Tuesday of the Third Week of Easter, April 24, 2007

Scripture: Acts 7:51-8:1. Psalm 31. John 6:30-35. Lectionary # 274:

Stephen's bold witness and long proclamation to the religious authorities
exasperate them to no end. He speaks of the Resurrection of Jesus and
their condemning him to death. He goes through a type of salvation history
in this long speech. This leads him to being stoned to death by those who
can no longer tolerate listening to him. Luke, the author of this
narrative, tells us that Saul (later, the convert Paul) was present and
gave assent to Stephen's martyrdom. From gradeschool on, I learned of this
story and it became a powerful one in my memory. I always associtate
Stephen as the first martyr of the newly formed Jewish Christian Community
in Jerusalem. He soon became known to me as the Proto-Martyr Stephen. His
example while dying is one of total forgiveness as well as a surrendering
of himself to God's will. He sees Jesus enthroned above the clouds and
prays for his persecutors. I meditated on these two last sentences given
to us as his last testimony: "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." Then for
those who are stoning him, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." Our
psalm response is a good prayer for this scene, "Into your hands, O Lord, I
entrust my spirit." In turning to the reading in John, we hear Jesus speak
and explain to the people how he is the Bread of Life. Just as Moses
interceded for the people in the desert after the Exodus from Egypt and God
sent them food from the heavens called Manna, so, too, Jesus is the Bread
come down from heaven to nourish our souls. This is the sign and words
Jesus gives them and us encouraging us to go beyond the sign and to come to
believe and trust in the Person of Jesus who is the Manna of God come down
as the Word made flesh who lives among us. Like the people, we are to make
progress through seeing beyond the sign while listening to Jesus. We pray
with the people, "Lord, give us this bread always." We have this bread in
our daily Eucharist and in our greatest of prayers, the Lord's Prayer (Our
Father) we say, "Give us this day our daily bread." Jesus answers our
prayers as he says, "I am the Bread of Life whoever comes to me will never
be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never thirst." Amen.