Reading 1
Stephen, 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 Stephen 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.”
Then he fell to his knees and cried out in a loud voice,
“Lord, do not hold this sin against them;”
and when he said this, he fell asleep.
Gospel
Lifting up his eyes to heaven, Jesus prayed saying:
"Holy Father, I pray not only for them,
but also for those who will believe in me through their word,
so that they may all be one,
as you, Father, are in me and I in you,
that they also may be in us,
that the world may believe that you sent me.
And I have given them the glory you gave me,
so that they may be one, as we are one,
I in them and you in me,
that they may be brought to perfection as one,
that the world may know that you sent me,
and that you loved them even as you loved me.
Father, they are your gift to me.
I wish that where I am they also may be with me,
that they may see my glory that you gave me,
because you loved me before the foundation of the world.
Righteous Father, the world also does not know you,
but I know you, and they know that you sent me.
I made known to them your name and I will make it known,
that the love with which you loved me
may be in them and I in them."
Reflection
Moments after we hear the story of St. Stephen’s martyrdom in our first reading, we hear Jesus’ prayer in our Gospel that all the faithful may become one. Although this is not the chronological order of events, we can learn from the way our Church has paired these passages together. These combined readings invite us to pray with Jesus in response to the religious strife in the world, asking the Father that all may become one in Christ and know the infinite love of God for them.
Saul and his companions stoned Stephen out of a misguided and twisted desire to protect their own faith. Not only can we be inspired by Stephen’s heroic example in this scene, but we can also take the story as a reminder that hatred towards someone for what they believe is utterly contrary to God’s love. While I doubt any of us have literally stoned someone who diverted from our religion or opinions, have we done so in our hearts or with our words? What would Jesus, who prayed that all who believe in Him may become one, say to us in response? Yes, we should be ready to die like Stephen for the sake of our faith, but we should also never cause harm like Saul in the name of religious zeal.
The love of Christ inevitably unites, since the Trinity Itself is a union of love. Jesus’ prayer in the Gospel prompts us to consider how we are offered this unfathomable love. Jesus promises to “make it known that the love with which You loved Me may be in them and I in them." This love of the Father for the Son existed “before the foundation of the world,” and Jesus expresses that it is in us and for us. This love can heal, create, renew, and fulfill like nothing else can. This love transformed the Saul who martyred Stephen into Paul, the Scripture writer and Saint who was so filled with the love of God that he could express in his letters, inspired by the Holy Spirit, the truths of love and faith that we rely on today.
We are blessed to know this prayer Jesus has for us, that we might all be one in His infinite love, united with Him in glory, and we are overjoyed in our trust that God will answer, and has already begun to answer, this prayer. Already in the Sacraments, especially in Baptism and in the Holy Eucharist, we truly become the One Body of Christ. Let us daily seek to behave as such, showing the love of Christ in us to everyone, even to those who challenge our faith.
Please be assured of my prayers for you before Our Lord, present in the Most Blessed Sacrament.
+ Bishop Schlert
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