Today, we hear about the aftermath of the martyrdom of Stephen. His death we recounted in our first reading yesterday from the Acts of the Apostles. We see holy men of faith burying Stephen and lamenting his violent death. We also see Saul, who also had a part in Stephen’s death, actively pursuing followers of Jesus, having them dragged out of their homes and handed over to the Roman authorities. We know the rest of the story about Saul, how he has a conversion to the Way of Jesus and becomes Paul, one of the greatest missionaries in the history of the Church.
Saul was tearing down the Church and the kingdom of God in today’s reading from Acts. We have the choice as well: we can work for the values of God’s kingdom and for peace and justice, or we can tear down and destroy. This reading ends with Philip going to Samaria in order to preach the Word of God to the people there: he has great success doing so. I remember when Pope Francis assumed the papacy five years ago. At that time, many lapsed Catholics and non-Catholics began looking at the faith in a different way, energized by Pope Francis and the way he has been reaching out to so many people in the world. Even in a world that criticizes our faith on so many levels, God’s Word is still reaching many. As we hear this reading today, may it give us encouragement and hope.
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