20161226 ACQUIRING THE SPIRIT OF CHRIST
Readings at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: Red.
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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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Responsorial
Psalm
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Psalm
30(31):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.’
ACQUIRING
THE SPIRIT OF CHRIST
SCRIPTURE
READINGS: [ Acts 6:8-10,7:54-59; Matthew 10:17-22
]
We have hardly done away
with the feast of Christmas and just right after Christmas, we celebrate the
tragic martyrdom of St Stephen. This feast does not seem to gel
with the peaceful atmosphere of the joyful season. How can Christianity,
an apparently harmless religion be a cause of concern for others?
How could Jesus the
innocent and harmless baby be seen as a threat to the institutions? How
could Christianity be seen as against humanity? The truth is that while
Christmas is a season of peace and Jesus is our peace, it is so only to those
who seek to walk in the light. Peace is always the fruit of justice;
justice is based on truth. Jesus has come to reveal to us the truth about
ourselves, the truth about God. Consequently, with Jesus’ coming, peace
is in sight only to those who seek true peace built on justice, truth and love.
Yet we
know that almost immediately after He was born, darkness sought to extinguish
the light. We have King Herod who felt threatened by the infant
child. As a result, he had to flee for safety. As Jesus entered the
ministry, which was one of liberation and healing, the religious institutions
of the day took offence and felt challenged by His popularity and the stark
truth of His message. It was difficult to accept and their egos were
wounded. Their interests were being compromised. The fear of the
loss of power, control, wealth and influence prevented them from being
receptive to the message of Jesus.
So it is not surprising
that when Stephen came to the scene, he faced the same challenges that his
master faced. Not only did he suffer the same fate, but he was also
rejected and condemned by the Sanhedrin, then stoned to death. Stephen
was faithful to Christ and the gospel message. He was not afraid to face the
Sanhedrin. He looked at them calmly and with confidence and clarity spoke
of Christ as the Messiah. Even before kings and governors, he remained
defiant and firm in his beliefs. He did not allow death threats or
imprisonment to intimidate him. Such was the courageous faith of Stephen.
The fate of Stephen was not
unexpected because Jesus in the gospel already warned His disciples about the
future. Jesus as a leader was open and transparent with His
disciples. He did not promise them a rose garden, wealth, power or
status. Rather, Jesus was completely honest and frank with them as to
what discipleship entailed. He prepared the disciples for the trials
ahead.
These challenges remain
real for us today. We are being challenged by secularism more than
ever. To some extent, Christianity is under siege. Unlike in those
days, now it is no longer safe to declare oneself a Catholic because the world
looks at us with cynicism as to how we could ever choose to be Catholic.
Today, it is not a novelty to have a religion. That is why most of us
keep our religion private, especially at the office. To be known as a
Catholic makes us look uncool, irrelevant to society and out of touch with the
times because of the values we extol, especially in marriage, sex and family or
entertainment. They consider us backward, oppressed, narrow-minded and
restrictive.
What are the three areas of
challenges we face? Firstly, whilst Catholics seek to be good citizens,
obedient to the State and to the laws of the country, there will be occasions
when Catholics need to speak out against laws and policies we deem to be short-sighted
from the perspective of morality and justice. When that happens, the
prophecy of Jesus that “You will be dragged before governors and kings for my
sake, to bear witness before them and the pagans” will come true. Indeed,
the Church, whilst not interfering with the State in the governance of the
country, is required morally to contribute to the policy making of the State,
especially those that affect moral values, the good of the people; and
promoting unity based on justice and equality. Such conflicts become more
real in cases when governments do not seek the interests of the people but
their own. Exposing the falsehood of the politicians, injustices and
corruption would certainly bring the Church to a head with the State. If
the government is good, such as in Singapore where religions are seen as
partners to the development and growth of the country, then there will be
cooperation and respectful disagreement when dialogue does not bring about
consensus.
Secondly, Jesus also warns
us about being handed “over to Sanhedrin” and they would “scourge you in their
synagogues.” This is the confrontation that comes from within established
religions and the institutions. In seeking change and renewal, we will
face opposition not just from without but from within. The Church is
human even though it is divinely instituted. We remain sinners seeking to
be saints. Working with imperfect and sinful leaders and fellow
Christians, there will be misunderstandings, quarrels and frictions due to the
lack of humility, selflessness and Christian charity. Often many goodwill
Catholics who seek to renew the Church are seen as threats to the institutions
and the authorities because they threaten the status quo. They end up
being persecuted and marginalized. Many leave the Church disillusioned
and bitter at the injustice of those in power and the cronyism that is at work
in some organizations.
Most of all, persecution
often comes from within our own families. It is very difficult to be a
Christian within our own family, our workplace and our community. A
prophet is not accepted in his own country. Matters of faith and religion
are very personal and our family members may not be receptive to our faith and
practices, especially if we come from a family of different faiths. At
times, our Catholic students are ridiculed at school for being Catholic and for
subscribing to our gospel values. They are made fun of and mocked when
they fail to live up to their Christian values, as if those who are not Christians
are entitled to live selfish and unjust lives. Indeed, at times, there
can be much tension at home as Jesus warns us, “Brother will betray brother to
death, and the father his child; children will rise against their parents and
have them put to death.” Because of religion, some are ostracized
by their loved ones.
In all these trials, the
Christian is asked to remain strong and firm. “You will be hated by all
men on account of my name; but the man who stands firm to the end will be
saved.” How can we be strong in our faith like Stephen in the face of
persecution and discrimination? Jesus assures us this, “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.” What we
need to do is to be like Stephen, a man who was “filled with grace and power
and began to work miracles and great signs among the people.”
Like Stephen, we need to be
attuned to the Holy Spirit at work in our lives. If we are
receptive to the Spirit of Jesus, He will speak through us and from the depth
of our hearts. Stephen acquired the Spirit of Jesus by contemplating on
His life, passion, death and resurrection. We too must learn from him to
focus on the Lord. Christmas invites to be like Mary, contemplating on
the wonderful things that happened because of Jesus.
In this way, the Spirit of
Jesus will live in us and we become more identified with Him in truth.
With the power of the Lord working in and through us, we will grow in wisdom in
dealing with the world and its evil ways. With the conviction of
our faith in Christ, we will be given the gift of truth spoken directly from
our hearts with eloquence that even our enemies cannot argue with us.
Most of all, with Stephen,
we are always ready to forgive our enemies even when we have been
wronged. Until we arrive at this spirit of forgiveness of our enemies, we
are still far from what a Christian should be. There is no greater
witnessing than forgiving our enemies and those who have hurt us. When we
are vindictive and revengeful, we are no better than our enemies. A
Christian accepts innocent and vicarious suffering for the greater good of
all. This is the hallmark and the final litmus test of being a true
Christian when we are able to say with Stephen, “’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.”
Like Stephen, we do not
take things into our own hands but with faith in the power of God’s justice and
deliverance, we must follow Jesus in saying, “Into your hands, O Lord, I
commend my spirit.” With 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. 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. 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.”
Written by The Most Rev William Goh Roman Catholic Archbishop of
Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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