Passions of the flesh — that means the things our flesh desires. One way to sum up all the “passions of the flesh” is to call them greed: the desire to have more things to bring us comfort and peace of mind. But that shows us the real problem with greed. It wages war against our soul, and it urges us to place our trust in the things of this world and not in God. But St. Peter reminds us that we are sojourners and exiles. We belong to the kingdom of God. We have been purchased by the blood of Christ and belong to Him. That knowledge frees us from greed, and it frees us for generosity.