate You in humility. Even though there may be situations where we are convinced that our decisions are correct, we are to respect the authority of our superiors as if we are respecting You in their presence Amen. I pray that You give love, praise, worship, wisdom and faith to all who are in a position of authority so that they will be able to take the best decisions for the good of all. Amen.
¹⁵ For it is God's will that by doing right you should silence the ignorance of the foolish. ¹⁶ As servants of God, live as free people, yet do not use your freedom as a pretext for evil. ¹⁷ Honor everyone, Love the family of believers. Fear God. Honor the emperor.
(The First Letter of St. Peter Chapter 2 verses 15 to 17)
Oh God my Father You wish that we live as free people and not as slaves of our sinful self and of our sins. When we do positive acts nobody can judge us, for what we are doing is right. When we use our freedom in order to help others in obtaining their freedom we are also using our freedom for a good purpose, however when we use our freedom to reduce other people's freedom this is not according to Your will. If we treat as inferiors those who are under our atuhority and make their lives a misery, this is an abuse of their share of liberty, for in a way our freedom is only in doing Your will, for socially we are free as long as one obeys the norms of society and not impose a threat on the freedom of others.
¹⁸ Slaves, accept the authority of your masters with all deference, not only those who are kind and gentle but also those who are harsh.
(The First Letter of St. Peter Chapter 2 verse 18)
Oh God my beloved Father, even though You created us as free beingss we are still enslaved in this body, with all its compulsions. Many times when I lose control over myself I end up saying words which I regret saying and doing things which I regret doing. Therefore in substance I can still be called a slave, however with the difference that my price of redemption has been paid. Amen.
¹⁹ For it is a credit to you if, being aware of God, you endure pain while suffering unjustly. ²⁰ If you endure when you are beaten for doing wrong, what credit is that? But if you endure when you do right and suffer for it, you have God's approval. ²¹ For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you should follow in his steps.
(The First Letter of St. Peter Chapter 2 verses 19 to 21)
Oh God my beloved Father, I have been suffering emotionally for a long time, however I have now reached my breaking point. I cannot take it any more. Although You created me in according to Your image and gave me Your Holy Spirit, I am gradually breaking down. If I only placed more trust in You and gave no notice to verbal insults and negative behaviour this may have improved the situation however I am still a sensitive and weak person. I pray for help in my weakness my God and Father Amen.
²² "He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth." ²³ When he was abused, he did not return abuse; when he suffered, he did not threaten; but he entrusted himself to the one who judges justly. ²⁴ He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that free from sins, we might live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. ²⁵For you were going astray like sheep, but now you have returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.
(The First Letter of St. Peter Chapter 2 verses 22 to 24)
Oh God my Father I thank You for paying the price of my salvation by means of such a cruel passion. I thank You for offering Your sacred body as the offering of my atonement and salvation Amen. Help me to believe That You paid the price and that I am already saved Amen. Thank You for reclaiming me back like the lost sheep Amen.
Oh God my Father, I would like to end this chapter with the following prayer:
Thank You Oh God my Father, for paying the price of my salvation. Like You right now I am drinking from the chalice of persecution. However unlike You I am not strong enough to continue carrying my cross. I need help before I fall under its weight Amen. I am sick and tired oh God my Father, and in faith I raise up my prayers to You Amen.
⁴ Come to him, a living stone, though rejected by mortals yet chosen and precious in God's sight, and ⁵ like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
(The First Letter of St. Peter Chapter 2 verses 4 to 5)
Oh God my Father You are the potter and I am the clay. I pray that every day of my life and in every circumstance, You keep on moulding me so, that in time I will be transformed from my material self to my spiritual self which finds its meaning and origin in You Amen.
⁶ For it stands in scripture: "See, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame." ⁷ To you then who believe, he is precious; but for those who do not believe, "The stone that the builders rejected has become the very head of the corner."
(The First Letter of St. Peter Chapter 2 verses 6 to 7)
Oh God my Father, You are truly the cornerstone of my building or home. Whenever I try to build on different stones, such as hobbies, work, friendships, family the foundations start cracking and the whole structure becomes unstable. Oh God, there is none like You. I pray that we all lay down our foundations on You, the real cornerstone of my life Amen.
⁸ and "A stone that makes them stumble, and a rock that makes them fall." They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.
(The First Letter of St. Peter Chapter 2 verse 8)
Oh God my Father for those of us who believe in You and in the message of the Good News the Bible offers us many consolation and strength, however for those who do not, religion is called opium or alienation, however when the time comes, everybody will reap the fruits of their belief. Amen.
⁹ But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
(The First Letter of St. Peter Chapter 2 verse 9)
Oh God my Father I thank You for having chosen the Hebrew nation as Your people. Even to this day I believe that although they disobeyed You many times, they are still the apple of Your eye, Your chosen ones. Even though we proclaim to be descendants through Jesus Christ, the original chosen people are still the Hebrews even though You inspired St. Paul to turn on to us the 'gentiles' of these times and proclaim to us the dear message of the 'Good News' Amen. I pray that both Hebrews, Catholics, Roman Catholics, Protestants and many others of different denominations remain faithful to what or whom they believe in especially if they believe in You like I do.
¹⁰ Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
(The First Letter of St. Peter Chapter 2 verse 10)
Oh God my Father I thank You for having reclaimed me for having called me from my previous life and for having given me the dignity of being called and considered as being one of Your many sons Amen.
¹¹ Beloved, I urge you as aliens and exiles to abstain from the desires of the flesh that wage war against the soul.
(The First Letter of St. Peter Chapter 2 verse 11)
Oh God my Father I am aware of this conflict between the promptings of the spirit, and the promptings of the flesh. When considering how You made us it is not easy to overcome the flesh, however there are those who have benefitted from Your grace and have conquered the flesh. I pray for the grace to overcome the lures of the body so that the urges of the Holy Spirit will become stronger and find nothing to block it. Amen.
¹² Conduct yourselves honorably among the Gentiles, so that, though they malign you as evildoers, they may see your honorable deeds and glorify God when he comes to judge.
(The First Letter of St. Peter Chapter 2 verse 12)
Oh God my Father, both for our sake, and for the sake of others, especially people who do not believe in You our behaviour is to be exemplary, for such people may expect perfect behaviour from us, even though they themselves are not perfect, however from us Christians, Catholics and people of other faiths they expect more from us Amen. May I always be a living example of Your presence Amen.
¹³ For the Lord's sake accept the authority of every human institution, whether of the emperor as supreme, ¹⁴ or of governors, as sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to praise those who do right.
(The First Letter of St. Peter Chapter 2 verses 13 to 14)
Oh God my Father, how nice it is to imitate You in humility. Even though there may be situations where we are convinced that our decisions are correct, we are to respect the authority of our superiors as if we are respecting You in their presence Amen. I pray that You give love, praise, worship, wisdom and faith to all who are in a position of authority so that they will be able to take the best decisions for the good of all. Amen.
¹⁵ For it is God's will that by doing right you should silence the ignorance of the foolish. ¹⁶ As servants of God, live as free people, yet do not use your freedom as a pretext for evil. ¹⁷ Honor everyone, Love the family of believers. Fear God. Honor the emperor.
(The First Letter of St. Peter Chapter 2 verses 15 to 17)
Oh God my Father You wish that we live as free people and not as slaves of our sinful self and of our sins. When we do positive acts nobody can judge us, for what we are doing is right. When we use our freedom in order to help others in obtaining their freedom we are also using our freedom for a good purpose, however when we use our freedom to reduce other people's freedom this is not according to Your will. If we treat as inferiors those who are under our atuhority and make their lives a misery, this is an abuse of their share of liberty, for in a way our freedom is only in doing Your will, for socially we are free as long as one obeys the norms of society and not impose a threat on the freedom of others.
¹⁸ Slaves, accept the authority of your masters with all deference, not only those who are kind and gentle but also those who are harsh.
(The First Letter of St. Peter Chapter 2 verse 18)
Oh God my beloved Father, even though You created us as free beingss we are still enslaved in this body, with all its compulsions. Many times when I lose control over myself I end up saying words which I regret saying and doing things which I regret doing. Therefore in substance I can still be called a slave, however with the difference that my price of redemption has been paid. Amen.
¹⁹ For it is a credit to you if, being aware of God, you endure pain while suffering unjustly. ²⁰ If you endure when you are beaten for doing wrong, what credit is that? But if you endure when you do right and suffer for it, you have God's approval. ²¹ For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you should follow in his steps.
(The First Letter of St. Peter Chapter 2 verses 19 to 21)
Oh God my beloved Father, I have been suffering emotionally for a long time, however I have now reached my breaking point. I cannot take it any more. Although You created me in according to Your image and gave me Your Holy Spirit, I am gradually breaking down. If I only placed more trust in You and gave no notice to verbal insults and negative behaviour this may have improved the situation however I am still a sensitive and weak person. I pray for help in my weakness my God and Father Amen.
²² "He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth." ²³ When he was abused, he did not return abuse; when he suffered, he did not threaten; but he entrusted himself to the one who judges justly. ²⁴ He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that free from sins, we might live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. ²⁵For you were going astray like sheep, but now you have returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.
(The First Letter of St. Peter Chapter 2 verses 22 to 24)
Oh God my Father I thank You for paying the price of my salvation by means of such a cruel passion. I thank You for offering Your sacred body as the offering of my atonement and salvation Amen. Help me to believe That You paid the price and that I am already saved Amen. Thank You for reclaiming me back like the lost sheep Amen.
Oh God my Father, I would like to end this chapter with the following prayer:
Thank You Oh God my Father, for paying the price of my salvation. Like You right now I am drinking from the chalice of persecution. However unlike You I am not strong enough to continue carrying my cross. I need help before I fall under its weight Amen. I am sick and tired oh God my Father, and in faith I raise up my prayers to You Amen.
