Memorial of Saint Stanislaus, bishop and martyr
(Acts 5:27-33; John 3:31-36)
The Gospel of John is said to be dualistic. This means that it sees all reality in terms
of being either good or bad without mixing the two. Today’s reading reflects this dualistic
understanding. The one who comes from
heaven, of course, represents all that is good while the one from earth is
completely bad.
Reality is not so tidy.
Good things can come from earth as well as heaven. Genesis says that after He created the heaven
and earth, God called his work “very good.”
Sin, however, has compromised the good of the earth. It has never been all bad, but always in need
of some redemption. This has been
accomplished through the passion, death, and resurrection of God’s Son. Now humans are saved from corruption through
belief in Christ’s salvific work. They
must not only say that they believe in Jesus but live their belief by obedience
to his teachings.
All the saints have shown submission to Jesus. St. Stanislaus testified to Jesus’ truth by
opposing the unjust wars and the immoral acts of the Polish king. For his opposition, the king murdered
Stanislaus. Although there are different versions of this story, Stanislaus is
still honored as Poland’s first native born saint.
