Tuesday - December 26, 2017
TODAY'S READINGS
December 26, 2017
Feast of Saint Stephen, first martyr
Lectionary: 696
Reading 1ACTS 6:8-10; 7:54-59
Stephen, filled with grace and power,
was working great wonders and signs among the people.
Certain members of the so-called Synagogue of Freedmen,
Cyrenians, and Alexandrians,
and people from Cilicia and Asia,
came forward and debated with Stephen,
but they could not withstand the wisdom and the spirit with which he spoke.
When they heard this, they were infuriated,
and they ground their teeth at him.
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,
and he said,
"Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man
standing at the right hand of God."
But they cried out in a loud voice, covered their ears,
and rushed upon him together.
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.
As they were stoning Stephen, he called out
"Lord Jesus, receive my spirit."
was working great wonders and signs among the people.
Certain members of the so-called Synagogue of Freedmen,
Cyrenians, and Alexandrians,
and people from Cilicia and Asia,
came forward and debated with Stephen,
but they could not withstand the wisdom and the spirit with which he spoke.
When they heard this, they were infuriated,
and they ground their teeth at him.
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,
and he said,
"Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man
standing at the right hand of God."
But they cried out in a loud voice, covered their ears,
and rushed upon him together.
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.
As they were stoning Stephen, he called out
"Lord Jesus, receive my spirit."
Responsorial PsalmPS 31:3CD-4, 6 AND 8AB, 16BC AND 17
R. (6) Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.
Be my rock of refuge,
a stronghold to give me safety.
You are my rock and my fortress;
for your name's sake you will lead and guide me.
R. Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.
Into your hands I commend my spirit;
you will redeem me, O LORD, O faithful God.
I will rejoice and be glad because of your mercy.
R. Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.
Rescue me from the clutches of my enemies and my persecutors.
Let your face shine upon your servant;
save me in your kindness.
R. Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.
Be my rock of refuge,
a stronghold to give me safety.
You are my rock and my fortress;
for your name's sake you will lead and guide me.
R. Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.
Into your hands I commend my spirit;
you will redeem me, O LORD, O faithful God.
I will rejoice and be glad because of your mercy.
R. Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.
Rescue me from the clutches of my enemies and my persecutors.
Let your face shine upon your servant;
save me in your kindness.
R. Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.
AlleluiaPS 118:26A, 27A
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD:
the LORD is God and has given us light.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
"Beware of men, for they will hand you over to courts
and scourge you in their synagogues,
and you will be led before governors and kings for my sake
as a witness before them and the pagans.
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.
For it will not be you who speak
but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
Brother will hand over brother to death,
and the father his child;
children will rise up against parents and have them put to death.
You will be hated by all because of my name,
but whoever endures to the end will be saved."
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD:
the LORD is God and has given us light.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelMT 10:17-22
Jesus said to his disciples:"Beware of men, for they will hand you over to courts
and scourge you in their synagogues,
and you will be led before governors and kings for my sake
as a witness before them and the pagans.
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.
For it will not be you who speak
but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
Brother will hand over brother to death,
and the father his child;
children will rise up against parents and have them put to death.
You will be hated by all because of my name,
but whoever endures to the end will be saved."
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Seven steps to living in the Glory of God
As we reflect on the sacrifice that St. Stephen willingly made in today's first reading, consider the ways in which you feel martyred. What stones are being thrown at you?
Many Saints felt joy while being martyred. How can that happen? Well, we see that Stephen had a vision of Jesus during his painful ordeal. It was a supernatural moment with unworldly joy. When we're attacked because of our faith, we too can experience the supernatural.
Martyrdom is any sacrifice we make for the sake of bringing Christ more fully into the world. Here are 7 steps for seeing the glory of God in your sacrifices:
Step 1: Identify what's making you feel frustrated. It's probably from wishing that others would change and it's not happening fast enough. Why do we want others to improve? Frankly, so that our own lives will improve, too. Yes, we really do want their lives to change for their benefit, but it's important to recognize and accept that our frustrations come from not getting what we want for ourselves. There's nothing wrong with this unless we limit our love for them according to how poorly they treat us.
Step 2: Acknowledge your own sin. It's sinful to believe that our pain will only go away when those who hurt us finally treat us the way they should and they're truly sorry. This belief takes our eyes off Jesus (preventing us from seeing the glory of God) and leaves no room for Jesus to heal us through his own methods. Plus it makes us vulnerable to the temptation of acting unlovingly: Love is patient and forgiving and does not demand its own way.
Step 3: Repent and change. Choose to accept others the way they are even though you don't like everything they do. What if they never improve? What if their lack of improvement or slow growth causes more problems? We can still see the glory of God, which depends on Jesus, not on what others do. However, it's very difficult to resist the temptation to despair. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you. Like St. Stephen, you can become fully alive in Christ's Spirit, which is necessary for seeing the glory of God.
Step 4: Identify what's at the root of your desire for the other person to change. Usually, we're afraid of getting hurt again. But the Holy Spirit gives us the courage to love others despite their stones.
Step 5: Discover the true source of God's glory. It's doesn't depend on others and how well they treat us. Our peace of mind and perseverance depend on our relationship with God.
Step 6: Kill off all illusions about the necessity of other people changing. I repeat, your peace of mind does not depend on other people! It doesn't even depend on circumstances. It only comes from realizing that the loving and healing presence of Jesus is already with us.
Step 7: Follow Jesus all the way to the cross, which is the only path to resurrection and the glory of God. People who try to crucify you are nailing you to their errant belief system and their sinfulness. Jesus showed by example that going to the cross for them is redemptive. The other people might not change, but you will. You will become more like Jesus!
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God Bless You.....
The mother of Jesus promised St. Dominic that, “one day through the rosary & the scapular I shall save the world!”
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