Roman Catholic The Word Among Us Daily Mass Reading & Daily Meditation for Friday, 26 December 2014Meditation - Matthew 10:17-20 “Don’t be naive. Some people will impugn your motives, others will smear your reputation—just because you believe in me. Don’t be upset when they haul you before the civil authorities. Without knowing it, they’ve done you—and me—a favor, given you a platform for preaching the kingdom news! And don’t worry about what you’ll say or how you’ll say it. The right words will be there; the Spirit of your Father will supply the words.
21-23 “When people realize it is the living God you are presenting and not some idol that makes them feel good, they are going to turn on you, even people in your own family. There is a great irony here: proclaiming so much love, experiencing so much hate! But don’t quit. Don’t cave in. It is all well worth it in the end. It is not success you are after in such times but survival. Be survivors! Before you’ve run out of options, the Son of Man will have arrived.
Saint Stephen, The First Martyr
It will not be you who speak but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. (Matthew 10:20)
Trying to follow God can be scary. We don’t know what the future holds, and God can seem very unpredictable. What might he ask us to do? Make a huge sacrifice like Jesus did? Endure an unbearable grief? Suffer a prolonged illness? We wonder if we’ll be able to handle what life brings.
At times, the Bible seems unhelpful as well. As in today’s Gospel reading, we are promised persecution, painful divisions, and even martyrdom. And while today we honor St. Stephen as the first martyr, our hearts can misgive us at the prospect of going through such suffering.
The problem with this is that we tend to read these passages selectively. That is, we hear the dire predictions loud and clear, but we don’t hear the comfort and grace that always accompany them. Again and again, God promises to be with us. Stephen is a brilliant illustration of this truth. He receives a dramatic vision of Jesus at the right hand of God, a moment of such grace that he was able to remain faithful to the Lord right through to his death.
Where did Stephen learn such faithfulness? And where can we learn it? From God, who names himself as “abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness” (Exodus 34:6). Stephen’s work for the young Church—serving the poor, preaching the gospel, caring for his brothers and sisters—convinced him that God would always come through, no matter what.
Sometimes, our fears are stirred up by seeing a friend or family member suffering. Anxious at the sight, we think, “I hope God never asks that of me!” But if we take the time to talk to these people, we often hear stories of grace and hope. We discover that God is working powerfully in their lives in the midst of their challenges.
Think about the one or two biggest fears you face. Take the time to talk to God about them. Ask him to show you how committed to you he is. Rest in his presence, and let the truth of his faithfulness calm your heart. Your God is always with you, and his love has the power to cast out all fear (1 John 4:18)!
“Father, may your faithfulness overcome all of my fear.” Amen!
Acts 6:8-10 Stephen, brimming with God’s grace and energy, was doing wonderful things among the people, unmistakable signs that God was among them. But then some men from the meeting place whose membership was made up of freed slaves, Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and some others from Cilicia and Asia, went up against him trying to argue him down. But they were no match for his wisdom and spirit when he spoke.
7:54-56 At that point they went wild, a rioting mob of catcalls and whistles and invective. But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, hardly noticed—he only had eyes for God, whom he saw in all his glory with Jesus standing at his side. He said, “Oh! I see heaven wide open and the Son of Man standing at God’s side!”
57-58 Yelling and hissing, the mob drowned him out. Now in full stampede, they dragged him out of town and pelted him with rocks. The ringleaders took off their coats and asked a young man named Saul to watch them.
59-60 As the rocks rained down, Stephen prayed, “Master Jesus, take my life.” Then he knelt down, praying loud enough for everyone to hear, “Master, don’t blame them for this sin”—his last words. Then he died.
Psalms 31:3-5 You’re my cave to hide in,
my cliff to climb.
Be my safe leader,
be my true mountain guide.
Free me from hidden traps;
I want to hide in you.
I’ve put my life in your hands.
You won’t drop me,
you’ll never let me down.
6-13 I hate all this silly religion,
but you, God, I trust.
I’m leaping and singing in the circle of your love;
you saw my pain,
you disarmed my tormentors,
You didn’t leave me in their clutches
but gave me room to breathe.
Be kind to me, God—
I’m in deep, deep trouble again.
I’ve cried my eyes out;
I feel hollow inside.
My life leaks away, groan by groan;
my years fade out in sighs.
My troubles have worn me out,
turned my bones to powder.
To my enemies I’m a monster;
I’m ridiculed by the neighbors.
My friends are horrified;
they cross the street to avoid me.
They want to blot me from memory,
forget me like a corpse in a grave,
discard me like a broken dish in the trash.
The street-talk gossip has me
“criminally insane”!
Behind locked doors they plot
how to ruin me for good.
14-18 Desperate, I throw myself on you:
you are my God!
Hour by hour I place my days in your hand,
safe from the hands out to get me.
Warm me, your servant, with a smile;
save me because you love me.
Don’t embarrass me by not showing up;
I’ve given you plenty of notice.
Embarrass the wicked, stand them up,
leave them stupidly shaking their heads
as they drift down to hell.
Gag those loudmouthed liars
who heckle me, your follower,
with jeers and catcalls.
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