7TH SUNDAY OF EASTER (YEAR C)

1st Reading                  Acts 7: 55-60

Psalm                            97:1&2b. 6& 7c. 9 (R. 1a9a)

R:// "The Lord is king, the most high above all the earth"

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

Gospel                          John 17: 20-26

KEEP THE GAZE AND FOCUS

Peace and Goodness, friends! Today is the 7th Sunday of Easter (Year C). It is the last Sunday of Easter. This means that next Sunday is Pentecost Sunday, and, as expected, we ought to prepare adequately towards that day. The second thing about today is that it is not only the very first day of the new month of June but doubles as its first Sunday. We are halfway through the year. Despite the setbacks we have in view of our resolutions and goals, we just have to keep the focus. Do not give up yet. Just keep your "gaze" fixed on Christ. Finally, the month of June is traditionally the month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. 

Let us say a few words about the readings for today. Our first reading is from Acts 7: 55-60. This is the narrative of the stoning of the man, Stephen, one of the 7 Deacons, a man described as "filled with faith and the Holy Spirit" (Acts 6:5). In fact, the story of Stephen starts from Acts 6, and we read about his death, a tragic incident, today. 

Why was Stephen stoned to death? Well, according to Leviticus 24:16, anyone, whether stranger or native, who blasphemes the name of the Lord shall be put to death by stoning. Did Stephen really commit blasphemy? What did he say? Stephen said, "Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God" (Acts 7:56). What was the crime in here? The author narrated this statement in an expansive form earlier in Acts 7: 55 and mentioned that Stephen gazed into Heaven and saw two things: first, he saw "the glory of God", and second, "Jesus standing at the right hand of God". What are these? 

The Greek word translated as "Glory" is "doxa", and its Hebrew equivalent is "Kavod". "Kavod" literally has to do with the weight a person carries. This word describes a fat person. "Doxa" and "Kavod" describe majesty and honour. To see a person's majesty is to see the person himself. Stephen is saying he had seen God. In the mind of the Jew, no one can see God and live. To see God is to blaspheme. Also, remember that while Israel was in the desert, the glory of God comes down in a cloud and rests upon the tent of meeting, thus, the Tabernacle. The only person who goes in there was Moses. In effect, only a priest could enter the sanctuary. We do not know Stephen to be a priest. In a Christian sense, Stephen is only a Deacon. Why is he saying what he is not supposed to say? 

What heightened the issue is that he sees Jesus at the right hand of God. To sit at the right hand of God meant that Stephen is equating Jesus as sharing in the same power with God. He sees Jesus as God. This is a man who was killed and "purported" to have risen and even ascended. How could he be God? That is blasphemy. To the Jews, he committed blasphemy, but in the eyes of God, he said what he saw. Despite the response of the Jews to what he said, he kept his GAZE. 

What was the response of the Jews? "They cried out in a loud voice, COVERED THEIR EARS, and rushed upon him together" (Acts 7:57). What does it mean to COVER ONE'S EARS. It is the same phrase used in Zechariah 7: 11 to accuse the Jews of purposefully ignoring the parts of the Law aimed at protecting the vulnerable. What it means is that most of the Jews have simply not changed. They still remain adamant to God's Word, the LAW. They also simply do not want to listen to it. They do not want to listen to what Stephen is saying. In spite of this, Stephen kept his GAZE. He gazed into Heaven. When he faced the immediate and tragic opposition, his gaze did not change. 

The Greek word translated as "Gaze" is ἀτενίζω (atenizō). This goes beyond physical watching. It is a spiritual viewing. He even invites them to see, thus, "Behold...". After telling them what he saw, he invited them to see it for themselves. The fact that you cannot see what others see does not guarantee that you destroy what they say and do. Learn first to see and listen before you attack. It seemed that Stephen's mission was failing. Despite that, he kept his GAZE, his view, not on the people and the surrounding conditions of noise and covering of the ear, but on Heaven and Heaven alone. 

Dear friends, many times people do not see what we see. That alone invites persecution and rejection. Let us not be taken aback by the surrounding situations lest they draw us back and refocus us to themselves. It is we who see what we see. If the world will not see with us, even after inviting them to see, and only try to destroy our vision, we must not shift our gaze. Keep your GAZE. At the end of this season of Easter, we begin to realise that we saw the glory of God and Jesus ascending into Heaven and seated at the right hand of God. If others will not see that and reason with us but seek to "stone us to death" by laughing at us and mocking us, we should continue to keep the GAZE. Finally, as we have arrived halfway through the year, let us also not be troubled by the disheartening results and seeming failures regarding what we resolved to do this year. Just keep the GAZE and FOCUS.

My dear friends, how often do we lose focus because of the noise around us? How often do we get discouraged when others mock us, laugh at our faith, question our beliefs, or misunderstand our dreams?

Even Jesus, in today’s Gospel from John 17, prays for those who would believe in Him through the word of the apostles. He prays for unity, yes – but also for vision: “Father, I desire that those whom You have given me may be with me where I am, to see my glory...” To see that glory – that “doxa” in Greek, that “kavod” in Hebrew – is not just about beauty. It is about the very presence of God.

To see His glory is to recognize Him. Stephen saw it – and died for it. And you and I – even halfway through a difficult year – are being invited to fix our gaze again. On Christ. On Heaven. On hope.

Pax et Bonum