Bible Study: Acts 6, 8 to 10 and 7, 54 to 59. Matthew 10, 17 to 22.
The beauty of the Christmas holiday is that it affords us the
opportunity to gather around those we love especially our family members and
close relatives. This is why there is usually a lot of travelling this period. Since
work and study may have kept family members apart, Christmas affords the
opportunity to take a break from the pursuit of money to reawaken our love for
and with the persons who matter most to us.
Even with the giving and receiving of Christmas gifts, we get to feel love
and know those who truly care about us. Gifts may have come in different shapes
and sizes but no matter the actual content, every gift says: “I love you, you
are important to me and I have been thinking of you.”
During the Christmas season, we also have a beautiful tradition of
sending text messages, beautiful messages that convey not just our
understanding of the meaning of Christmas but the fact that we wish the best
for the people that matter most to us. Personally, I received so many text
messages yesterday even from contacts I had almost forgotten I still had in my
phone thereby recalling certain wonderful memories. This is what makes
Christmas really sweet and enjoyable.
Then all of a sudden, just a day after Christmas, when we are yet to
wake from the euphoria of getting and receiving love, the Church says today is
feast of St. Stephen, the first martyr. What connection does Stephen have with
Christmas? Wasn’t he killed after Easter? So why are we celebrating his feast a
day after Jesus’ birthday? The answer to these questions lies in the opening
prayer of today’s mass which says:
“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…” This prayer gives us another
dimension to the whole message of Christmas. And it reminds us of the fact that
if we love only those who love us, then we are not doing anything special. Rather,
as Jesus himself said in Matthew 5, 44 to 48:
“Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may
be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and
on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. For if you
love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax
collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what
more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Be
perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
Christmas happened because God is perfect. In his perfection, he gave us
(that is, we, who were sinners by every standard, and his enemies, in fact) the
perfect gift of all. The gift of his Son and he gave us this gift not just for
the fun of it, but that this gift should die for us. As St. Paul acknowledges
in Romans 5, 8: “But God proves his love for us in that while we still were
sinners Christ died for us.” This is why today happens to be the best time for
us to reflect about St. Stephen the martyr. In his life, we see an imitation of
God’s love for humanity that made Christmas possible. By praying for his
persecutors instead of cursing them in revenge, Stephen personifies what our
love for one another should be like, following the example of God’s love for us,
in the act of sending Jesus to be born in our midst.
So in the spirit of sharing and receiving love, let us direct our
attention today to persons who do not deserve even the thinnest bit of our love
and goodwill. Let us also show them that we care about them, that we care about
their salvation. If we have given gifts and sent beautiful love messages to
those we appreciate yesterday, let us now look for gifts and compose even greater
messages for those we regard as our enemies.
It is not possible for everybody to like you no matter how good you are
but keep being good. There will surely be persons who will hate you even for
the good that you are doing but as Jesus said in our Gospel passage this
morning: “DO NOT WORRY about how you are to speak or what you are to say; for
what you are to say will be given to you at that time; for it is not you who
speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Brother will betray
brother to death, and a father his child, and children will rise against
parents and have them put to death; and you will be hated by all because of my
name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.” Matthew 10, 19 to 22.
This is exactly what played out in the life of Stephen. He knew people
were jealous of him but he did not allow his spirit to be dampened, he did not
try to hide his spiritual talent or become timid. We are told that he was “full
of grace and power and did great wonders and signs among the people.” Whatever
be your gift, use it to the full. Surely there will be people who will try to
pull you down but do not worry. Do not even pray for the death of such persons,
instead love them as Stephen did who prayed for his enemies as he breathed his
last.
Let us Pray:
Lord Jesus, teach me to love as you yourself loved me by leaving you
glory be born as man despite the enmity caused by my sinfulness. Amen.
God bless you. Good Morning. Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is
well with you. Happy Christmas
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