20200428 THE GROUND OF FAITH
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour: White.
First reading
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Acts 7:51-8:1 ©
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'Lord Jesus, receive my spirit'
Stephen said to the people, the elders and the scribes: ‘You stubborn people, with your pagan hearts and pagan ears. You are always resisting the Holy Spirit, just as your ancestors used to do. Can you name a single prophet your ancestors never persecuted? In the past they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, and now you have become his betrayers, his murderers. You who had the Law brought to you by angels are the very ones who have not kept it.’
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.’ Then he knelt down and said aloud, ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them’; and with these words he fell asleep. Saul entirely approved of the killing.
Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm 30(31):3-4,6,8,17,21 ©
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Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.
or
Alleluia!
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.
or
Alleluia!
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.
or
Alleluia!
Let your face shine on your servant.
Save me in your love.
You hide them in the shelter of your presence
from the plotting of men.
Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.
or
Alleluia!
Gospel Acclamation
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Jn10:14
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Alleluia, alleluia!
I am the good shepherd, says the Lord;
I know my own sheep and my own know me.
Alleluia!
Or:
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Jn6:35
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Alleluia, alleluia!
I am the bread of life, says the Lord.
He who comes to me will never be hungry;
he who believes in me will never thirst.
Alleluia!
Gospel
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John 6:30-35 ©
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It is my Father who gives you the bread from heaven
The people said to Jesus, ‘What sign will you give to show us that we should believe in you? What work will you do? Our fathers had manna to eat in the desert; as scripture says: He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’
Jesus answered:
‘I tell you most solemnly,
it was not Moses who gave you bread from heaven,
it is my Father who gives you the bread from heaven,
the true bread;
for the bread of God
is that which comes down from heaven
and gives life to the world.’
‘Sir,’ they said ‘give us that bread always.’ Jesus answered:
‘I am the bread of life.
He who comes to me will never be hungry;
he who believes in me will never thirst.’
28 April, 2020, Tuesday, 3rd Week of Easter
THE GROUND OF FAITH
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ ACTS 7:51 – 8:1; Ps 31:3-4, 6, 8, 17, 21; Jn 6:30-35 ]
Today, people are always asking for a sign to believe in Jesus. “The people said to Jesus: ‘What sign will you give to show us that we should believe in you? What work will you do? Our fathers had manna to eat in the desert; as scripture says: He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'” The Jews presumed that when the Messiah comes, he would repeat what Moses did, by giving them manna from heaven. And for this reason, they demanded that Jesus performed the same work that Moses did before they would believe in Him. Similarly, in the face of scandals and sins in the Church, especially among bishops, priests and religious, many have left the Church and given up their faith, and even in Christ, because of the counter-signs they see. It is difficult to maintain faith in the Church when we see the scandals taking place in the hierarchy of the Church itself.
That is why more than ever, the Church needs witnesses for Christ. St Stephen who is known as the proto-martyr of the Church demonstrates to us what it takes to be a witness. He was ready to testify for Christ even before the Sanhedrin and the religious leaders of the day. They were leaders who were intellectuals and supposedly knew the scriptures well. But just because one knows the doctrines and is even able to expound the faith, it does not mean that he has heard the Word of God with faith. This is the tragedy of priests and religious and lay religious leaders as well. Many of them live double lives. They teach one thing but they live their lives contrary to what they teach. We have become so used to sin that we are indifferent to the promptings of the Holy Spirit because our sins have numbed us to what is truth and love, and what is sacred and holy. Complacency and routine have consumed us.
This is because they did not listen to the Word of God with their hearts. Like the religious leaders during the time of St Stephen, they closed their ears to the truth because the truth was too painful to hear. They were not ready to confront the truth about themselves. “Stephen said to the people, the elders and the scribes: ‘You stubborn people, with your pagan hearts and pagan ears. You are always resisting the Holy Spirit, just as your ancestors used to do. Can you name a single prophet your ancestors never persecuted? In the past they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, and now you have become his betrayers, his murderers. You who had the Law brought to you by angels are the very ones who have not kept it.” We repeat the mistakes of our forefathers by being counter-witnesses to our faith. We cause our fellow Catholics, especially those who are weak in their faith, to lose that little faith they have left.
Today, we are called to be like St Stephen who was ready to stand up with conviction for his faith in Christ. He was ready to confront the people with the truth regardless of the consequences of his actions. He did not hesitate to say what needed to be said even if others did not want to hear. Many of us are not ready to speak the truth in this modern-day for fear of being attacked and discriminated. We are now the silent majority, allowing the minority to propagate falsehoods and worldly values. We suffer silent persecution from the world because we are afraid, unlike Stephen. Of course, St Stephen was not just a witness in words but in actions. He imitated the life of Christ and relived His passion in his own life. Indeed, like Jesus, he “gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God.” (cf Mt 26:64) Like our Lord, St Stephen also prayed for his enemies when he was dying, “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.” The life of St Stephen was a true witness to the life of Jesus. He had made the life of Jesus his own.
The true mark of Christ’s disciples is love, compassion and forgiveness of one’s enemies. This is what distinguishes a true religion from a false one. A Christian always suffers humbly and courageously for the truth without taking revenge. Like Christ, we take forgiveness seriously. St Peter wrote, “Keep your conscience clear, so that, when you are maligned, those who abuse you for your good conduct in Christ may be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if suffering should be God’s will, than to suffer for doing evil. For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you to God.” (1 Pt 3:16-18)
We can do this only if we are filled with the Holy Spirit. We read that St Stephen was a true witness of Christ because he was “filled with the Holy Spirit.” We read earlier on that the whole community “chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 6:5) And that “Stephen, full of grace and power, did great wonders and signs among the people.” (Acts 6:8) Furthermore, those who opposed him, “could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he spoke” (Acts 6:10) Indeed, the words of Jesus became a reality in his life when the Lord told His disciples, “When they hand you over, 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.” (Mt 10:19f) St Stephen was able to be a good witness because he surrendered his life to the Holy Spirit. He allowed the Spirit to take charge of his life and all that he did and say.
The Spirit is given to us through our faith in Christ. This is why the Lord told the disciples. “I tell you most solemnly, it was not Moses who gave you bread from heaven, it is my Father who gives you the bread from heaven, the true bread; for the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” Jesus is the Bread of life. When they asked, “‘Sir,’ they said, ‘give us that bread always.’ Jesus answered: ‘I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never be hungry; he who believes in me will never thirst.'” As the bread of life, Jesus gives us the Word of God. He is the One who reveals to us the truth about life and love. He manifests to us the love and forgiveness of His Father. Feeding on the Word of God, we are inspired by Him, enlightened in the truth and guided by His Word, and have our faith strengthened.
Without reading the Word of God and contemplating the scriptures, we cannot expect to grow in faith. The problem with many of us is that we do not take the bread of life seriously. We think faith grows naturally by itself without a conscious determination to strengthen the relationship through prayer and contemplation. Many of us do not take care of our spiritual life. We want to do God’s work but we are using our own strength and our own wisdom, and worse still, importing the wisdom of the world and diluting the orthodoxy of the Catholic Faith. God can inspire us what to say and how to defend our faith only when we have become familiar with the Word of God. The disciples were able to proclaim their faith confidently because they spent time with Jesus, three full years before His death, and continued to meditate on His words and life throughout their ministry.
Most of all, the bread of life refers to the Eucharist, which is a celebration of His passion, death and resurrection. By celebrating the Eucharist, we celebrate the sacrificial offering of Christ for our salvation. The Eucharist as the Bread of life, therefore, is the means by which the Spirit of Christ is also given to us when we receive Him in Holy Communion. The more we are united with Jesus and the Church through the reception of the Eucharist, the more we become like Him. This is the key to be a true witness of our Lord, by being identified with Him in life and in death through our union with Him in Holy Communion. When we become like Jesus, we too can become His witnesses, like St Stephen, reflecting His life in ours. In this way we, too, like St Stephen, can become bread broken for others. This is the true meaning of Easter, sharing in Christ’s life, His death and resurrection. Our joy comes through our incorporation into His paschal mystery.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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