RENEWED LOVE FOR GOD


SAINT STEPHEN, THE FIRST MARTYR

Acts 6:8-10,7:54-59; Ps 31:3-4,6,8,16-17; Mt 10:17-22

The Friendship Renewed in Love

We celebrate the first Christian martyr, Saint Stephen. The Church celebrates this feast within the Christmas octave for a reason. The celebration confirms the efficacy of the largess of grace and heavenly blessings that became ours at the Incarnation of the Son of God. The mystery we celebrate at Christmas is real and bears real fruit in the lives of the people who believe in the Good News we have heard. Before the salvation of God was unveiled for us, scarcely could anyone be found who knew God; there was nobody in all the world who could bear convincing witness to the love of God for us, not to talk of laying down his life for the word of God. But the Incarnation of the Word of God has caused the knowledge of God to fill our land and earth as the water covers the sea. The Good News, which the multitude of angels were the first to proclaim to the shepherds, has caused the children of Jerusalem to multiply as the sands of the seashore; Zion is now without walls and gates, for her children are found everywhere confessing the goodness and love of Yahweh. The feast of the martyrdom of Saint Stephen lends credit to the Good News of the birth of the Son of God as one of us. It proves, once more, that men are admitted into the heavenly temple of God to worship God in truth and in spirit, as we were created to do.

Saint Stephen demonstrated the presence of the Holy Spirit of God now residing in us, who believe in the Incarnation of the Eternal Word. This is what the scripture testifies. “Stephen was filled with grace and power and began to work miracles and great signs among the people. But then certain people came forward to debate with Stephen, some from Cyrene and Alexandria who were members of the synagogue called the Synagogue of Freedmen, and others from Cilicia and Asia.” This shows that the impact of the Good News is widespread, for all these foreigners were eager to argue about the Good News Stephen was proclaiming and the power he was exhibiting through the signs. They were all confounded because the grace was from the Holy Spirit ministering through him. “They found they could not get the better of him because of his wisdom, and because it was the Spirit that prompted what he said.” They were frustrated, not understanding how a mere man could control such power and wisdom. His penetration of the heavenly realm was more than they could bear. “But Stephen, filled with the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at God’s right hand. ‘I can see heaven thrown open,’ he said, ‘and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.’” This testimony that maddened his interlocutors and persecutors confirms and warms our hearts, for it verifies the Good News we heard of the birth of the Son of God in our human nature.

Saint Stephen’s testimony confirms all that lies between the birth, death, and resurrection of the Lord. We are assured that the broken friendship between God and man is now restored through the love the Father showed us in sending his Only Begotten Son to appear in our nature. We can really believe the word of the Saviour that the Holy Spirit of God dwells in our hearts when we believe in the Incarnation of the Word. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit is made possible by the Incarnation of the Word. If the Spirit has made his home within us, then we are at peace with God the Father. Our Lord warns us that this renewed friendship with God would not be acceptable to the world, which is under the rule of the forces of darkness, who were our former masters. “Beware of men: they will hand you over to Sanhedrin and scourge you in their synagogue. You will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the pagans.” Even the occurrence of this hatred verifies the Good News. The Lord assures us of the operations of the Holy Spirit and help when in trial. This was fulfilled in the case of Stephen. The same applies to all who believe and testify to our renewed friendship with God and the Father’s love for us in Jesus Christ.

Let us pray: Grant, Lord, we pray, that we may imitate what we worship, and so learn to love even our enemies, for we celebrate the heavenly birthday of a man who knew how to pray even for his persecutors. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

BECOMING A DEPENDABLE FRIEND

Image
FRIDAY, SEVENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME Eccl 6:5-17; Ps 119:12,16,18,27,34-35; Mk 10:1-12 Making and being a Good Friend The usefulness of a faithful friend is the subject discussed in the passage of Sirach we are considering. From the qualities that make a good friend, we understand that faithfulness depends on the perfection we attain in the formative school of wisdom. The first lesson we learn in nature is faithfulness. The quality of faithfulness is so closely aligned with nature that we consider nature and faithfulness synonyms. The faithfulness of nature, and subsequently of wisdom, is hinted at when we read that wisdom stands at her post/gate daily to beckon the passers-by to turn in and partake of her table. Everything that God made participates in this faithfulness of wisdom in the sense that each remains faithful to his will without failing or leading our minds astray. First, Sirach admonishes us on friendliness to people in general: “A kindly turn of speech multiplies a ...
Read more

WE CANNOT ENTER INTO HEAVEN WITHOUT FAITH

Image
OUR LADY OF MOUNT CARMEL Reflection from Friar Nicholas Okeke, OP  Isa 7:1-9; Ps 48:2-8; Mt 11:20-24 If you do not stand by Me, you will not stand at all The Lord Jesus Christ takes up the issue of rejecting or ignoring the Gospel message when it comes to us in the gospel reading today. The word of God contains all the blessings of heaven which God had given us in Christ before the beginning of the world. Hence, a rejection or refusal to accept or listen to the Gospel message is a rejection of all the heavenly blessings we have received in Jesus Christ. These divine blessings have import for our lives here on earth. While still dwelling here on earth, those who believe in the word of God already possess the heavenly inheritance God will fully manifest to us when we exit this mortal tent. By faith, we enter into the eternal kingdom and the promised inheritance. The importance of faith for our reception of the heavenly blessings here on earth is illustrated in the first reading...
Read more

The offsprings of the Old man and the New Man

Image
Monday, fifth week of lent/2024 Reflection from Friar Nicholas Okeke, OP Offsprings of Old man and New Man To be able to live the new life within the new Covenant in Jesus Christ, the old life must come to an end. The distinctive difference between the old man and the new man is the focus of desires. The old man and all who live by him have their desires focussed on the satisfaction of self. On the other hand, the new man and those living by him desires only to fulfil God's holy will. Thus, the old man and his offspring obey the law of sin and death. Living for self alone breeds sins, and sin causes death. So, the old man and all living by him are dead and harbingers of death to others. They are adept at manipulating the Law of God to perpetuate their interest and selfish desires. An example of this skill is the treatment the two old judges of Israel in Babylon meted out to Susanna, wife of Joachim, employing the Law of Moses as given in the first reading. “Two elderly men had ...
Read more