#StStephen was the first martyr of the church who died forgiving his murderers, in imitation of his Master ✝️ pic.twitter.com/jrc5IaB8Pb— Deacon Mike Boyd OFS (@DiakonosMike) December 26, 2017
The passage from the Acts of the Apostles indicates that for Stephen before the Sanhedrin, no defense was possible.
The summary (Acts 6:7) on the progress of the Jerusalem community, illustrated by the conversion of the priests, is followed by a lengthy narrative regarding Stephen. Stephen’s defense is not a response to the charges made against him but takes the form of a discourse that reviews the fortunes of God’s word to Israel and leads to a prophetic declaration: a plea for the hearing of that word as announced by Christ and now possessed by the Christian community. The charges that Stephen depreciated the importance of the temple and the Mosaic law and elevated Jesus to a stature above Moses (Acts 6:13–14) were in fact true. Before the Sanhedrin, no defense against them was possible. With Stephen, who thus perceived the fuller implications of the teachings of Jesus, the differences between Judaism and Christianity began to appear. Luke’s account of Stephen’s martyrdom and its aftermath shows how the major impetus behind the Christian movement passed from Jerusalem, where the temple and law prevailed, to Antioch in Syria, where these influences were less pressingThe Gospel from Matthew speaks of the persecutions attendant upon the post-resurrection mission of the followers of Jesus.
[10:17] The persecutions attendant upon the post-resurrection mission now begin to be spoken of. Here Matthew brings into the discourse sayings found in Mk 13 which deals with events preceding the parousia.D.D. Emmons takes a closer look at the ancient Jewish governing body and its role in the passion and death of Christ.
Following the resurrection and ascension of Jesus, the Sanhedrin continued to confront Christ’s followers. According to the Acts of the Apostles, the apostles were threatened, jailed, flogged and some of them, such as St. Stephen, murdered (Acts 6-7) because they were spreading the news about Jesus. The Sanhedrin has faded into infamy, but the message of Jesus Christ will continue forever.Mark Latta links the promise of joy at the birth of Christ with the reality of our challenges in the world and advancing His teachings and God’s will.
Jesus warned his disciples in Matthew that they (and we) should prepare for persecution. Christ predicted troubles, not so they would not be caught unaware, but that the challenges might confirm their faith. He also tells them who will cause their pain. People who persecute others are worse than feral beasts in that they prey on their own kind. As disciples of Christ we must think as much of how to do well, then just how to speak well. In case of great peril in our world, we the followers of Christ may go out of the way of both physical or emotional danger, but we must not go out of the way of our duty to serve the kingdom. It is our duty, not only to believe in Christ, but to profess that faith, in suffering for him, when we are called to it, as well as in serving God’s kingdom.Don Schwager quotes Augustine of Hippo,( 354-430 A.D.) who reminds us that Our Father speaks through us in every age.
"To be sure, we heard in that reading, 'But when they deliver you up, do not be anxious how or what you are to speak... for it is not you who are speaking but the Spirit of your Father who speaks through you.' And he says in another place: 'Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the world' (Matthew 28:20). Does this mean that the people who heard those words of the Lord would be here until the end of the world? The Lord was referring, rather, not only to those about to depart from this life but also to the others, including us and those who would come after us in this life. He saw everyone in his single body, and the words he spoke, 'I am with you even to the end of the world,' were heard by them and by us too. And if we did not hear them then in our knowledge, we heard them in his foreknowledge. Therefore, safe as sheep among the wolves, let us keep the commandments of him who directs us. And let us be 'innocent as doves but cautious as snakes' (Matthew 10:16). Innocent as doves that we may not harm anyone; cautious as snakes that we may be careful of letting anyone harm us." (excerpt from SERMON 64A.2)Friar Jude Winkler provides some background on the unique position of Stephen as a Hellenist and deacon who preached. Jesus predicts we will be handed to governors and kings who will kill us but never destroy us, Friar Jude reminds.
Faith McDonnell provides a critical assessment of the position of on the reasons why Brian D McLaren claims Christians are silent about persecution.
Nothing new here. McLaren echoes the Religious Left’s longstanding discomfiture on the issue of the persecuted Church and its tendency to criticize persecuted Christians’ defenders. Former General Secretary of the National Council of Churches, Joan Brown Campbell, famously opposed the particular advocacy for Christians as coming from the “overly muscular Christianity” of both the persecuted and their advocates. These believers, who are willing to die for their faith rather than compromise with the world systems or convert to other religions, are alien to the “new kind of Christianity” espoused by McLaren.Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, is not surprised that millions are moving away from traditional religions. The initial response we take to those who challenge our beliefs is too often confrontational.
In that light, it’s no surprise that people by the millions are moving away from traditional religions entirely, often into secularism, often into experimental forms of spirituality that are not yet supported by religious traditions. But at this pivotal moment, something else is happening. Within each tradition, unsettling but needed voices are arising—prophetic voices, we might call them, voices of change, hope, imagination, and new beginnings. They say there’s an alternative to static or rigid religion on the one hand and religion-free secularism on the other. They claim that the Spirit is calling us, not to dig in our heels, but rather to pack up our tents and get moving again.
The truths of our ongoing conversion will be unsettling for many. The Spirit that filled the first martyr, Stephen, is of strength and conviction even as it extends forgiveness and love to our persecutors.
References
(n.d.). Acts, chapter 6 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved December 26, 2017, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/acts6:54
(n.d.). Matthew, chapter 10 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved December 26, 2017, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/mt/10:17
(2015, July 15). What was the Sanhedrin? - Our Sunday Visitor. Retrieved December 26, 2017, from https://www.osv.com/OSVNewsweekly/Story/TabId/2672/ArtMID/13567/ArticleID/17859/What-was-the-Sanhedrin.aspx
(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections .... Retrieved December 26, 2017, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved December 26, 2017, from http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/
(2013, October 10). Brian McLaren's Five Errors about Christian Persecution, Part One .... Retrieved December 26, 2017, from https://juicyecumenism.com/2013/10/10/an-old-kind-of-christianity-5-things-brian-mclaren-got-wrong-about-the-persecuted-church/
(n.d.). Daily Meditations Archives - Center for .... Retrieved December 26, 2017, from https://cac.org/category/daily-meditations/
No comments:
Post a Comment