Today's 1st reading tells us of the murder of Stephen, a
holy and righteous man. Stephen did not have the slightest trace of anger and
is full of forgiveness for those who stoned him. We should long to have this
kind of disposition in life that even at the point of death he still begged for
mercy and forgiveness not on his own behalf but for the very people who caused
his death. It is an act of forgiving people even if they don't ask for it. The
memory of Stephen's great love, faith and devotion to God has become a legacy
to us, Christians. May our lives become an inspiration too for others to draw
strength and courage the way Stephen did for Christians and non believers like
Paul. Most especially for Saul who was later on called Paul since he was not a
believer of Jesus yet during that time, in fact he was one of the feared
persecutors of Christians. St. Paul
or Saul as he was called originally was a part of it. It must have been a
sight, just imagine he was being stoned to death and yet he visualizes and
shouts of the glory of God. We have a lot to learn from the example of the life
of Stephen especially during times when we encounter trials and hardships that
may not even get close to losing our lives and dying a very cruel death like
what happened to Stephen. We can learn a lot from our Church and Salvation
History. In fact 1/2 of the people who became Catholic converts have delved
into the study of History. It is His story, her story and our story. It has
patterns, though it surprises really well. We have to discover the past, learn
from what happened and be open to it. We need to know the faith and not be
susceptible to lie. We are witnesses of what evil can do to people but behind
all of those things, God is behind it. The gates of hell did not prevail, the
Church remains protected. We have to know what can be learned from this to
prevent similar things from happening again. Paul was a persecutor of
Christians but he became a saint. His life progressed with his testimonies
because he admitted to the killing of Christians and repented. He bore witness
to Jesus Christ and revealed how great a Savior we have in Him. Have you ever
seen anybody so peaceful and undisturbed even in the face of adversity? We still
need to learn a lot from Stephen from today's 1st reading. He has shown us a
perfect example of total trust in God.
He did not just speak the works of God, he also worked with great wonders and
signs. His entire being shows forth the glory of God that no one can deny. This
reminds me of Fr. Arnel Celis whom I showed him my petal with the face of a
cherubim, he said that I look like it. Whether it's true or not, is no longer
important. What matters most is that we should all strive to be like Stephen
who reflects the glory of God in his face. This makes me think that we should
not only be conscious of our physical appearance which most of us are too
concerned about. Although it is also right that we care for our temporal needs
while we are still residents of this temporary world, all the more should we be
conscious of looking after our spiritual needs to nourish and sustain our souls
which is lasting and will enter into eternity. We wouldn't want to look
deformed or ugly permanently when we come face to face with God our
Creator. Physical beauty is fleeting and
can only last for a lifetime or while still young whereas the beauty of our
souls can withstand endless lifetimes and last for eternity. It should be our
goal that someday people who look at us will be drawn to us because we have
become living models of Christ before our fellowmen, beautiful inside and out.
I pray that just like Stephen we will be filled with God's grace and power,
show forth great wonders and signs and resemble the face of an angel. If we go
through a lot of trouble just to look beautiful and handsome in the eyes of men
how much more in the eyes of God. Amen. Hallelujah!
Acts 7:51-8:1a
Stephen, filled with grace and power, was working great
wonders and signs among the people...filled with the holy Spirit, looked up
intently to heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right
hand of God, 56 and he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of
Man standing at the right hand of God.” 57 But they cried out in a loud voice,
covered their ears, and rushed upon him together. 58 They threw him out of the
city, and began to stone him. The witnesses laid down their cloaks at the feet
of a young man named Saul. 59 As they were stoning Stephen, he called out,
“Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 Then he fell to his knees and cried out in
a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them”; and when he said this,
he fell asleep. 8: 1 Now Saul was consenting to his execution.
God the Almighty has the power and final verdict over all
things. Let us just trust God to allow things to happen in our lives whatever
He deems best for us. Though the cross in Mt. Calvary Philippines as Pabasa give a sense
of unexplainable joy. It made me realize that we are all so blessed to have a
rich tradition to express our faith, hope and love in God. Although none of
these things can ever be enough for a God who gave up His only Begotten Son to
die on the cross. It helps develop a deeper faith just by being able to take
part in such activities and see people still hold on to these practices to
enrich their faith despite the cultural differences and the hectic schedules
that so often get in the way. All of these devotions are done in the desire to
honor God for what He suffered for our sake. The confidence of the martyrs in
God did not waver up to the end. They stood firm in their faith and remained
steadfast. I have read that the most critical point in our life is during the
time of death because it is when a battle between good and evil is being waged
over our soul. We might have heard of different stories of people about to die
who were reported to have seen all sorts of vision. As we read the psalm for
today may we find ourselves truly internalizing and believing the words thus
visualizing the glory of God the way the saints and martyrs demonstrated for us
during the critical hour of their lives. We are a work in progress and we need
to acknowledge our sins, mend our ways and surrender our life to the Lord. The
world believes that it is foolish to believe what we can not see but we have to
believe in what we do not see and face them all with faith, this is according
to St. Thomas Aquinas. The testimony of those who believe help to build up our
faith and the more witnesses we have the more solid it becomes. We look to the
Gospel and see that there are so many witnesses and testimonies with very
little variation. They speak of the truth of the life of Jesus. We have to
accept everything that the Gospel tells us. With this great love that He
offered to all of us, there is no doubt that God will make all things beautiful
in our lives in His time. Our persistent cries and tears to God are always
heard. God has given us very clear instructions from the very start. If only we
will stick to it then we can be assured of a life lived to the full. We’ve got
to have faith that of Abraham who believed even though his wife is with age
that the one who made the promise is trustworthy. What God says is true and He
does not lie. Padre Pio said that the most beautiful act of faith is one made
with sacrifice and effort even in the presence of darkness. We have to believe
that God has the best things in mind for us. If He allows some things that are
not pleasant in life this is only to bring about the best. Although faith is
not the best of the virtues, it is the rarest. Real faith inspires all actions
and reveals God in everything. How rare is real faith next to danger. We
sometimes feel that we do not see so much evidence of the reality of God. God
does not give us so much light so that we are not forced to accept Him nor does
He give too little that we can not find Him. He gives us just enough light so
as to put to practice our faith. Nothing can ever frighten or scare us not even
death if God is our stronghold. We can rely on so many things in this world
like wealth, fame, power and success but only in the Lord can we find true
security and satisfaction. There is no denying to the truth that we have a God
who is always there for us whether in good or bad times. We can be assured that
we can take comfort and hope in the Lord. Our enemies may be lurking from every
side but we don't have to worry or be afraid. God is our refuge and strength.
He can rescue us from the clutches of our persecutors and set us free. We
should never have any doubt that God is able to do all things for our good for
there is nothing more that He could do that He has not done. We should always
be praising and thanking God in all circumstances knowing that God will always
be there for us. He knows and sees all things much more than our limited points
of view and angles of reference. God can view things in a multidimensional
level while we can only see a single or at most double dimension. If we are
looking at a not so pleasant view trust that God can see a better view than what
is before us. If we have experienced an almost dangerously impossible situation
wherein escape and deliverance seemed to be farfetched then we are in a worst
case scenario. Believe it or not, this kind of situation could drive anyone to
panic. Even the most steadfast in the faith community could succumb to anxiety
and fear with regards to such situation. In fact, it could even come to a point
where the most steadfast may go to a certain extent of negotiating for the sake
of the lesser evil. It is this type of experience that could turn out to be
unforgettable and could forever be etched in our mind not only because of the
trouble and difficulty we went through but most of all the love and concern we
experienced and witnessed from people in the community. Although it could
indeed be a frightening experience when we could have just chosen to give up
and succumb to the obviously convenient option for the sake of getting it over
and done with but didn't for the sake of the truth of God. If we do then we would
find that it is all worth it even though we have to learn some lessons in life
the hard way. It is evident that the harder the situation we are in, all the
more could we feel God's ever reliable and strong hands secured all around us.
We can not deny it and should always believe that God's truth and saving power
prevails at all times. We look to God always in the midst of all the turmoil.
No matter how long and hard we try to search for happiness outside God we can
only find it in Him as St. Augustine
says, “My soul is restless until it rests in Thee." Only with Him do we
find rest, fulfillment and satisfaction. Let us trust God in His divine
providence and goodness that He will never abandon nor forsake us. He will
rescue us at all times for He can turn back or fast forward the hands of time
for everything is right on time with God. He is the God of the eternal now. With
this great love that He offered to all of us, there is no doubt that God will
make all things beautiful in our lives in His time. Amen. Hallelujah!
Psalm 31:3cd-4, 6, 7b, 8a, 17, 21ab
R: Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.
2 [3] Be my rock of refuge, a stronghold to give me safety.
3 [4] You are my rock and my fortress; for your name’s sake you will lead and
guide me. (R) 5 [6] Into your hands I commend my spirit; you will redeem me, O
LORD, O faithful God. 6 [7] My trust is in the LORD; 7 [8] I will rejoice and
be glad of your mercy. (R) 16 [17] Let your face shine upon your servant; save
me in your kindness. 20 [21] You hide them in the shelter of your presence from
the plottings of men.
What Jesus said in today's gospel is very true. If we always
draw near Him, seek Him and come to Him then He in turn draws near to us, makes
Himself available to us and stays with us. If this is so then there is nothing
more we need for we will never thirst nor hunger for anything else. It is just
like we are sitting at the right hand of God and someday we will. Only Jesus
can satisfy our souls. He is fortified with all the essential things we ever
need in our lives for everything that we long for can only be fulfilled by Him.
He who has God wants nothing. Every human heart longs and desires for something
that can satisfy us. A sick person follows what the doctor says in order to
prolong his or her life. Fr. Leo Clifford in his reflections in EWTN narrated
the story of "My Fair Lady" or the famous play "Pygmalion".
Pygmalion is the legendary Greek story of a sculptor who fell in love with his
sculpture which was turned into a play and inspired George Bernard Shaw to
write a similar story. It was about a young lady named Eliza who was taken out
of the rut and placed in a pedestal. We should realize that like Eliza we have
also been taken out of the rut and made partakers of the Divine Nature of God in
Baptism. God created us and fell deeply in love with us. If there's one truth
that should never leave our minds then this is it. We are placed in a pedestal
and sharing God's own life through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. The
nature of Jesus’ death on Calvary is a
sacrifice. All Christians recognize this sacrifice as a mystery. That Jesus
offered His life on the cross as a supreme sacrifice but most Christians don’t
realize how difficult it would have been for 1st century Jewish
Christians to come to that conclusion. Why? If we were there on Calvary on Good Friday even the most devout Jewish
disciples would have been unable to describe that experience as a sacrifice
because for them there’s really nothing more to it than a Roman execution. It
took place outside of the walls of Jerusalem ,
far from the place where there were no burnt offerings, odors and no priests
and thus there is no sacrifice. And yet in one generation all Christians came
to conclude that indeed what Jesus suffered on the cross was the supreme
sacrifice. How did they reach such a conclusion? Only by looking at Good Friday
in a light of what Jesus did on Maundy Thursday. When He instituted the
Eucharist He didn’t simply celebrate the feast of the Passover He established
the Passover of the New Covenant and it was more than just words. He took bread
and said, this is my body which is given up for you and then he took the
chalice and spoke about how His blood of the new and everlasting covenant will
be poured out for the remission of sins as we do this in remembrance of Him.
Was this just a rhetoric and ritual or is there a reality and truth to what
Jesus said and did? The proof that Jesus really gave us His body and allowed
his blood to be poured out for the remission of sins is precisely given to us
there on the cross. But the nature of Jesus’ death on the cross is illuminated
as a sacrifice only by retracing and looking at it in the light of the Passover
of the new covenant. The Eucharist and Calvary
are inseparable. There are 2 sides to
the same sacrifice. Jesus shows us that in His death He did not lose His life
for in the Eucharist He already made His life a gift of love. This love is what
conquers death and the conquest of death is what occurs on Good Friday. As
Catholics we have a lot to teach other Christians who do not understand the
mystery of the Mass.
For indeed it’s the Eucharist that illuminates the mystery of Jesus’ death as a
sacrifice just as Jesus’ death shows us that the Eucharist is more than just
mere ritual but is the mystery of Jesus high priestly act of self giving
love. Amen. Hallelujah!
John 6:30-35
...So Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, it was
not Moses who gave the bread from heaven; my Father gives you the true bread
from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and
gives life to the world.” 34 So they said to him, “Sir, give us this bread
always.” 35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me
will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.”
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