3rd Week of Easter, Wednesday (2)

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After Stephen’s martyrdom, recalled in yesterday‘s First Reading, the Christians are scattered due to persecution, but that, in God’s Providence, helps Christianity to spread. Stephen may be gone, but Philip heads up to Samaria and starts working signs and wonders as well. There have been many attempts throughout history to destroy Christianity; apparently they didn’t heed Gamaliel‘s advice to just wait and see whether Christianity would die off on its own. It won’t. The Lord made good come out of his Son’s crucifixion, and in moments of persecution he makes good come too.

Throughout the world today Christian’s are still being persecuted and murdered for their faith. Religious extremists are taxing them, terrorizing them, and beheading them. We should support them and religious liberty as well, but also ask ourselves whether we’re being complacent in countries where Christianity is tolerated, albeit, at times, ridiculed. It’s a question of spiritual life and death, even though it may not always be a question of physical life and death. Even veiled persecution should stoke our apostolic zeal to spread the Gospel and have the right to share our faith.

Let’s pray today for all persecuted Christians and thank Our Lord for all those who have given their lives for the Gospel, including him.

Readings: Acts 8:1b–8; Psalm 66:1–3a, 4–7a; John 6:35–40. See also 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time,Cycle B and 3rd Week of Easter, Wednesday.

3rd Week of Easter, Tuesday (2)

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In today’s First Reading St. Stephen’s martyrdom shows his detractors to be stuck in the same rut as they were when they put Our Lord on trial, but Stephen shows them the status quo cannot be maintained anymore. That same Spirit that fills him with the strength and witness to testify to the truth even to martyrdom tells his adversaries that they are resisting the Holy Spirit and killing the Spirit’s messengers, just as they’d done time and time again by murdering the prophets and Our Lord, whom they considered just another false prophet. The only problem is that you cannot kill the truth. Resisting the Spirit, killing the Spirit’s messenger are pointless.

When Stephen is blessed by a vision of seeing Our Lord in Heaven at the right hand of God, the Sanhedrin has they same reaction they did when Jesus told them that they would see him seated at the right hand of power, a clear allusion to the prophecy in Daniel concerning the Messiah (see Daniel 7:13-14, Matthew 26:64, Luke 22:69, Mark 14:62): kill the blasphemer. Now Stephen is seeing that very event; Our Lord has ascended and taken his place at the right hand of the Father. He has shown himself to be the Messiah, yet they have resisted the Spirit and the truth and, once again, try to kill it. Like Our Lord, Stephen forgives them for their crime in his dying breath.

If the Sanhedrin are staying stuck in their rut, the work of salvation is not: it continues to advance. Stephen was full of Spirit and wisdom and helped many people, even before the witness of martyrdom. Even as he dies forgiving his enemies a young man comes onto the scene. Every listener in Luke’s time knew who Saul was, and who he would become, which is why Luke makes a point of mentioning that Saul condoned Stephen’s death. Little did he know that the Lord had plans for him as well, once he accepted the truth. Let’s pray for the humility and conviction to not be stubborn about accepting the Spirit and the truth.

Readings: Acts 7:51–8:1a; Psalm 31:3c–4, 6, 7b, 8a, 17, 21ab; John 6:30–35. See also 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time,Cycle B, St. Stephen, First Martyr, and 3rd Week of Easter, Tuesday.

3rd Week of Easter, Monday (2)

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On Saturday we were told by Luke that Stephen was one of the Seven chosen for being “filled with the Spirit and wisdom” and entrusted with a special ministry by the Apostles themselves. In today’s First Reading we see Stephen imitating the Lord: he is working signs and wonders, but also garnering a lot of opposition. That same Spirit and wisdom is what enabled him to refute his adversaries’ arguments and be strong in the face of opposition.

As his adversaries start to multiply they decide that if they can’t beat Stephen, they’ll smear his reputation and discredit him, a common tactic for people who can’t win or shouldn’t, resorting to dishonesty. They incite the people against Stephen and have him brought before the Sanhedrin. Stephen doesn’t seem worried; whether Luke was there or another Christian, someone witnessing the event said he had a face like an angel. An angel is a messenger, and Stephen had a message to bring. We don’t know what was going on inside Stephen in this moment, but it’s a safe guess that the irony didn’t escape him that he, like Our Lord, had been dragged before the Sanhedrin on false charges. Like Our Lord, Stephen wouldn’t shy away from proclaiming the truth.

When Jesus was brought to the Temple for the first time as a baby Simeon told Mary that he would be a sign of contradiction. In the Last Supper Our Lord warned the disciples that those who hate the master will hate his disciples too. This should not discourage us from spreading the Gospel. Let’s not be shy about stirring things up for the sake of truth.

Readings: Acts 6:8–15; Psalm 119:23–24, 26–27, 29–30; John 6:22–29. See also 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time,Cycle B and 3rd Week of Easter, Monday.

3rd Sunday of Easter, Cycle C

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The Lamb in today’s Second Reading, surrounded by everyone and everything falling down in worship before him, is the same person who makes breakfast for the disciples in today’s Gospel after a long night fishing. Do we let that sink in? Peter and the disciples did, which is why in today’s First Reading they were happy to have suffered dishonor for the sake of Jesus. You cannot pigeonhole Our Lord in once place and role or he other: if you try to either just place Our Lord in Heaven or on the shore cooking breakfast, you cannot understand what motivates him. He doesn’t just want our adoration; actually, he deserves that and woe to us if we don’t give it to them. He wants our love. He doesn’t need our love, but he wants it.

We can all stand in Peter’s place in today’s Gospel. A burst of enthusiasm has us running toward the Lord, but also, after the initial emotion, in our hearts, he asks us, over and over, “Do you love me?” We have the same hesitation in responding as Peter; we know there are moments when we haven’t loved him and moments where we haven’t loved him as much as we should. They are moments where we wouldn’t have adored him in Heaven or stood up for him on earth, but he never stopped being there for us, and he never will.

Put yourself in Peter’s shoes today and respond to Our Lord’s questions from wherever you’re at regarding your relationship with him. Just like Peter, he will coax a greater love out of you if you let him.

Readings: Acts 5:27–32, 40b–41; Psalm 30:2, 4–6, 11–13; Revelation 5:11–14; John 21:1–19. See also 2nd Week of Easter, Thursday (2), 7th Week of Easter, Friday and Easter Friday.

2nd Week of Easter, Saturday (2)

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In today’s First Reading the Church is faced with wonderful problem: too much work and not enough people to do it. The Twelve see a pastoral need that they don’t have time to fulfill, so they ask that seven men full of Spirit and wisdom be chosen to help them in their ministry. In Luke’s Gospel we see, even in Jesus’s earthly ministry, the sending of the Seventy-Two to help the Twelve fulfill their mission. Now the men in today’s First Reading, known as the Seven, are also entrusted with a participation in the mission of the apostles and in tradition are believed to have been the first deacons.

The Church’s mission is not just for the clergy. Everyone is called to help according to their possibilities and state of life. As needs increase, each member of the Church must be dedicated to doing his or her part: bishops shepherding their dioceses, helped by priests and deacons, consecrated persons contributing according to their charism, and laity, ordering the world’s affairs in accordance with the Gospel and helping the Church in matters where they may have more expertise.

Let’s pray today that every member of the Church heads the call to spread the Gospel however and wherever the Lord has led them.

Readings: Acts 6:1–7; Psalm 33:1–2, 4–5, 18–19; John 6:16–21. See also 26th Week in Ordinary Time, Thursday and 2nd Week of Easter, Saturday.