Tuesday, May 7, 2019

Tuesday of the Third Week of Easter

(Acts 7:51-8:1a; John 6:30-35)

Stephen’s speech can be heard as incendiary.  He accuses the Jewish leaders of not observing the Law.  But so did Jesus!  Indeed, Stephen’s actions quite closely imitate those of Jesus.  He too at his execution asks forgiveness for its perpetrators.  Like Jesus he dies commending his spirit to God.

Stephen’s exemplary behavior will have immense effect.  One of its witnesses, Paul of Tarsus, will do an about turn in his stand toward Jesus.  Evidently at the moment he finds Stephen’s words contemptible.  But in short time he will, like Stephen, give testimony to Jesus’ righteousness.  He too will suffer death for proclaiming Jesus as Lord.

There is plenty for us to imitate in Stephen’s story.  We should proclaim the Lord Jesus by our willingness to suffer for the truth.  Most of all, we should pray for our enemies, especially those who may persecute us. Then our lives also will attract others to Jesus’ righteousness.

Tuesday, May 2, 2017

Memorial of Saint Athanasius, bishop and doctor of the Church

(Acts 7:51-8:1a; John 6:30-35)

When St. Francis of Assisi heard that some of his friars were enticing Muslims into killing them, he put a stop to the practice.  He insisted that the missionary norms of his order prohibit both using arms to force conversions and taunting Muslims to martyr missionaries.  One wonders if Stephen in today’s first reading should not have been prudent in this way.

Stephen is a Greek-speaking Jew.  He comes from the Diaspora with little stake in the Jerusalem temple.  His diatribe against it perhaps reflects the sentiment of his background.  More than that, Stephen is a fervent convert to Christ.  He no doubt harbors resentment for the people of Jerusalem for having executed Jesus.  His outburst deserves some response, but certainly stoning is uncalled for.

Stephen’s story presents us with a few lessons.  First, we want to imitate his zeal to tell others about Christ who is our comforter and helper.  Second, we want to avoid Stephen’s harshness.  More people will be drawn to Christ by reflecting his peace than by exhibiting Stephen’s fury.  Finally, and perhaps most importantly, like Stephen imitating Jesus, we want to forgive those who have offended us.  We should begin now so that we do not forget to do so at death.

Tuesday, April 12, 2016

Tuesday of the Second Week of Easter

(Acts 7:51-8:1a; John 6:30-35)

Stephen almost taunts his enemies to kill him.  He sounds like a zealot seeking martyrdom for earthly fame more than heavenly glory.  Jesus had measured criticism for the Pharisees that opposed him. Stephen on the other hand pulls no punches.  But in the end Stephen does conform himself to Jesus quite admirably.

As Stephen is being stoned, like Jesus he prays for his enemies.  Also like Jesus, Stephen entrusts his spirit to God although in his case it is the eternal Son.  God provides a final favorable comparison between Stephen and Jesus.  As Jesus’ death and resurrection ends with his disciples receiving the Holy Spirit to carry on his work, Stephen’s death ends in St. Paul taking note and eventually preaching the Lord Jesus in the Greek world.

God does not want us to seek martyrdom.  That would be both unnatural and foolish.  But God does want us to imitate Jesus’ willingness to forgive.  That involves a dying to self that is not unlike a martyr’s witness.

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Tuesday of the Third Week of Easter

(Acts 7:51-8:1a; John 6:30-35)

A man sends a Twitter message: “As Pope Francis said today: ‘I am a sinner.’ There is something cathartic about saying that to yourself. We should all try it.”  St. Paul seems to have said that often enough with astonishing results.

Paul is introduced in the Acts of the Apostles with today’s reading.  He is, of course, the “Saul” who witnesses St. Stephen’s execution. (Paul, by the way, is not the Hebrew word for Saul but most likely the saint’s name given at birth and Saul the name he used in Jewish company.)  No doubt, the experience of seeing Stephen executed affected Paul profoundly.  At first, he wanted to see all followers of Jesus dispatched in a similar way.  Upon meditation of Stephen’s blessing while be stoned, however, Paul surely wondered about the grace that could allow a man to forgive those who were killing him.

As Pope Francis indicates, all of us sin.  But this does not mean that we are not to overcome sin with the grace of Christ.  Acknowledging ourselves as sinners is the first step in the process.  Then we need to pray for help and finally to act on the grace God offers us to reject temptation.

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Tuesday of the Third Week of Easter

(Acts 7:51-8:1a; John 6:30-35)

A few years ago Clint Eastwood made a movie in which the protagonist dies in Christ-like fashion.  In “The Grand Turino” Eastwood plays a retired auto worker who undergoes a conversion.  Originally hostile to minorities, the man changes his outlook when he experiences the integrity of a Hmong family who move into his neighborhood.  In the movie’s last scene the hero willingly walks into a death trap in order to redeem the life of a young Hmong.  As he is riddled with bullets, he outstretches his arms like Christ on the cross.

In the first reading we see Stephen also dying like Jesus.  As Jesus was unjustly executed so is Stephen.  As Jesus was taken past the walls of Jerusalem for crucifixion, Stephen is stoned outside the city.  Stephen’s last words are paraphrases of Jesus’.  First, he petitions Jesus, as Jesus the Father, to “…receive my spirit.”  Then, like Jesus, he asks forgiveness for his executioners. 

Since death is an inevitability of life, we should prepare ourselves so that we too might die like Jesus.  By rehearsing, “Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit,” before bed every night, we may emit these words with our dying breath.  By daily praying for those who have offended us, we are not likely to have any enemies when we die.  But if any remain, we will easily remember to pray for them as we go to God.

Monday, April 15, 2013

Monday of the Third Week of Easter

(Acts 6:8-15; John 6:22-29)

Just last month a mob of Muslim extremists attacked a Christian village in Lahore, Pakistan, burning down 200 homes.  The outrage occurred after a Muslim boy accused a Christian of blaspheming the prophet Mohammed while playing a game.  Such incidents occur with regularity in that country with its overwhelming Muslim majority and plethora of extremist-religious schools.  A similar situation is reported in the first reading today.

Stephen is accused of blaspheming “’Moses and God’” before the ruling Sanhedrin.  The author reports that his serene countenance should tip off the judges that Stephen is innocent, but because of the prejudice against the growing Christian sect, the judicial body eventually condemns him to being stoned to death.  (An objective observer might also question the prudence of Stephen’s remarks against the Jewish leaders.)

We who value religion must stop and think here.  Truth may call for a reply to outrageous statements.  However, does not justice require a response in kind without turning to violence?  We must speak out with integrity but judiciously when confronted with perversions.  Our goodwill and wisdom will make the validity of our position evident. 

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Tuesday of the Third Week of Easter

(Acts 7:51-8:1a; John 6:30-35)

A few years ago Clint Eastwood made a movie in which the protagonist dies in Christ-like fashion. In “The Grand Turino” Eastwood plays a retired auto worker who undergoes a conversion. Originally openly hostile to minorities, the man changes his outlook when he experiences the integrity of a Hmong family who move into his neighborhood. In the movie’s last scene the hero willingly walks into a death trap in order to redeem the life of a young Hmong. And as he is riddled with bullets, he outstretches his arms like Christ on the cross.

In the first reading we see Stephen also dying like Jesus. As Jesus was unjustly executed so is Stephen. As Jesus was taken past the walls of Jerusalem for crucifixion, Stephen is stoned outside the city. Stephen’s last words are paraphrases of Jesus’. First, he petitions Jesus, as Jesus the Father, to “…receive my spirit.” Then, like Jesus, he asks forgiveness for his executioners.

Since death is an inevitability of life, we should prepare ourselves so that we too might die like Jesus. By rehearsing “into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit” before bed every night, we will have these words on our lips with our dying breath. By daily praying for those who have offended us, well, we are not likely to have any enemies when we die. But if one remains, we will easily remember to pray for him or her as we go to God.

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Tuesday of the Third Week of Easter

(Acts 7:51-8:1a; John 3:31-36)

As we grow old, the inevitability of death becomes less of a truism and more a truth. We should begin to ask ourselves, “How do I wish to die?” To this end people have always written wills for the disposition of their belongings. These days many are also making “living wills” where they indicate what medical treatments they wish to have or avoid and who will make health decisions for them if they become incapacitated. We would do better if we plan a Christian death.

Some may think that a Christian death means to have a church burial and that planning it means to choose the Scripture readings and hymns to be used in the funeral mass. But the term “Christian death” or “Christian way of dying” has a deeper, more ancient meaning. Like Stephen in the reading from Acts today, we die a Christian death when we ask forgiveness for our enemies and entrust our souls to the Lord. These practices are truly “Christian,” of course, because they also imitate Jesus’ death in the Gospel according to Luke.

We can prepare for such a death by repeating the same prayers daily – asking forgiveness for those who knowingly or not harm us and putting our lives into the hands of God.

Homilette for Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Tuesday of the Third Week of Easter

(Acts 7:51-8:1a; John 3:31-36)

Cletus Post was a Benedictine priest and pastor in a small North Texan town near the Oklahoma border. He was a kind, gentle man and progressive in the best sense of the word. At about the age of retirement, a cancerous tumor invaded his brain to claim his life. As he was dying, he was asked if he was afraid. No, he said, he had counseled so many people to trust in God that he had to follow his own advice.

Fr. Cletus showed half of what it means to die a Christian death. By exhibiting trust on his deathbed he, like Stephen in the reading from Acts, was asking the Lord to receive his spirit. Of course, Stephen is only imitating Jesus who, in Luke’s gospel, prays from the cross, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” The other half of a truly Christian death is to pray for one’s enemies. As Jesus asks his Father to forgive his crucifiers, Stephen asks Jesus to pardon those hurling stones at him.

Many people talk about the “quality of life” of those in their final days. They usually measure this characteristic in terms of communicating with loved ones, of living without excruciating pain, and of enjoying simple pleasures like ice cream. We might pray to maintain these standards as death closes in on us. But let our prayer include as well that God accept our spirit and that He forgive all who have offended us. These latter intentions, really more than the others, raise our quality of life to the highest level.

Homilette for April 8, 2008

Tuesday of the Third Week of Easter

(Acts 7:51-8:1a)

Cecil Post was a Benedictine priest and pastor in a small North Texan town near the Oklahoma border. He was a kind, gentle man and progressive in the best sense of the word. At about the age of retirement, a cancerous tumor invaded his brain to claim his life. As he was dying, he was asked if he was afraid. No, he said, he had counseled so many people to trust in God that he had to follow his own advice.

Fr. Cecil showed half of what it means to die a Christian death. By exhibiting trust on his deathbed he, like Stephen in the reading from Acts, was asking the Lord to receive his spirit. Of course, Stephen is only imitating Jesus who, in Luke’s gospel, prays from the cross, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” The other half of a truly Christian death is to forgive one’s enemies. As Jesus asks his Father to forgive his crucifiers, Stephen asks Jesus to pardon those hurling stones at him.

Many people talk about the “quality of life” of those in their final months. They measure this characteristic in terms of communicating with loved ones, of living without excruciating pain, and of enjoying simple pleasures like ice cream. We might pray to maintain these standards as death closes in on us. But let our prayer include as well that God accept our spirit and that He forgive all who have offended us. These latter prayers will raise our quality of life to the highest level possible.