Today's 1st reading tells us of the murder of Stephen, a holy and
righteous man. What a way to die! 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 may not be pleasing to our sight based
on our standard let us not be discouraged right away. Let us follow the example
of Jesus who was obedient to death and was resurrected on the 3rd day. No
matter what comes our way we should draw strength and inspiration when Jesus
during the not just tiring but unbearable journey to Calvary fell 3x but was
still able to carry on to fulfill His goal. It is always a consolation that as
we strive to carry out our tasks in life and encounter trials and difficulties
that almost make us want to quit we can always look at the Way of the Cross
that Jesus left for all of us. 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. It is only right and fitting that we give to God all glory,
honor and praise to the best of our abilities. We should all be thankful for
the rich and glorious tradition of the Catholic Church as an expression of our
faith. This is born out of the tremendous, unbelievable and unsurpassed
demonstration of God's love for man. When we commemorated Maundy Thursday, the
church was filled to capacity for many attended the Holy Mass of the Lord's
Supper. It was followed by the exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. It has been
a long standing tradition that the people of God observe the holy and noble
practice of Visita Iglesia. Visiting churches, adoration of the Blessed
Sacrament and chanting of the Passion of Jesus Christ or more popularly known
in the 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 life. 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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