THE WORD
Acts 6: 8–10; 7: 54–59 / Mt 10: 17–22
Jesus said to his apostles: “Beware of people, 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.”
IN OTHER WORDS
I had the privilege of presiding at the 70th wedding anniversary of a couple from the parish. During the homily, I asked the couple how old they were considering that they had been together for 70 years. The woman said: “Father, I am 96.” Then, I turned to the man and asked the same question. The woman answered: “He is 98.” Wow, in two years he will be 100 years old. So my next question was: “After 70 years of married life, are you still happy?” The woman said: “Oh yes, Father!” So I turned to the man and asked the same question. The woman replied right away: “Oh yes, Father, he is still happy.” No wonder, they were still together after 70 years. They had endured to this point because they knew what it meant to be in a relationship: you need to know who is in charge. Not the woman, although she was the one who answered all the questions. It was God! That was why they came to church to celebrate this milestone: to give thanks to the One who made it possible for them to continue life together. It was the same One who empowered them to go through the ups and downs of life; the same One who provided for all their needs and wants. They were able to save their relationship after 70 years because they held on to The One.
They are like the saint we commemorate today, St. Stephen, who gave up his life for the faith, imitating the example of the One who called him to be a disciple. In the Acts of the Apostle, just before he was martyred, we see the power of Stephen’s words against his accusers; how he stood up for what he believed was true. For this, he paid the ultimate price. His last words were: “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” Until the end, he remained faithful to the faithful God. He was able to endure the pain of martyrdom because he knew the reward waiting for him from the One. As we celebrate the Season of Christmas, may we continue to rejoice and remain faithful to the gift of GOD to us: The Word made Flesh, Jesus, the One who saves.
- Fr. Carlos Macatangga, SVD (Toronto, Canada)
The Word in other words 2015
An annual project of Logos Publications, The WORD in Other Words Bible Diary contains daily scripture readings and reflections written by priest, brothers, and sisters of the three congregations founded by St. Arnold Janssen (the SVD, SSpS, and SSpSAP). It hopes to serve as a daily companion to readers who continually seek the correlation of the Word of God and human experience.
