Feast of St. Stephen, Protomartyr

HOMING INSTINCT

“Behold, I see the heavens opened up and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God…. Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!” – Acts 6:56, 59

My wife, Dinah, loves to doze off in the passenger seat while I’m driving. All throughout the trip, she’ll sleep. But without fail, whenever we arrive home, she miraculously wakes up. I call it her homing instinct. Somehow, her body knows when she’s home.

       The words above are the last words of the martyr saint Stephen right before he was stoned to death. All his life, his eyes were fixed on the prize of heaven. He was determined to stand up for his faith even at the cost of death, perhaps because he knew he didn’t belong to this earth in the first place. He was a temporary visitor, as all of us are, too. Because of that, he confidently knew he would go to heaven — his home, where he truly belonged.

       The Philosophy term a priori refers to a prior knowledge embedded in the deepest recesses of our being that we belong to God. That’s why when we sin, it doesn’t feel right. It may bring momentary pleasure, but in the end, we somehow know that something is wrong. It’s our homing instinct. And although we often go astray in this life, I believe our inner compass will always lead us back to Him because He is our true home. George Tolentino Gabriel (george.svp@gmail.com)

Reflection: Are you at peace right now? Check your homing instinct.

Lord, when I stray away from You, may You always lead me back home to Your heart where I truly belong.

We do not need to focus upon the gory nature of the death of Stephen, nor do we really need to understand why he was stoned to death. It is more important that we ask ourselves why he, Stephen, was willing to die a seemingly senseless death. It is his faith in Christ that ought to be our focus. It is here that we will find inspiration for our own journeys of faith — the courage and strength to go deeper and persevere through all the challenges.

8 Stephen, filled with grace and power, was working great wonders and signs among the people. 9 Certain members of the so-called Synagogue of Freedmen, Cyrenians, and Alexandrians, and people from Cilicia and Asia, came forward and debated with Stephen, 10 but they could not withstand the wisdom and the spirit with which he spoke. 7: 54 When they heard this,  they were infuriated, and they ground their teeth at him. 55 But he, 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.”

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. 7 [8] I will rejoice and be glad of your mercy. (R) 15 [16] Rescue me from the clutches of my enemies and my persecutors. 16 [17] Let your face shine upon your servant; save me in your kindness. (R)

We are all called to follow Christ as His disciples and to share the Gospel with others. As we reflect upon the life of Stephen, a life cut short through hatred and misunderstanding, we recognize ourselves. If we are truthful, we have been on both sides of the fence. We have been persecuted; we have also been the persecutor. It is not for us to judge those who stoned Stephen (St. Paul was complicit in his death, or so we are told), but it is for us to ensure that we gain inspiration from his faith and willingness to die for it.

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord: the Lord is God and has given us light.

17 Jesus said to his disciples: “Beware of men, for they will hand you over to courts and scourge you in their synagogues, 18 and you will be led before governors and kings for my sake as a witness before them and the pagans. 19 When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say. You will be given at that moment what you are to say. 20 For it will not be you who speak but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. 21 Brother will hand over brother to death, and the father his child; children will rise up against parents and have them put to death. 22 You will be hated by all because of my name, but whoever endures to the end will be saved.”

think:  We are all called to follow Christ as His disciples and to share the Gospel with others.

INTO YOUR HANDS

Does it seem strange to you that on the day after Jesus’ birth we celebrate the death of Stephen? We are brought into the stark reality that life is so short. Our thoughts have been focused on the joy of birth, the love of God in Jesus’ birth, and Christmas carols being sung at our doorsteps. Yet in the midst of such joy and celebration lies death and violence. I am reminded of Job who proclaimed that if we take happiness, we must take sorrow as well. Oftentimes, the season of Christmas can be the saddest time of the year for many as they remember the loss of loved ones through tragic events.

       Stephen, whom the Church celebrates today, was the first deacon consecrated by God. You will remember that when the Apostles were feeling overburdened by the various responsibilities of mission and administration, they ordained men of wisdom and God filled them with the Holy Spirit. Stephen was included among them. Great persecution followed the establishment of the early Church communities. Stephen was caught up in the time of great upheaval for the Church. He dies in a similar way to Jesus on the Cross — surrendering Himself into the Father’s hands.

       At this time of Christmas, all of us are called to surrender — to give our lives over to Jesus. We are not meant to live for ourselves, but for the Lord alone. Stephen, being filled with the Holy Spirit and God grace, gives us an example. Let us be open to the Spirit at work in us. The love of God, the Holy Spirit, wants to be expressed in our lives. The birth of Jesus, and the death of Stephen, should inspire us — that in life or death, we belong to the Lord. The prayer of Stephen is the same prayed by priests and religious at the Night Prayer of the Church. Before we go to sleep, after our daily work, we offer all things to God. Let the Spirit that inspired Stephen to surrender himself to the Lord be the same inspiration for us. Fr. Brian Steele, MGL

REFLECTION QUESTIONS: What areas of our life are in need of the Lord’s love and wisdom? Let us hold nothing back.

Into Your hands, O Lord, I entrust my spirit. Amen.