20141226 MARTYRS ARE CALLED TO WITNESS TO CHRIST’S LOVE FOR US
Readings at Mass
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First reading
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Acts
6:8-10,7:54-59 ©
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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. 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 infuriated when they heard this, and ground
their teeth at him.
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.’ 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.’
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Psalm
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Psalm
30:3-4,6,8,16-17 ©
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Into your hands, O
Lord, I commend my spirit.
Be a rock of refuge
for me,
a mighty
stronghold to save me,
for you are my rock,
my stronghold.
For your
name’s sake, lead me and guide me.
Into your hands, O
Lord, I commend my spirit.
Into your hands I
commend my spirit.
It is you
who will redeem me, Lord.
As for me, I trust in
the Lord:
let me be
glad and rejoice in your love.
Into your hands, O
Lord, I commend my spirit.
My life is in your
hands, deliver me
from the
hands of those who hate me.
Let your face shine
on your servant.
Save me
in your love.
Into your hands, O
Lord, I commend my spirit.
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Gospel
Acclamation
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Ps117:26,27
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Blessed is he who comes
in the name of the Lord:
the Lord God is our
light.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Matthew 10:17-22
©
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Jesus said to his
disciples, ‘Beware of men: they will hand you over to sanhedrins and scourge
you in their synagogues. You will be dragged before governors and kings for my
sake, to bear witness before them and the pagans. But when they hand you over,
do not worry about how to speak or what to say; what you are to say will be
given to you when the time comes; because it is not you who will be speaking;
the Spirit of your Father will be speaking in you.
‘Brother
will betray brother to death, and the father his child; children will rise
against their parents and have them put to death. You will be hated by all men
on account of my name; but the man who stands firm to the end will be saved.’
MARTYRS
ARE CALLED TO WITNESS TO CHRIST’S LOVE FOR US
SCRIPTURE
READINGS: ACTS 6:8-10, 7:54-59; MATTHEW 10:17-22
We have
just celebrated the Solemnity of the Birth of Christ. It is strange that
after such a peaceful and joyous celebration, we are suddenly plunged into a
commemoration of a tragic death of a martyr. This does not seem to fit
into the Christmas celebration. As if this is not enough, we will
also be celebrating the feast of the Holy Innocents on 28th Dec,
another martyr for Christ. What is the rationale of placing the feast of
these martyrs after the celebration of Christmas? It seems to be out of place
and gives us a dampening spirit to the mood of Christmas festivities.
The
truth is that the celebration of Christmas must not be relegated to a
sentimental and nostalgic feast that celebrates the past. This
feast is not meant for us to take refuge in the good old days. Rather,
the feast of Christmas which celebrates the love of God in His incarnation
enjoins us all to share in that self-emptying love of Christ. Rightly,
so, St Stephen is the first martyr and witness to the love of Christ
which he has received from Him. Indeed, the special bond that links these
two feasts is celebrated in the Ambrosian liturgy by this affirmation:
“Yesterday, the Lord was born on earth that Stephen might be born in Heaven”.
Indeed,
the birth of Christ is in the first place celebrated in view of His passion,
death and resurrection. Christmas might appear to be chronologically the
first feast to celebrate Christ but actually what is critical to the Church is
the paschal mystery of Christ. Without the passion and resurrection,
there will be no Christmas since the recognition of Jesus as the Son of God
comes at the resurrection. Only on hindsight do we come to realize that
Jesus is the eternal Son of the Father even before time began and took flesh at
the conception of Jesus. Christmas is always celebrated under the shadow
of the cross, which looms right from the start of Jesus’ birth when King Herod
sought to have Him killed, and the prophet Simeon prophesied the sufferings
that Mary, His mother, had to go through because a sword would pierce her
heart, since her Son will be the cause of the fall and rising of many.
In
other words, the whole purpose of Christ’s coming is for the sake of the
paschal mystery. Of course, this would include His whole life and
ministry as well, as His words and deeds give meaning to His death and
resurrection. Jesus came to show us His Father’s love through His works
and teachings about the Father’s love, culminating in His death. This was
the mission of Christ. In celebrating the martyrdom of St Stephen immediately
after Christmas, the Church desires to reiterate in no uncertain terms that
Christmas must be seen in the context of Christ’s mission in giving Himself for
the salvation of the world, which entails our participation in His life and
death, thereby giving witness to Him by giving our whole life to Him and His
people the way He has done for us.
Consequently,
the death of St Stephen celebrates the full meaning of Christ’s birth, which
is his love for the Lord in response to God’s love in Christ. In his
death for the Lord, it shows St Stephen’s deep bond with Christ in divine
charity. With Christ, St Stephen demonstrated the power of love over
hatred. St Stephen followed Jesus with total trust and confidence to the
cross. In fact, the death of St Stephen was almost an exact repetition of
the way Christ died. Like Christ, St Stephen “filled with the Holy
Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God”, and saw Jesus standing at
God’s right hand. After being stoned by his accusers, he imitated Jesus saying,
“Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” With the same forgiveness in his heart
for his enemies, he prayed the same prayer of Jesus, “Lord, do not hold this
sin against them.”
Consequently,
to be a friend and disciple of Jesus is to be exposed to the same ridicule,
misunderstanding and opposition that our Lord faced from the very beginning of
His life. In the midst of this joyous celebration of Christmas, we
forget what it means to be a Christian. Indeed, the gospel warns us of
the persecution that is before us. “Beware of men: they will hand you
over to sanhedrins and scourge you in their synagogues. You will be dragged
before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the
pagans.” This is so true today when the world is seeking to remove not
just Christianity from society but every religion that speaks of God.
Today, it is no longer
an honour or a status to be a Christian where you are respected. This is especially for those in
priestly and religious life. In the past, especially in Europe, priests
and religious were highly respected and even honoured. It was a way to
enter into nobility. But today, Europe has become so secular to the
extent of despising those who are Christians; worst still if they are in priestly
and religious life. Catholicism is seen as outdated, conservative,
ideological and corrupt. So much so today, Catholics would hide their
faith in public life for fear of ridicule or even be seen as a liability for
promotion in their careers. Ironically, it seems those without religion
today are seen as better workers than believers. Hence, it is not
surprising to hear of the oppression and subtle silencing of Christians in many
parts of the world simply because they are disciples of Christ. Although
many of us are happy to celebrate the joy of His birth, not many are willing to
share in His death.
Even our loved ones will
not be able to accept us.
Jesus gives us that warning too. He said, “Brother will betray brother to
death, and the father his child; children will rise against their parents and
have them put to death.” Quite often, families are divided over the
values of the gospel. All the more so when many couples are from mixed
marriages. Husband and wife do not share the same faith and in consequence
the same values. They often have serious differences when it comes to
managing the household, money, work and children. Those Catholic parents
who try to be faithful to the gospel often find themselves so lonely in this
journey of staying true to their beliefs. Not infrequently, even their
non-catholic spouse or in-laws would ridicule their faith and practices.
Such subtle and explicit criticisms of one’s faith make the faith journey of a
Catholic in a non-catholic family a lonely journey.
However, in the face of
opposition, let us respond with the same love that caused Christ to be
incarnated and die for us. Let us follow the example of St
Stephen. Truly, the life and death of St Stephen is a true witness to
Christ and His love for us. He identified himself with the love of Christ
towards God, his fellowmen, including his persecutors. The secret of St
Stephen is love alone. It was love that caused him to urge his detractors
to repent. It was love that prevented him from condemning his
enemies. It was love that made him die for Jesus. Love inspired him
to pray for his persecutors and love inspired him to forgive. In the
final analysis, only love can overcome our enemies. Jesus said, “You will
be hated by all men on account of my name; but the man who stands firm to the
end will be saved.”
By so doing we, too,
like St Stephen, will be born again into eternal life. It is therefore most appropriate
that yesterday we celebrated Christ’s birth on earth and today, we celebrate St
Stephen’s birth in heaven. For the Church, the day of martyrdom is
not a day to mourn but to rejoice because it is a passage to eternal
life. Jesus came to be born on earth for one reason; that we might be
born again in heaven when we conceive Jesus in our hearts and manifest Him in
our lives and actions. Hence, for the Church, we do not celebrate our
birthdays but only our death anniversaries because our death is the entrance to
eternal life.
But how can this be
possible? Not with our own strength but His! Twice, we read where the strength of St
Stephen came from. “Stephen was filled with grace and power and began to
work miracles and great signs among the people.” And when under
persecution, “Stephen, filled with the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw
the glory of God, and Jesus standing at God’s right hand.” Indeed,
we cannot act the way St Stephen did unless we acquire the Spirit of Christ
through prayer and contemplation. At Christmas therefore, let us continue
to contemplate on the love of God in Christ as Mary did so that we can share in
His Spirit to do what St Stephen did. Filled with the same grace of
Christ and His power, we can endure to the end. And like St Stephen and
the psalmist, we pray, “Be a rock of refuge for me, a mighty stronghold to save
me, for you are my rock, my stronghold. For your name’s sake, lead me and
guide me. It is you who will redeem me, Lord. As for me, I trust in the
Lord: let me be glad and rejoice in your love. My life is in your hands,
deliver me from the hands of those who hate me. Let your face shine on your
servant. Save me in your love. Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my
spirit.”
WRITTEN BY THE MOST REV
WILLIAM GOH
ARCHBISHOP
OF SINGAPORE
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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