20250601 PROCLAIMING THE GOSPEL OF HOPE WITH GENTLENESS
01 June 2025, Sunday, 7th Week of Easter (World Communications Sunday)
First reading | Acts 7:55-60 |
The stoning of Stephen
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.’ At this all the members of the council shouted out and stopped their ears with their hands; then they all rushed at him, sent him out of the city and stoned him. The witnesses put down their clothes at the feet of a young man called Saul. As they were stoning him, Stephen said in invocation, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.’ Then he knelt down and said aloud, ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them’; and with these words he fell asleep.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 96(97):1-2b,6-7,9 |
The Lord is king, most high above all the earth.
or
Alleluia!
The Lord is king, let earth rejoice,
the many coastlands be glad.
His throne is justice and right.
The Lord is king, most high above all the earth.
or
Alleluia!
The skies proclaim his justice;
all peoples see his glory.
All you spirits, worship him.
The Lord is king, most high above all the earth.
or
Alleluia!
For you indeed are the Lord
most high above all the earth,
exalted far above all spirits.
The Lord is king, most high above all the earth.
or
Alleluia!
Second reading |
Apocalypse 22:12-14,16-17,20 |
Come, Lord Jesus
I, John, heard a voice speaking to me: ‘Very soon now, I shall be with you again, bringing the reward to be given to every man according to what he deserves. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. Happy are those who will have washed their robes clean, so that they will have the right to feed on the tree of life and can come through the gates into the city.
‘I, Jesus, have sent my angel to make these revelations to you for the sake of the churches. I am of David’s line, the root of David and the bright star of the morning.’
The Spirit and the Bride say, ‘Come.’ Let everyone who listens answer, ‘Come.’ Then let all who are thirsty come: all who want it may have the water of life, and have it free.
The one who guarantees these revelations repeats his promise: I shall indeed be with you soon. Amen; come, Lord Jesus.
Gospel Acclamation | cf.Jn14:18 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
I will not leave you orphans, says the Lord;
I will come back to you,
and your hearts will be full of joy.
Alleluia!
Gospel | John 17:20-26 |
Father, may they be completely one
Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and said:
‘Holy Father,
I pray not only for these,
but for those also
who through their words will believe in me.
May they all be one.
Father, may they be one in us,
as you are in me and I am in you,
so that the world may believe it was you who sent me.
I have given them the glory you gave to me,
that they may be one as we are one.
With me in them and you in me,
may they be so completely one
that the world will realise that it was you who sent me
and that I have loved them as much as you loved me.
Father, I want those you have given me
to be with me where I am,
so that they may always see the glory you have given me
because you loved me before the foundation of the world.
Father, Righteous One,
the world has not known you,
but I have known you,
and these have known that you have sent me.
I have made your name known to them
and will continue to make it known,
so that the love with which you loved me may be in them,
and so that I may be in them.’
PROCLAIMING THE GOSPEL OF HOPE WITH GENTLENESS
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Acts 7:55-60; Ps 97:1-2,6-7,9; Rev 22:12-14.16-17.20; Jn 17:20-26]
Next Sunday is the Feast of Pentecost, which is the birthday of the Church. On this day, the Church sends us out, like the apostles, to renew the face of the earth. As baptized Christians, we are all sent out on a mission to announce the Gospel to all of creation. We hear bad news of wars, economic and trade tensions and a growing narrow nationalism that is weakening international institutions such as World Trade Organization and many United Nations Bodies. Leaders have warned us to be prepared for challenging times ahead because of economic uncertainties due to superpower rivalries. This is further complicated by disinformation and polarization, causing people to lose hope and confidence in the progress of the world order.
As Christians, we are to make Christ our Hope known to all, just as Christ’s mission was to make known His Father to us. This was the final prayer of our Lord in today’s gospel. Jesus comes to give us a certain hope by revealing the love and mercy of His Father. He Himself experienced the Father’s unconditional love, and He wants us to share that love – the same love which the Father has for Him. We, too, are called to share the Father’s love for us in Christ with the world, so that the world may come to know the love of God through Christ. It is in this same spirit that we want to celebrate World Communications Sunday. The theme of this celebration, proposed by the late Pope Francis, is the call to be communicators of hope. How can we be communicators of hope to the world?
To be communicators of hope presupposes that we have deep faith in Christ, as St Stephen did. He was ever ready to bear witness to Christ. He was not afraid to speak the truth about Christ and the people’s failure to respond. He shared with them the vision that he saw – the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God. This title “Son of Man” sums up the incarnation, saving death, Resurrection and Ascension of our Lord. Through this vision, Stephen recognized Jesus for who He really was, the Son of God who was worthy of worship and obedience – even to death. We cannot be Christ’s witnesses unless our faith is deep and firm like that of Stephen’s.
As communicators of hope, we too must first encounter the Lord’s love in His Passion and the power of His Resurrection. We cannot give hope to others if we ourselves are without hope. This is why St Peter told the Christians: “in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord. Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and reverence.” (1 Pt 3:15f) We have hope only because Christ has overcome the power of His enemies and the despair of the disciples through His Resurrection. Nothing can overcome the love of God in Christ or the hope of new life and a new beginning that His Passion and Resurrection bring – not even hatred.
But more than faith alone, we must also bear the Spirit of Christ in us. St Stephen was filled with the Spirit of Christ and so was able to witness to Him without fear or favour. What is significant is that St Stephen stood before a council of men who were filled with hatred and anger against him, yet he exhibited no fear or anger in return. Instead, he mirrored the same compassion and forgiveness that Christ showed towards His enemies on the cross. In prayer, Stephen asked that the sins of his enemies be forgiven as well. He prayed for their forgiveness. There was no vindictiveness or anger, only mercy and compassion. How many of us have that same disposition toward those who reject the Good News we share or fail to appreciate the kindness we’ve shown to them? Often, we respond with resentment and bitterness.
Yet, as communicators of hope, if we are not to generate fear and despair, prejudice and resentment, and worst of all hatred, we must be moulded in the likeness of Christ. In today’s first reading, we see the aggression of the enemies of Christ and St Stephen. They were filled with prejudice, anger and fear. When they heard the testimony of Stephen, they reacted with hatred: “All the members of the council shouted out and stopped their ears with their hands; then they all rushed at him, sent him out of the city and stoned him.” As communicators, we must examine ourselves first before we seek to communicate the message. How often are we ourselves prejudiced, filled with anger and hatred. If so, we will only project our fears, insecurity and anger in our communication, lacking the charity and objectivity needed for true communication.
There is no better way to communicate hope than through lived experience. We are called to be living examples of hope — not just through our words, but in how we live our lives. The most effective way to communicate the Good News is to be the Good News. How we carry ourselves daily, especially in trials, speaks volumes. When we remain calm and at peace even amid challenges, people will wonder where our peace and hope come from. This is when we can point them to Jesus — the One who gives us hope in a troubled world. Indeed, in the gospel, the Lord said: “I have said this to you, so that in me you may have peace. In the world you face persecution. But take courage; I have conquered the world!” (Jn 16:33)
St Stephen shows us what this lived experience is all about. Because of the Spirit of the Lord in him – his compassion and peace – St Stephen’s prayers were heard. He died at peace with God, with himself and with his enemies. By showing us how to die for the Lord, he also taught us how to live for Him. Saul was converted eventually to the Lord. He must have said to himself that if St Stephen could die for the Lord in such tranquillity and joy, without anger and revenge, and even forgiving his enemies, there must be something to his faith in Jesus that gave him such confidence in Him. St Augustine said, “The Church owes Paul to the prayer of Stephen.” It was Stephen’s witness, not just in his preaching but in his life, that the seed of faith was sowed in the heart of Saul. When the time was ready, the Lord met him and won him over for missionary service as well.
Perhaps what we can learn from St Stephen is this: the most effective way of communicating hope is to speak to the heart of each individual. Many people speak eloquently, using lofty words and profound ideas, but these often go over people’s heads. What truly touches the hearts of people is when we share our hearts with them, without any pretence or attempt to impress or cheat them. When we share our heartfelt experiences, struggles, hopes and dreams, we often echo the same longings in the hearts of our listeners. This is why I believe that speaking from the depths of our hearts always touches lives and gives hope. We do not need to share profound thoughts but what matters to us as human beings. Of course, this means being vulnerable and being honest in what we say and how we feel. But such kind of communication always generates positive responses because it also lowers the guard of our listeners. Such sincere and honest communication inspires openness and compassion.
Finally, to be communicators of hope, we too must share stories of faith and hope with others as Stephen did. Testimonies of how God has worked in our lives, how lives have been changed and healed in Christ, are powerful. Inspiring stories like Stephen’s can change lives, as they did with Saul. Let us tell stories of faith and conversion. Instead of telling stories of despair and instigating people to anger and hatred, we must share more stories that generate faith, hope and love amongst us. This is what the Gospel is all about.
If we want to inspire hope and build unity, we must root ourselves in Christ’s union with His Father. Jesus is our model of communion. Just as He and the Father are One, we, too must be one in Him, so that we can be one with each other. The unity between the Father and the Son is a unity of being, yet distinct in persons. Hence, the Father and our Lord Jesus are one in mind and will. This unity is expressed in love and obedience.
But Jesus is not just the model of love and unity, He is also the cause of unity among ourselves. He prayed: “With me in them and you in me, may they be so completely one that the world will realise that it was you who sent me and that I have loved them as much as you loved me.” Only when there is love, can we overlook trivial and non-essential matters and seek what unites us. Without sincerity and desire for love and unity, no real dialogue is possible. As St Augustine beautifully puts it: “In essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty; in all things, charity.”
This unity among Christians is still a work in progress. So we must continue to work at it in spite of all the frustrations. We must never give up hope in striving for unity with all Christians, in our common mission to proclaim the Gospel to all nations. Our mission is to bear witness to the love of the Father and the Son. Our mission is to give hope to the world, a hope that is founded in Christ who is our Hope. As St Paul reminds us: “hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.” Let us give the world Jesus so that our hope is not a passing hope or wishful thinking, but a hope grounded on the Resurrection of our Lord and our call to share His dream for us, to be one people united in love the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
