(Optional Memorial for Saint Martin I, Pope and Martyr)
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| “The Entombment of St Stephen Martyr” by Juan de Juanes, c. 1560 |
Commentary:
Reading 1: Acts 8:1b-8
Commentary on Acts 8:1b-8
This selection describes the first concerted effort to eradicate Christianity. Following the death of St. Stephen, we are told that: “all were scattered […] except the Apostles.” This is pointed at by many scholars as implying that it was the Hellenists (Greek) Jews only who were scattered (recall that St. Stephen and the other deacons were appointed to minister to that community). It was St. Stephen who had enraged the Sanhedrin and was buried in this passage.
As the main force in this persecution, Saul (later St. Paul
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 66:1-3a, 4-5, 6-7a
R. (1) Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Commentary on Ps 66:1-3a, 4-5, 6-7a
Psalm 66 is a hymn of praise and thanksgiving. In the first part, presented here, the psalmist praises God for his salvation, recalling the exodus from Egypt and the great signs he gave the people.
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Gospel: John 6:35-40
Commentary on Jn 6:35-40
St. John’s “Bread of Life” discourse continues with the repetition of the great Eucharistic pronouncement – “I am the Bread of Life.” The Lord states that in spite of their lack of belief, his presence with them is part of God’s revelatory plan (“I came down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of the one who sent me”), and that all who come to believe in the Son of God, the Bread of Life, will be welcome (“I will not reject anyone who comes to me”).
The selection concludes with the promise of eternal life for those who believe in Jesus, the Son of God. They will be raised with him in glory on the “last day.”
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Reflection:
As we still marvel at the Easter event, scripture from the Acts of Apostles shows us how God’s plan moves ahead in unexpected ways. St. Stephen’s martyrdom at the hands of the Jewish community – enraged because Stephen, a Greek, had the audacity to tell them they did not understand Moses and how he pointed to Jesus as the Messiah – precipitates the first real attempt to blot out Christianity. The Hellenistic Christians are scattered and driven out of Jerusalem by the members of the Sanhedrin, headed up by the ultra-conservative Saul.
What took place next must have confounded the evil one, whose influence can be so clearly seen in these events. Instead of destroying the work the Son of God began, this scattering only served to provide the Good News with a broader audience. The Apostles, unmolested probably because, as Hebrews, they did not represent a “foreign” threat, must have cheered when news of Philip’s success in Samaria
We look at the Gospel proclaimed today and see the message these displaced Christians took into the world. From the great “Bread of Life” discourse we hear God’s promise and gift. The scattering Christians told anyone they stayed with, their friends, families, and even strangers about the wonderful promise. Jesus had offered himself, not just for the Hebrews, but for all. It was he who came to fulfill all of what God had told them through the Law and the Prophets.
The Lord’s message was that, through the great love of God for all people, he would accept anyone who came to him. Jesus would not only accept them, but extend to them the same promise he offered to all he had met before he rose from the dead and went back to his Father, our Father. He said,“…this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life, and I shall raise him on the last day.”
The promise and the example of the early Church provides us with new zeal to take the message into the world as well. We rededicate ourselves to providing the invitation to any we meet, to come to the Lord. He offers his love, and his body, the Bread of Life.
Pax
[2] The picture is “The Entombment of St Stephen Martyr” by Juan de Juanes, c. 1560
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