Reading 1
Acts 6:8-15
Stephen, filled with grace and power,
was working great wonders and signs among the people.
Certain members of the so-called Synagogue of Freedmen,
Cyreneans, and Alexandrians,
and people from Cilicia and Asia,
came forward and debated with Stephen,
but they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he spoke.
Then they instigated some men to say,
“We have heard him speaking blasphemous words
against Moses and God.”
They stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes,
accosted him, seized him,
and brought him before the Sanhedrin.
They presented false witnesses who testified,
“This man never stops saying things against this holy place and the law.
For we have heard him claim
that this Jesus the Nazorean will destroy this place
and change the customs that Moses handed down to us.”
All those who sat in the Sanhedrin looked intently at him
and saw that his face was like the face of an angel.
Gospel
Jn 6:22-29
[After Jesus had fed the five thousand men, his disciples saw him walking on the sea.]
The next day, the crowd that remained across the sea
saw that there had been only one boat there,
and that Jesus had not gone along with his disciples in the boat,
but only his disciples had left.
Other boats came from Tiberias
near the place where they had eaten the bread
when the Lord gave thanks.
When the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there,
they themselves got into boats
and came to Capernaum looking for Jesus.
And when they found him across the sea they said to him,
“Rabbi, when did you get here?”
Jesus answered them and said,
“Amen, amen, I say to you, you are looking for me
not because you saw signs
but because you ate the loaves and were filled.
Do not work for food that perishes
but for the food that endures for eternal life,
which the Son of Man will give you.
For on him the Father, God, has set his seal.”
So they said to him,
“What can we do to accomplish the works of God?”
Jesus answered and said to them,
“This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent.”
Meditation: Acts 6:8-15
Stephen, filled with grace and power, was working great wonders and signs among the people. (Acts 6:8)
Stephen was originally chosen to “serve at table,” to oversee the distribution of material goods, because the task was consuming too much of the apostles’ time. The apostles were supposed to be praying, preaching, and teaching, but they also knew that practical ministries like food distribution were just as important. So they took extra care to choose deacons of exemplary holiness as well as the ability to serve.
But what do we see Stephen doing? He worked miracles, he countered opponents’ objections, and he was the very first to suffer martyrdom. He probably did help with the distribution of food, too, but that didn’t seem to warrant much of Luke’s attention as he was writing Acts.
Sometimes we wish we could perform more visible, “important” ministries in the church instead of the humble, hidden tasks that may come our way. However, far more important than what we do is how we do it. Anything—from preaching to selling bazaar tickets—can be done in our own strength or in the grace of the Lord. What counts with God is the attitude with which we do whatever task lies before us. As Mother Teresa put it, greatness consists in “doing small things with great love.”
So many saints have followed in Stephen’s footsteps. Blessed André Bessette wasn’t smart enough to become a priest. He served as a doorkeeper—and gave all the credit to St. Joseph when people began to experience miraculous healings when he prayed for them. St. John Vianney was sent to an obscure town where faith seemed to be dormant. He spent most of his ministry hidden in the confessional—and people flocked from all over France to find their faith resurrected in his presence.
Let’s ask these saints—as well as Stephen—to help us say yes to whatever we’re asked to do, and to do it in the power of the Holy Spirit. As we look intently at Jesus, may our faces shine as well, drawing those around us closer to Jesus.
“Jesus, I am willing to go wherever you send me and do whatever pleases you. Only let me do everything with love, your love in me.”
No comments:
Post a Comment