How do we react when we come face to face with truth we don’t want to hear?
This is the first of many questions that Acts 7:51-8:1a begs us to ask ourselves.
When Stephen tells the elders and the scribes that they are betrayers and murderers, Saul, the leader of the scribes and elders consents to Stephen being stoned to death. The elders, the scribes, and Saul react to the truth of Stephen’s words by continuing their betrayal of Christ and murderous actions.
But the reading gives us hope by begging us to contemplate and accept God’s infinite mercy. Stephen’s words of forgiveness while being stoned reflect the words of Christ during the crucifixion, “…Lord, do not hold this sin against them…” (Acts 7:60). We learn from Stephen’s act of forgiveness during his death, and later from Saul’s conversion, that God provides an abundance of grace. God not only forgives; he gives us the grace to forgive the seemingly unforgiveable.
The reading also gives us the hope that even if we do not immediately accept his grace and mend our ways, God will never stop offering his grace and forgiveness. No matter how late in life we come to him, he will be there, offering his mercy and love. If you continue to read beyond today’s scripture in the Acts of the Apostles, we hear that Saul, the leader who consented to having Stephen and many other followers of Christ condemned to death, is renamed Paul. As Paul, Saul becomes one of the most famous and influential disciples of Christ. He is so influential that he is named Saint Paul.
Today’s reading, which tells the story of Stephen’s martyrdom, shows us God’s infinite grace, mercy, and forgiveness. It not only reminds us of how we should react when the truth of our sins are revealed to us, it also shows us that we will receive the grace to forgive and be forgiven, no matter how dire or unforgiveable our sins may seem. It shows us that no matter how late in life we come to him, he will be ready to receive us. How hopeful is that? What a thing to celebrate and be joyful over!
