Feast of Saint Stephen, first martyr

Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit. Rescue me from the clutches of my enemies and my persecutors. Let your face shine upon your servant; save me in your kindness.

No matter how kind or good or loving we might be, we all have enemies and persecutors. They might be family members. They might be old friends or loves whom we have broken up with for one reason or another. They might be strangers who we hardly know or who hardly know us. They might be good people who have bad information. They might mean well, but oppose us because they have a different vision of the way things are or should be. We might never know why they are our foes, but one thing we can be certain of is that if we are striving to do God’s Will and do it with love, then He will rescue us from their clutches. His Divine Face will shine on us and we will be saved by His Kindness. Perhaps not always in the time or way we would prefer... perhaps not even in this life, but if we persevere, then we shall find ourselves with the only person whose opinion matters: God.

Do we commend our spirits to the Lord on a daily basis? Do we ask Him to rescue us from our foes? How can we be the shining face of God for those who are being persecuted?

O Lord, let your face shine upon us, your servants.

Amen.

Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ on behalf of his body, which is the church, of which I am a minister in accordance with God’s stewardship given to me to bring to completion for you the word of God, the mystery hidden from ages and from generations past.

We are all called to imitate Christ, not only in the way he lived, but also in the way he suffered for us. If God sees fit to try us greatly in this life, then who are we to complain? Whatever afflictions come our way; we should march joyfully toward them. Many martyrs died praising God with their final breaths. Who are we to think we should escape such trials? We are all asked to fill up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ. Not that Jesus’ passion and death were not perfect, but that we are all called to pick up our crosses and to unite our sufferings with those of Christ. And God, in His Infinite Mercy allows us to add our drop of blood to the sea of sorrows that Jesus suffered for us.

What is God calling us to suffer? How can we accept this suffering with joyful hearts? What are we being asked to sacrifice in order to bring to completion the Word of God?

O Lord, we rejoice in our sufferings for your sake and the sake of your children.

Amen.

Third Tuesday of Easter

The witnesses laid down their cloaks at the feet of a young man named Saul. As they were stoning Stephen, he called out, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." Then he fell to his knees and cried out in a loud voice, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them"; and when he said this, he fell asleep. Now Saul was consenting to his execution.

The forgiving words of Stephen stand in stark contrast to the callousness of Saul. Can we imagine pardoning the people who are stoning us? Can we imagine standing by and watching someone being stoned to death? And yet, here are two people doing just that... one the first martyr of our faith and the other the eventual Apostle to the Gentiles. Truly God did not hold the death of Stephen against Saul... instead He used this experience to led Saul to Damascus and to his conversion experience. This gives us hope that we, though sinners, will also be given a chance to make amends for our past transgressions. If God can forgive Saul and transform him into Paul the Apostle, then He can save us, too, and lead us to a better and more faithful life.

Are we willing to lay down our life for our faith? How can we be more like Stephen and forgive those who trespass against us? What can we do to make amends for our past sins?

O Lord, do not hold our sins against us.

Amen.

Feast of Saint Stephen, first martyr

Stephen, filled with grace and power, was working great wonders and signs among the people. Certain members of the so-called Synagogue of Freedmen, Cyrenians, and Alexandrians,
and people from Cilicia and Asia, came forward and debated with Stephen, but they could not withstand the wisdom and the spirit with which he spoke.

There will be times in our lives when we will be asked to defend our faith or be willing to suffer because of what we believe. It is during times like these that we should look to the martyrs for inspiration. We might not be stoned to death, but we may suffer hardships in order to do God’s Will. During these times of trial and tribulation, God will give us the grace and power we need to face our difficulties with faithful, hopeful, and loving hearts. We shall be able to love even our enemies and ask God’s forgiveness on them for they know not what they do. As long as we choose to think, speak, and act mercifully, like Christ and the martyrs who came before us, then we shall have nothing to fear... not even death.

Do we allow God to work through us by proclaiming the Good News to all we meet through our good works and kind spirits? Are we willing to suffer martyrdom for our faith? Do we pray to God for the wisdom we need to use the grace and power He has given us for our good and the good of others?

O Lord, fill us with your grace, power, and wisdom.

Amen.

Tuesday of the Fifth Week of Easter

They strengthened the spirits of the disciples and exhorted them to persevere in the faith, saying, “It is necessary for us to undergo many hardships to enter the Kingdom of God.” They appointed presbyters for them in each Church and, with prayer and fasting, commended them to the Lord in whom they had put their faith.

Paul is stoned for preaching the Good News, but he does not let that stop him from giving witness to the Divine Word. Imagine being pummeled with rocks to the brink of death for living out our faith. It seems so foreign to us and yet each day people die for the faith. They might not die in our neighborhoods, but they do die in areas of the world that are hostile to Christianity. These martyrs choose faithful deaths over safe lives and we would do well to remember them in our prayers and when we are faced with our own choices between holiness and worldliness. We should realize that to be true disciples of Christ means that we will have to undergo many hardships, trials, and tribulations. There is no free ride to the Kingdom of God. The narrow path is paved with sacrifices... physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual. Prayer, fasting, and charity provide us with the nourishment we need to walk the Way of Christ, defend ourselves from temptations, and arrive at the Gates of Heaven where we shall hope to be welcomed by God not solely because of anything we’ve done, but because Jesus Christ died for us and we were willing to accept his saving grace.

Do we remember those who have died for the faith? How can we imitate the fidelity of the martyrs in our own lives? What are we willing to sacrifice for God and His children?

O Lord, we honor your sacrifice by choosing to live in imitation of you.

Amen.

Monday of the Third Week of Easter

Stephen, filled with grace and power, was working great wonders and signs among the people. Certain members of the so-called Synagogue of Freedmen, Cyreneans, and Alexandrians, and people from Cilicia and Asia, came forward and debated with Stephen, but they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he spoke.

Stephen, a deacon, was called to service in a special way among the early Christians. However, he not only worked great wonders and signs, but also proclaimed the faith with wisdom and the Spirit even though he knew it might mean his death. In a similar way, we are all called to be prophetic servants of God’s Word and His Will. We might not have a specific vocation to the deaconate or be called to be martyrs, but we are all asked to know, love, and serve God and His children in our own unique ways and be willing to suffer and die in order to fulfill our mission to evangelize the world. Our service and deaths might not be as dramatic as Stephen’s, but that doesn’t mean they are any less important in the eyes of God. He sees our good deeds and sacrifices with the eyes of a loving Father, compassionate Brother, and supportive Advocate. He only cares that what we do is done with great love and mercy.

How are we being called to be a sign of God’s Goodness? In what ways can we proclaim the Good News to others? What vocation is God calling us to?

O Lord, makes us prophetic signs of your love and mercy.

Amen.

Feast of Saint Stephen, first martyr

When they heard this, they were infuriated, and they ground their teeth at him. But he, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked up intently to heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, and he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” But they cried out in a loud voice, covered their ears, and rushed upon him together. They threw him out of the city, and began to stone him. The witnesses laid down their cloaks at the feet of a young man named Saul.  As they were stoning Stephen, he called out “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”

Martyrdom was constantly a reality for the early believers in Jesus. It is a less constant now, but there are areas in the world where Christians are being killed for their faith on a daily basis. Recently, there have even been terrorist threats against our places of worship. We might not appreciate how close to martyrdom we are just by choosing to follow Christ. Our persecution might not be as overt as that of the early Christians, but it is ever present. We might not be martyred in body, like St. Stephen, but our thoughts, words, and works might cause us problems and even put our lives and livelihoods in danger.

Do we appreciate the dangers that we face as Christians? Are we lending support to those Christians who are suffering for their faith? Are we willing to proclaim the Good News even if it causes us trouble?

O Lord, receive our spirits.

Amen.

Memorial of Saint John Vianney, Priest

From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly from the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised. Then Peter took Jesus aside and began to rebuke him, “God forbid, Lord!  No such thing shall ever happen to you.” He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan!  You are an obstacle to me. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.”

No matter how much we might want to avoid it, doing God’s Will requires a sacrifice on our part. Jesus sacrificed himself for the salvation of souls, Peter had to sacrifice his worldly attachment to Jesus in order to think more like God, and we will have to make similar sacrifices in our own lives. We might not be asked to become martyrs for the faith in the respect to our body and blood, but we are all called to be martyrs for the faith in regard to our minds and spirits. When we are tempted to say, “God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall happen to him or her or me,” we should keep in mind that the purpose of our lives is not to fulfill our own wills, but rather to empty ourselves so that God can fill us with Himself. It is only when we do this, that we shall receive the graces we need to overcome all the obstacles we face in regards to our faith.

Are we willing to suffer greatly for our faith? Are we willing to detach ourselves of our worldly attachments to people, places, and things? What can we do to empty ourselves of selfishness and fill ourselves with grace?

O Lord, help us to think as you think and sacrifice ourselves as you did during your life, passion, and death.

Amen.