나바르 매일미사 독서/묵상

7th Sunday of Easter - Cycle C

1st Reading: Acts 7:55-60

The Martyrdom of Stephen
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[55] But [Stephen], full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into Heaven and saw
the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God; [56] and he said,
"Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right
hand of God." [57] But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and
rushed together upon him. [58] Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him;
and the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named
Saul. [59] And as they were stoning Stephen, he prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my
spirit." [60] And he knelt down and cried with a loud voice, "Lord, do not hold this
sin against them." And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

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Commentary:

55-56. "It is clear", St. Ephraem comments, "that those who suffer for Christ en-
joy the glory of the whole Trinity. Stephen saw the Father and Jesus at His side,
because Jesus appears only to his own, as was the case with the Apostles after
the Resurrection. While the champion of the faith stood there helpless in the
midst of those who had killed the Lord, just at the point when the first martyr was
to be crowned, he saw the Lord, holding a crown in His right hand, as if to encou-
rage him to conquer death and to show that he inwardly helps those who are a-
bout to die on his account. He therefore reveals what he sees, that is, the hea-
vens opened, which were closed to Adam and only opened to Christ at the Jor-
dan, but open now after the Cross to all who share Christ's sufferings, and in the
first instance open to this man. See how Stephen reveals why his face was lit
up: it was because he was on the point of contemplating this wondrous mission.
That is why he took on the appearance of an angel--so that his testimony might
be more reliable" ("Armenian Commentary, ad loc.").

57-59. The cursory trial of Stephen ends without any formal sentence of death:
this Jewish tribunal was unable to pass such sentences because the Romans
restricted its competence. In any event no sentence proves necessary: the
crowd becomes a lynching party: it takes over and proceeds to stone Stephen,
with the tacit approval of the Sanhedrin.

Tradition regards Stephen as the first Christian martyr, an example of fortitude
and suffering for love of Christ. "Could you keep all God's commandments," St.
Cyprian asks, "were it not for the strength of patience? That was what enabled
Stephen to hold out: in spite of being stoned he did not call down vengeance on
his executioners, but rather forgiveness.... How fitting it was for him to be Christ's
first martyr, so that by being, through his glorious death, the model of all the mar-
tyrs that would come after him, he should not only be a preacher of the Lord's
Passion, but should also imitate it in his meekness and immense patience"
("De Bono Patientiae", 16).

Martyrdom is a supreme act of bravery and of true prudence, but to the world it
makes no sense. It is also an expression of humility, because a martyr does
not act out of bravado or overweening self-confidence; he is a weak man like any-
one else, but God's grace gives him the strength he needs. Although martyrdom
is something which happens rarely, it does show Christians what human nature
can rise to if God gives it strength, and it establishes a standard, both real and
symbolic, for the behavior of every disciple of Christ.

"Since all the virtues and the perfection of all righteousness are born of love of
God and one's neighbor," St. Leo says, "in no one is this love more worthily
found than in the blessed martyrs, who are nearest to our Lord in terms of imi-
tation of both His charity and His Passion.

"The martyrs have been of great help to others, because the Lord has availed
of the very strength as He granted them to ensure that the pain of death and
the cruelty of the Cross do not frighten any of His own, but are seen as things
in which man can imitate Him....

"No example is more useful for the instruction of the people of God than that of
the martyrs. Eloquence is effective for entreating, argument for convincing; but
examples are worth more than words, and it is better to teach by deeds than by
speech" ("Hom. on the Feast of St. Laurence").

The Second Vatican Council has reminded us of the excellence of the martyr-
dom as a form of witness to the faith. Although there are heroic ways of imita-
ting and following our Lord which do not involve the drama of bloodshed and death,
all Christians should realize that confession of the faith in this way is not a thing
of the past and is sometimes necessary.

"Since Jesus, the Son of God, showed His love by laying down His life for us, no
one has greater love than he who lays down his life for Him and for his brothers
(cf. 1 John 3:16; John 15:13). Some Christians have been called from the begin-
ning, and will always be called, to give this greatest testimony of love to all, es-
pecially to persecutors. Martyrdom makes the disciple like his Master. [...]
Therefore, the Church considers it the highest gift and supreme test of love. And
although it is given to few, all must be prepared to confess Christ before men
and to follow him along the way of the Cross amidst the persecutions which the
Church never lacks.

"Likewise the Church's holiness is fostered [...] by the manifold counsels which
the Lord proposes to His disciples in the Gospel" (Vatican II, "Lumen Gentium",
42).

The Liturgy of the Church sums up the asceticism and theology of martyrdom in
the preface for Christian martyrs: "Your holy martyr followed the example of Christ,
and gave his life for the glory of Your name. His death reveals Your power shining
through our human weakness. You choose the weak and make them strong in
bearing witness to You."

Like Jesus, Stephen dies commending his soul to God and praying for his perse-
cutors. At this point St. Luke brings in Saul who cooperates in the proceedings
by watching the executioners' clothes; Saul will soon experience the benefits of
Stephen's intercession. "If Stephen had not prayed to God, the Church would not
have had Paul" (St. Augustine, "Sermons", 315, 7).

Stephen has died, but his example and teaching continue to speak across the
world.

2nd Reading: Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, 20

The Visions Come to an End
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(And he said to me [John],) [12] "Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recom-
pense, to repay everyone for what he has done. [13] I am the Alpha and the Ome-
ga, the first and the last, the beginning and the end."

[14] Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the
tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates.

[16] "I Jesus have sent my angel to you with this testimony for the churches. I
am the root and the offspring of David, the bright morning star."

Prayer of the Spirit and the Bride. Words of Warning and Farewell
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[17] The Spirit and the Bride say, "Come. " And let him who hears say, "Come."
And let him who is thirsty come, let him who desires take the water of life with-
out price.

[20] He who testifies to these things says, "Surely I am coming soon." Amen.
Come, Lord Jesus!

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Commentary:

10-15. Unlike other revelations (cf. Rev 10:4; Dan 8:26), God makes it plain that
he wants everyone to know the things St John has just written; Christians nee-
ded to be consoled and strengthened in the trials that lay ahead. They must keep
pressing on, for the end is near (v. 11); these words are somewhat ironic, ridicu-
ling as they do those who are bent on continuing to live a depraved life, unwilling
to admit their sin and unwilling to mend their ways in time. The passage makes
it quite clear that there will be a judgment made by Christ when he comes again;
when he exercises this judicial authority which belongs to God alone, he appears
with divine attributes (cf. note on Rev 1:8). The message contained in these verses
should be reassuring for the Christian. As St Teresa of Avila says, "May His Ma-
jesty be pleased to grant us to experience this before he takes us from this life,
for it will be a great thing at the hour of death to realize that we shall be judged
by One whom we have loved above all things. Once our debts have been paid we
shall be able to walk in safety. We shall not be going into a foreign land, but into
our own country , for it belongs to him whom we have loved so truly and who him-
self loves us" (Way of Perfection, 40).

The robes washed in the blood of the Lamb (cf. note on Rev 7:14) are a reference
to the fact that the righteous have been cleansed by having applied to them the
merits of the passion, death and resurrection of Christ.

16. In a formal, solemn manner Jesus Christ addresses believers and confirms
the genuineness of the prophetic content of the book. This marks the start of the
epilogue, which records the testimony of the Church (v. 17) and the writer (vv. 18-
19) and once again, before the words of farewell, Christ's own confirmation (v. 20).

The titles applied to Jesus focus on his Hebrew and Davidic ancestry, without
which he could not be the Messiah. Instead of the word "root", other passages
speak of his being a young, vigorous shoot which grows out of the ancient trunk
of Jesse (cf. Is 11:1). The morning star is another metaphor designating the Mes-
siah (cf. Num 24:17).

17. The Bride is the Church who, in reply to Christ's promise (cf. 22:12), ardently
desires and prays for his coming. The prayer of the Church is inspired by the Holy
Spirit, the voices of both Church and Spirit fusing in a single cry . Every Christian
is invited to join in this prayer and discover in the Church the gift of the Spirit, sym-
bolized by the water of life ( cf. 21:6); this gift allows the Christian to taste in anti-
cipation the good things of the Kingdom. The language of this verse reminds us
of the liturgical dimension of the Church with its prayer and celebration of the sa-
craments.

20. Christ himself replies to the supplication of the Church and the Spirit: "I am co-
ming soon." This idea occurs seven times in the course of the book (cf. 2:16; 3:11;
16:15; 22:7, 12, 17, 20), showing that this is a promise which will certainly be kept.
On the basis of this passage, John Paul II makes this exhortation: "Therefore, let
Christ be your sure point of reference, let him be the basis of a confidence which
knows no vacillation. Let the passionate invocation of the Church, "Come, Lord Je-
sus!" become the spontaneous sigh of your heart, a heart never content with the
present because it always tends towards the 'not yet' of promised fulfillment" (Ho-
mily, 18 May 1980).

This invocation--"Come, Lord Jesus"--was so often on the lips and in the hearts
of the first Christians that it was even expressed in Aramaic, the language which
Jesus and the Apostles spoke: "Marana-tha" (cf. 1 Cor 16:22; Didache, 10, 6).
Today, translated into the vernacular, it is used as an acclamation at Mass, after
the elevation. And so "the earthly liturgy harmonizes with that of heaven. And now,
as in every Mass, there reaches our heart, which is so much in need of consola-
tion, that reassuring reply: "He who testifies to these things says, 'Surely I am co-
ming soon [...].'

"Strengthened by this certainty, let us set out again along the ways of the earth,
feeling greater unity and solidarity with one another, and at the same time bearing
in our heart the desire that has become more eager to make known to our brothers
and sisters, still enveloped by the clouds of doubt and depression, the 'joyful pro-
clamation' that there has risen over the horizon of their lives 'the bright morning star'
(Rev 22:16), the Redeemer of man, Christ the Lord" (John Paul II, Homily, 18 May
1980).

Gospel Reading: John 17:20-26

The Priestly Prayer of Jesus (Continuation)
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(Jesus lifted His eyes to Heaven and said,) [20] "I do not pray for these (My dis-
ciples) only, but also for those who believe in Me through their word, [21] that
they may all be one; even as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they
also may be in us, so that the world may believe that Thou hast sent Me. [22]
The glory which Thou hast given Me I have given to them, that they may be one
even as we are one, [23] I in them and Thou in Me, that they may become per-
fectly one, so that the world may know that Thou hast sent Me and hast loved
them even as Thou hast loved Me. [24] Father, I desire that they also, whom
Thou hast given Me, may be with Me where I am, to behold My glory which
Thou hast given Me in Thy love for Me before the foundation of the world. [25]
O righteous Father, the world has not known Thee, but I have known Thee; and
these know that Thou hast sent Me. [26] I made known to them Thy name, and
I will make it known, that the love with which Thou hast loved Me may be in
them, and I in them."

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Commentary:

20-23. Since it is Christ who is praying for the Church His prayer is infallibly ef-
fective, and therefore there will always be only one true Church of Jesus Christ.
Unity is therefore an essential property of the Church. "We believe that the Church
founded by Jesus Christ and for which He prayed is indefectibly one in faith, in wor-
ship and in the bond of hierarchical communion" (Paul VI, "Credo of the People of
God", 21). Moreover, Christ's prayer also indicates what the basis of the Church's
unity will be and what effects will follow from it.

The source from which the unity of the Church flows is the intimate unity of the
Three Divine Persons among whom there is mutual love and self-giving. "The Lord
Jesus, when praying to the Father 'that they may all be one...even as we are one'
(John 17:21-22), has opened up new horizons closed to human reason by imply-
ing that there is a certain parallel between the union existing among the Divine
Persons and the union of the sons of God in truth and love. It follows, then, that
if man is the only creature on earth that God has wanted for its own sake, man
can fully discover his true self only in a sincere giving of himself" (Vatican II, "Gau-
dium Et Spes", 24). The unity of the Church is also grounded on the union of the
faithful with Jesus Christ and through Him with the Father (verse 23). Thus, the
fullness of unity -- "consummati in unum" -- is attained through the supernatural
grace which comes to us from Christ (cf. John 15:5).

The fruits of the unity of the Church are, on the one hand, the world believing in
Christ and in His divine mission (verses 21, 23); and, on the other hand, Chris-
tians themselves and all men recognizing God's special love for His faithful, a
love which is a reflection of the love of the Three Divine Persons for each other.
And so, Jesus' prayer embraces all mankind, for all are invited to be friends of
God (cf. 1 Timothy 2:4). "Thou hast loved them even as Thou hast loved Me":
this, according to St. Thomas Aquinas, "does not mean strict equality of love but
similarity and like-motivation. It is as if He were saying: the love with which You
have loved Me is the reason and the cause of Your loving them, for, precisely be-
cause You love men do You love those who love Me" ("Commentary on St. John,
in loc."). Besides noting this theological explanation, we should also ponder on
how expressively Christ describes His ardent love for men. The entire discourse
of the Last Supper gives us a glimpse of the depth of Jesus' feelings--which infini-
tely exceeds anything we are capable of experiencing. Once again all we can
do is bow down before the mystery of God-made-man.

20. Christ prays for the Church, for all those who, over the course of centuries,
will believe in Him through the preaching of the Apostles. "That divine mission,
which was committed by Christ to the Apostles, is destined to last until the end
of the world (cf. Matthew 28:20), since the Gospel, which they were charged to
hand on, is, for the Church, the principle of all its life for all time. For that very rea-
son the Apostles were careful to appoint successors in this hierarchically consti-
tuted society" (Vatican II, "Lumen Gentium", 20).

The apostolic origin and basis of the Church is what is termed its "apostolicity",
a special characteristic of the Church which we confess in the Creed. Apostolici-
ty consists in the Pope and the Bishops being successors of Peter and the Apos-
tles, holding the authority of the Apostles and proclaiming the same teaching as
they did. "The sacred synod taught that the bishops have by divine institution
taken the place of the Apostles as pastors of the Church, in such wise that who-
ever listens to them is listening to Christ and whoever despises them despises
Christ and Him who sent Christ (cf. Luke 10:15)" (Vatican II, "Lumen Gentium",
20).

21. Union of Christians with Christ begets unity among themselves. This unity
of the Church ultimately redounds to the benefit of all mankind, because since
the Church is one and unique, she is seen as a sign raised up for the nations to
see, inviting all to believe in Christ as sent by God come to save all men. The
Church carries on this mission of salvation through its union with Christ, calling
all mankind to join the Church and by so doing to share in union with Christ and
the Father.

The Second Vatican Council, speaking of the principles of ecumenism, links the
Church's unity with her universality: "Almost everyone, though in different ways,
longs for the one visible Church of God, a Church truly universal and sent forth to
the whole world that the world may be converted to the Gospel and so be saved,
to the glory of God" ("Unitatis Redintegratio", 1). This universality is another cha-
racteristic of the Church, technically described as "catholicity". "For many centu-
ries now the Church has been spread throughout the world, and it numbers per-
sons of all races and walks of life. But the universality of the Church does not de-
pend on its geographical distribution, even though this is a visible sign and of mo-
tive of credibility. The Church was catholic already at Pentecost: it was born ca-
tholic from the wounded heart of Jesus, as a fire which the Holy Spirit enkindled.

"In the second century the Christians called the Church catholic in order to distin-
guish it from sects, which, using the name of Christ, were betraying His doctrine
in one way or another. 'We call it catholic', writes St. Cyril, 'not only because it
is spread throughout the world, from one extreme to the other, but because in a
universal way and without defect it teaches all the dogmas which men ought to
know, of both the visible and the invisible, the celestial and the earthly. Likewise
because it draws to true worship all types of men, governors and citizens, the
learned and the ignorant. And finally, because it cures and heals all kinds of sins,
whether of the soul or of the body, possessing in addition --by whatever name it
may be called -- all the forms of virtue, in deeds and in words and in every kind of
spiritual life' ("Catechesis", 18, 23)" (St. J. Escriva, "In Love with the Church", 9).

Every Christian should have the same desire for this unity as Jesus Christ expres-
ses in His prayer to the Father. "A privileged instrument for participation in pursuit
of the unity of all Christians is prayer. Jesus Christ Himself left us His final wish
for unity through prayer to the Father: 'that they also may be in us, so that the
world may believe that Thou hast sent Me' (John 17:21).

"Also the Second Vatican Council strongly recommended to us prayer for the uni-
ty of Christians, defining it 'the soul of the whole ecumenical movement' ("Unitatis
Redintegratio", 8). As the soul to the body, so prayer gives life, consistency, spi-
rit, and finality to the ecumenical movement.

"Prayer puts us, first and foremost, before the Lord, purifies us in intentions, in
sentiments, in our heart, and produces that 'interior conversion', without which
there is no real ecumenism. (cf. "Unitatis Redintegratio", 7).

"Prayer, furthermore, reminds us that unity, ultimately, is a gift from God, a gift
for which we must ask and for which we must prepare in order that we may be
granted it" (John Paul II, "General Audience", 17 January 1979).

22-23. Jesus possess glory, a manifestation of divinity, because He is God, equal
to the Father (cf. note on John 17:1-5). When He says that He is giving His dis-
ciples this glory, He is indicating that through grace He makes us partakers of the
divine nature (2 Peter 1:4). Glory and justification by grace are very closely united,
as we can see from Sacred Scripture: "Those whom He predestined He also called,
and those whom He called He also justified, and those whom He justified He also
glorified" (Romans 8:30). The change grace works in Christians makes us ever
more like Christ, who is the likeness of the Father (cf. 2 Corinthians 4:4; Hebrews
1:2-3): by communicating His glory Christ joins the faithful to God by giving them
a share in supernatural life, which is the source of the holiness of Christians and
of the Church: "Now we can understand better how [...] one of the principal as-
pects of her holiness is that unity centered on the mystery of the one and triune
God. 'There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope
that belongs to your call, one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father
of us all, who is above all and through all and in all' (Ephesians 4:4-6)" (St. J. Es-
criva, "In Love with the Church", 5).

24. Jesus concludes His prayer by asking that all Christians attain the blessed-
ness of Heaven. The word He uses, "I desire", not "I pray", indicates that He is
asking for the most important thing of all, for what His Father wants--that all may
be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth (cf. 1 Timothy 2:4): which is
essentially the mission of the Church--the salvation of souls.

As long as we are on earth we share in God's life through knowledge (faith) and
love (charity); but only in Heaven will we attain the fullness of this supernatural life,
when we see God as He is (cf. 1John 3:2), face to face (cf. 1 Corinthians 13:9-12).
Therefore, the Church has her sights fixed on eternity, she is eschatological: that
is, by having in this world all the resources necessary for teaching God's truth, for
rendering Him true worship and communicating the life of grace, she keeps alive
people's hope of attaining the fullness of eternal life: "The Church, to which we are
all called in Christ Jesus, and in which by the grace of God we acquire holiness,
will receive its perfection only in the glory of Heaven, when will come the time of
the renewal of all things (Acts 3:21). At that time, together with the human race,
the universe itself, which is so closely related to man and which attains its desti-
ny through him, will be perfectly reestablished in Christ (cf. Ephesians 1:10; Co-
lossians 1:20; 2 Peter 3:10-13)" (Vatican II, "Lumen Gentium", 48).

25-26. God's revelation of Himself through Christ causes us to begin to share in
the divine life, a sharing which will reach its climax in Heaven: "God alone can give
us right and full knowledge of this reality by revealing Himself as Father, Son and
Holy Spirit, in whose eternal life we are by grace called to share, here below in the
obscurity of faith and after death in eternal light" (Paul VI, "Credo of the People of
God").

25-26. 하느님께서 그리스도를 통하여 당신 자신을 드러내심은 우리로 하여금, 하늘
(Heaven, 천당)에서 그 절정에 도달할 함께 함(a sharing)인, 하느님의 삶에 함께 하는
것을 시작하게 합니다(causes): "오로지 하느님만이 우리에게 성부, 성자 그리고
성령으로서 당신 자신을 드러내심에 의하여 이러한 실재(reality)에 대한 올바르고
충만한 지식을 제공하실 수 있는데, 그 결과로 여기 아래에서 믿음에 대한 몽롱함
(obscurity) 안에서 그리고 죽음 이후에 영원한 빛 안에서, 우리가 그분들의 영원한 삶
안으로 은총에 의하여 함께 하도록 부름을 받게 됩니다" [교황 바오로 6세(Paul VI),
"Credo of the People of God"].

Christ has revealed to us all we need to know in order to participate in the mutual
love of the Divine Persons--primarily, the mystery of who He is and what His mis-
sion is and, with that, the mystery of God Himself ("I made known to them Thy
name"), thus fulfilling what He had announced: "No one knows the Father except
the Son and any one to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him" (Matthew 11:27).

그리스도께서는 하느님의 위격(the Divine Persons)들의 상호 사랑에 참여하기 위하여
알아야 할 필요가 있는 전부를 -- 주로, 당신께서 누구이신지 그리고 당신의 임무가
무엇인지 그리고, 그리하여, 하느님 당신 자신의 신비를, 우리에게 이미 드러내셨으며
("저는 그들에게 아버지의 이름을 알려주었습니다"), 그 결과 당신께서 다음과 같이 이미
선포하셨던 바를 구현하셨습니다: "아버지 외에는 아무도 아들을 알지 못한다. 또 아들
외에는, 그리고 그가 아버지를 드러내 보여 주려는 사람들 외에는 아무도 아버지를
알지 못한다"(마태오 복음서 11,27).

Christ continues to make known His Father's love, by means of the Church, in
which He is always present: "I am with you always, to the close of the age"
(Matthew 28:20).

그리스도께서는, 다음과 같이 그 안에 당신께서 항상 현존하시는, 교회라는 수단에
의하여(by means of the Church), 당신의 성부의 사랑을 계속하여 알게 하십니다:
"내가 세상 끝 날까지 언제나 너희와 함께 있겠다" (마태오 복음서 28,20).
　

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Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States. We encourage readers to purchase
The Navarre Bible for personal study. See Scepter Publishers for details.