Inspiration and commitment

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary for the Feast of Saint Stephen, first martyr, move us sharply from a Christmas environment in which joy and peace visible in the wider community is subjected to the critical thinking that points to the history of rejection of the message of the Incarnation.

Under construction

In the text from the Acts of the Apostles the accusation of the religious authorities against Stephen leads to martyrdom.

* [6:8–8:1] 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 pressing.1

The Gospel from Matthew contains Jesus reassurance that the Holy Spirit is with us in the coming persecutions.

* [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.2

Eileen Burke-Sullivan observes because we are created in the image of God, however, we have wills that allow us the freedom to choose away from God’s desires and she inquires about what does this have to do with the baby in the manger or the adult Stephen being stoned to death for preaching this truth about Jesus, that baby in the manger?

when we really do what God wants we encounter the light and joy of God – we see God in the world around us.   When we live according to God’s desires we are genuinely happy, and able to serve the needs of those who suffer and are lost.  BUT those who want to be god on their own terms hate us and seek to destroy us – with stones of one kind or another3

Don Schwager quotes, “Your Father speaks through you in every age, by Augustine of Hippo,” 354-430 A.D.

"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)4

The Word Among Us Meditation on Acts 6:8-10; 7:54-59 comments that we hail Israel’s newborn king, and then we see many of Israel’s religious leaders turn on this king’s ambassador and kill him. It could lead us to wonder: did Jesus’ birth make any difference at all? Friar Jude Winkler comments on the mob justice that condemned Stephen to death as a “red martyr”. Today many know “white martyrdom “ that is difficulty in a society that does not accept our witness. Friar Jude cites the example of Paul's conversion and connects the suffering of martyrs to persecution of Jesus.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, comments that in the practical order, we find our Original Goodness, the image of God that we are, when we can discover and own the faith, hope, and love deeply planted within us:

A trust in inner coherence itself. “It all means something!” (Faith)
A trust that this coherence is positive and going somewhere good. (Hope)
A trust that this coherence includes me and even defines me. (Love)

Being created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27) gives everyone an equal and inherent dignity. However, in every age and culture, we have seen regressions toward racism, sexism, homophobia, militarism, ableism, and classism. This pattern tells me that unless we see dignity as being given universally, objectively, and from the beginning by God, we humans will constantly think it is up to us to decide. But this tragic history demonstrates that one group cannot be trusted to portion out worthiness and dignity to another. Our criteria tend to be self-referential and thus highly prejudiced, and the powerless and the disadvantaged always lose out. Even the United States’ aspirational Declaration of Independence—which states that “all men [originally meaning white, property-owning males] are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights”—has not empowered marginalized groups to apportion those rights equally.

The peace to all invitation of the Incarnation is seen as threat by some in our society. Our confidence rooted in faith, hope and love and guided by the Spirit will be the strength that mirrors the response of Stephen to his persecutors.

References

1	(n.d.). Acts chapter 6 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved December 26, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/acts/6
2	(n.d.). Matthew, chapter 10 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved December 26, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/matthew/10
3	(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections .... Retrieved December 26, 2018, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
4	(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved December 26, 2018, from https://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/
5	(n.d.). Saint Stephen, The First Martyr (Feast) - Mass Readings and Catholic .... Retrieved December 26, 2018, from https://wau.org/meditations/