We read in the
gospels and we recite in our creed about Jesus being seated at the right hand
of the Father, but in this instance He is standing and not seated. What a
glorious image that the King of kings stands to welcome His first martyr and I
wonder if He has stood every time He has received one who gave it all for the
kingdom. My thoughts were turned to
something Mom related to me this morning.
While visiting my
brothers and sisters-in-law for Christmas, she was able to get to
confession. She prefers (as I do) to
confess to the priest face-to-face. When
she sat down in front of Father, he stated he recognized her, but he didn’t
think she was a member of his parish.
She told him that she was (my brother) Bob’s mother. He told her that he would never forget Bob,
and that Bob was a big help to him when he first arrived as the pastor and
whenever anything was needed, my brother was right there, whether he could walk
that day or not. He would find a way to
serve his church community in any way he could.
Mom said it was great for a parent to hear such good things about a
child of theirs. I know the feeling. She said Bob’s wife, Marilyn, cried when she
heard the story. I must admit I did,
too. It makes me wonder if Jesus stood
to welcome Bob, as well. We can hope.
The story of St.
Stephen and the Gospel of Matthew (Matthew 10:17-22) combine for a powerful and
maybe uncomfortable message. Doing the right thing is hard. Sometimes it can be
dangerous, and, as in the case of Stephen and other martyrs, doing the right
thing and speaking with the Spirit can be fatal. In the Gospel, the message to
the disciples is a grim one, reminiscent of much of what we see and hear
happening around the world today. People do inconceivable things to each other
in distant places and around the corner.
Why do these things happen? Who lets that happen?
We see hateful
things every day. Perhaps we can’t do much about the world’s problems, but we
can do something about our own lives. We have to stand up and do the right
thing every day. When someone is being demeaned by another person, we can ask
God, as Jesus says in the Gospel, to give us what to say, for the grace and
wisdom to speak up and stop the tiny bits of hate, of people treating others as
less than human. We treat people as less than human when we gossip, when we let
an unkind remark go by, when we witness something cruel. While we may not be
the ones doing the deed, our roles as silent bystanders help build up those
little bits of hate.
We often let
ourselves off the hook by thinking these small things don’t matter. I don’t
want to make a scene, we say to ourselves. I worry what others might thing, we
say to ourselves. It’s time to change
that message to ourselves. I will speak up because it’s the right thing to do.
I will ask God for the grace and wisdom. As the psalm says, “Let your face
shine upon your servant; save me in your kindness.” (Psalm 31:3cd-4, 6 and 8ab,
16bc and 17)
Reading over the
account of Stephen’s life, ministry and ensuing martyrdom in Acts Chapters 6
and 7, I find myself humbled. Here is a man, so in love with his Savior, so
full of faith and belief in the promises of the life to come that he gives no
thought to the persecutions of this world. Here is a man who didn’t hesitate to
spread the good news, a man who literally gave his earthly life for the sake of
sharing Jesus’ message, and a man who didn’t need to think twice about if this
exchange was “worth” it. Here is a man who truly reflected what it means to be
an evangelist, to be someone who believes so strongly in Jesus’ message of
salvation and love that he was willing to give his own life in the process of
sharing this great story with all he encountered. Here is a man who truly gave his life for
Jesus’ sake…and in doing so gained eternal life (Matthew 16:25).
Unlike Stephen, I
often find myself placing my own personal comfort level above the call to share
Jesus’ message of salvation. Too often I find myself hiding behind pretenses of
“it’s just not the right moment” or “that would make things awkward” when faced
with moments of opportunity to speak Jesus’ message to friends, acquaintances,
coworkers, etc. Too often I neglect to realize how miniscule these concerns are
when compared to eternal life. Am I really so concerned with how people
perceive me, what they think about me, that I refrain from sharing God’s love
with them? Am I really so focused on myself that I cannot step out of my
comfort zone to proclaim the most important news known to mankind? Sometimes
(well, more like most of the time) I am. I lose sight of what matters, what is
lasting versus what is not. I forget that I am here for a greater purpose than
to feel comfortable, be liked, etc. I am here by the grace of God, called
according to his purpose…a purpose that is undeniably centered on sharing His
offer of love, grace and eternal life.
My prayer today is
that I might embrace this purpose, this higher calling, more wholeheartedly.
That I might live a life more like Stephen’s…a life focused on sharing the
message of salvation and love extended to us by our heavenly Father. A life
that keeps Jesus at the center, a life that isn’t dictated by my perceived
comforts and discomforts. My prayer is that I would be granted the grace and
courage necessary to share Jesus’ message of love, hope and salvation with all
those I am blessed to encounter throughout this life.
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