SPEAKER_00: I think today Saint Peter gives us one of the most important truths in all Christianity.
SPEAKER_00: He says, you were ransomed.
SPEAKER_00: Ransomed.
SPEAKER_00: Think about that word.
SPEAKER_00: Not purchased, not acquired, ransomed.
SPEAKER_00: A ransom is paid when something valuable has been captured.
SPEAKER_00: Someone is trapped, someone cannot free himself, and then what happens is another one steps in and pays the price.
SPEAKER_00: Peter says that's us.
SPEAKER_00: Humanity was trapped, sin had entered the world, death entered, shame entered, the human heart became divided.
SPEAKER_00: And Saint Peter says, You were ransomed.
SPEAKER_00: But then he tells us the price, not with silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ.
SPEAKER_00: I wonder if we really understand that.
SPEAKER_00: Because we live in a world that constantly tells us our worth, our salary, our followers, what's your title, how successful you are, how beautiful you are, what's your status.
SPEAKER_00: And Christianity says something shocking.
SPEAKER_00: Your value was established on Calvary.
SPEAKER_00: The Son of God gave his blood for you.
SPEAKER_00: That's your worth.
SPEAKER_00: Not silver, not gold, the blood of Christ.
SPEAKER_00: Do you realize what Peter is saying?
SPEAKER_00: The cross was not plan B.
SPEAKER_00: He says he was known before the foundation of the world, before creation, before Adam, before the stars, the cross was not an emergency response.
SPEAKER_00: It was love.
SPEAKER_00: And then Peter says something else.
SPEAKER_00: All flesh is like grass.
SPEAKER_00: That's a humbling line.
SPEAKER_00: We know grass grows, grass can look beautiful, grass can die, the flowers bloom, the flowers wither.
SPEAKER_00: Everything passes.
SPEAKER_00: Beauty passes, age passes, money passes, success passes, the house, the car, the career, the applause, all of it will pass away.
SPEAKER_00: Maybe that's hard for us because we spend so much time, energy wasted on chasing things that cannot stay.
SPEAKER_00: Peter says, The word of the Lord remains forever.
SPEAKER_00: Everything else will fade, but God will remain.
SPEAKER_00: I think this connects beautifully with the gospel.
SPEAKER_00: The disciples are arguing about greatness.
SPEAKER_00: Who is first?
SPEAKER_00: Who matters more?
SPEAKER_00: What's who has status?
SPEAKER_00: What does Jesus do?
SPEAKER_00: He takes a child, he places a child in their midst.
SPEAKER_00: And in the ancient world, children had no status, no power, no prestige.
SPEAKER_00: And Jesus basically says, Well, if you want greatness, stop climbing.
SPEAKER_00: Receive, serve, become small.
SPEAKER_00: What a word for our world.
SPEAKER_00: Because everybody wants to be noticed.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus says become humble.
SPEAKER_00: Everyone wants to rise.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus says become little.
SPEAKER_00: Everybody wants importance.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus says love.
SPEAKER_00: Because in the kingdom greatness looks different.
SPEAKER_00: The saints understood this.
SPEAKER_00: Saint Francis, Mother Teresa, Saint Philip Neri yesterday.
SPEAKER_00: They all became small, and God made them great.
SPEAKER_00: So you were ransomed, not by gold, not by silver, but by the blood of Christ.
SPEAKER_00: Which means this you are loved more than you realize.
SPEAKER_00: You're wanted more than you know.
SPEAKER_00: You're worth more than the world can measure.
SPEAKER_00: Don't let the world convince you of anything else.
SPEAKER_00: And if all flesh is grass, then build life on what remains.
SPEAKER_00: Build it on Christ, because everything else fades.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus Christ will always remain.