Good morning good people,
May the Risen Lord give you peace and blessings. It is 05th April 2025. We reflect on Acts 6:8–15 and John 6:22–29
Pope Francis encourages us: “Holiness is not about swooning in mystic rapture. As Saint John Paul II said, it is the courage to live and to suffer for love, for justice, and for peace.” (Gaudete et Exsultate, 37)
“If they can’t win you, they’ll surely bin you.”
That’s exactly what happened to St. Stephen, the first martyr of the Church. A soul ablaze with the Spirit, working wonders, preaching truth, and standing for justice—yet condemned, falsely accused, and silenced by stones. His life stirred hearts, irritated consciences, and cracked open the illusion of self-righteousness. Because, you see, when people can’t counter your holiness with their habits, they try to cancel you.
But blessed are you, Jesus says, “When people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven…” (Matthew 5:11–12).
This isn’t just about St. Stephen. It’s about every teacher, preacher, and believer who dares to live the Gospel when the world would rather scroll past it. It’s about you and me—standing tall, even when life throws stones.
Let us not be quick to argue. Let us be quick to witness. Live a life that leaves people speechless. A life like Stephen’s.
A young seminarian in a persecuted country secretly gathered children to teach them catechism. Arrested and tortured, he never denied Christ. Years later, his quiet faith converted the prison guard who beat him. The guard, now baptized, said, “He showed me Jesus without preaching. He bled kindness.”
That’s counter-witnessing. That’s Stephen’s spirit alive today. Because only when the Church re-roots herself in faithful and fertile lives—not flashy sermons but small, sacred acts—can the Gospel values bloom again.
The Bread of Life is not comfort food; it’s soul food. The challenge is real: people searched for Jesus not because they believed, but because they wanted more bread. And He calls them out—calls us out: “Do not work for food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life…” (John 6:27).
When our search for Jesus is selfish—just for blessing, ease, or fame—it leads to a shallow spirituality. But when it’s self-giving, it becomes Eucharistic. No one can send us to hell but God. So why fear the world’s judgment?
Let’s live so fully, so charitably, that even when it itches someone’s conscience, we keep glowing. Keep growing. Keep going.
Even if they mock. Even if they shut us down. Even if they cancel us.
Let’s give God a chance today.
The day isn’t over yet. The good we do today may echo into eternity. Don’t switch off the mission. Don’t switch lanes. God is not done with you. Neither are His plans.
Have a lovely day. Stay salty. Stay holy. God bless you.