Dear Brothers and Sisters:
As we enter into this last week of Easter, when Christ has already ascended to heaven, the whole Church is praying for the coming of the Holy Spirit to give us courage and strength. The experience of Easter and our parish Mission have given us many things to ponder and hopefully to change in our daily life. I hope that you have all had a personal experience of the resurrection this Easter season; often it follows a suffering or difficulty that baffled you.
Today we see St. Stephen, one of the first deacons, giving witness by the way he died. He gave his life for Christ in what we would call today a lynching (Acts 7: 55-60, the whole chapter is good to read). Normally when someone is stoned they are thrown into a pit and the people stoning them are twice their height and they aim for the chest, though their shots are not always accurate. Usually the person being stoned is stripped of their clothes, and in this case it is the (false) witnesses who take off their outer garments and leave them at the feet of a young man named Saul; the first time we hear of him. It could be that they take off their clothes because they are the guilty ones.
And today we hear the last part of the speech that Stephen gave before they rushed at him. He says that he saw (Jesus) the Son of Man standing at the right side of the Father. Usually we hear that he is sitting at the right hand of the Father so why is he standing in this case? It could be in honor of Stephen, the first martyr.
Also we hear how in Stephen’s solemn moment of martyrdom he says, ‘Lord, receive my spirit,’ and he offers himself to the Lord, as Jesus himself did. And then he forgives them! When you read a little bit further in the Acts of the Apostles there are several interesting details that come after what we heard today. After Stephen’s death a bitter persecution breaks out in Jerusalem and everyone except the apostles run to the country.
As a result of the persecution and the scattering of the Christians they go from place to place to announce the Good News. Philip even went to a Samaritan town and his message was unanimously welcomed. The Jews hated the Samaritans. But now they welcome the message of the disciples and believe in the miracles worked there. And the town rejoiced. The blood of martyrs is the seedbed of Christianity. It is Stephen’s blood that causes everyone to disperse, and not be afraid to announce the Good News. Funny how God uses tragedies and brings about goodness through them!
In the gospel Jesus prays for the church of believers gathered because of the apostles, and their witnessing. Jesus, and any apostle, and you and me, is called to witness to the name of the Father. Christ (and you) is sent in order to give witness to him! You and I can only do this when we are united; when there is no gossip, when you stand together behind the pastor and move in the same direction. In the parishes this is often lacking, unfortunately. Let it be a reality here and in all Christian churches.