April 7, 2008

Acts 7:51-8, 1 / Jn 6:30-35

What an extraordinary circumstance we find in today's reading from the Acts of the Apostles, a whole crowd of people so disturbed by what St. Stephen was saying that they ground their teeth, put their hands over their ears, tried to drown him out with their shouting, and finally killed him. How afraid they must have been to hear what he had to say. The truth he spoke could have set them free, but they closed their hearts to it, and in doing so they closed their hearts to the Lord who only wanted to give them life.

It happens all the time, people ducking and dodging to avoid the truth, as if it were an enemy. To be sure, the truth can sometimes wound us very deeply. But if we receive it and accept it, it can free us both from foolish illusions and from sinful paths. "The pain will be more than we can bear," we silently object. But we are wrong, for God never gives us more than we can manage. With every challenge comes the grace to face the challenge and to prevail.

Trust in the power of God's grace, embrace the truth, and be free!