Our
gospel passage today makes a very important distinction: we
must be clear about why we “go to the Lord” – why we are attracted to Jesus;
just exactly what it is that we expect from him? A great number underestimate Jesus: they think him just as a nice
guy, a good teacher, a worker of wonders – a good person to know in times of
trouble: but they fail to see him as the
one sent from God, who is both God
and man at the same time, who is goodness
itself, who teaches what he himself
has created, and who has ultimate power
over nature and can do whatever he wants. And so the one great requirement
is that people come to believe in Jesus
as the one sent from God – and he is
to be respected, and honored and loved as such!
Proof
of the possession of belief is found in a strong desire to tell about this
God-Man, this Lord, Savior, King to everyone. Stephen believed –
much to the dismay of those in whose jurisdiction he was telling the Jesus
story – and they could only counter him by lies and false testimony because
they knew he was telling the truth about Jesus – and so they did lie, they
twisted what he was saying to incite the Sanhedrin to charge and condemn him to
death; this they will do: but through it all: the face of Stephen will remain like that of an angel: when one is
beholding the face of God – while under fire – nothing can interiorly harm any
of us!
May we fearlessly be your
apostles and “tellers of your story” today, Lord – to all we meet – someway,
somehow!
Blessed
are they who follow the law of the Lord, alleluia!
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