Monday of the Third Week of Easter
Stephen was not one of the Apostles who followed Jesus but rather came to faith after the Resurrection. Even so, he inherited the work of Jesus and embraced the Gospel to the point that he was granted grace and power to work mighty deeds in the name of Jesus. He imitated Jesus to the point of challenging the religious leaders of the time, and they were unable to withstand his arguments because he had been granted wisdom and fine speech by the Holy Spirit. Even his face became like the face of an angel.
We, too, are called to imitate Jesus with our whole heart, our whole mind, and our whole soul. It is a frightening thing to charge ahead in the face of opposition and to embrace the truths of our Faith when the world hates those truths. Nevertheless, if we place our trust in Christ and carry out his will, he will empower us by the Spirit to perform great deeds and, with wisdom and power, face anyone who would oppose the truth. Then we, too, will be like angels, the messengers of God, who live in the grace of God and carry out his will in all of their deeds.
Reflection by Fr. Victor Schinstock, OSB
Posted in Article for Easter, Daily Reflections