Psalms 51:3-4 Acts 6:8
Have mercy on me, God, in accord with your merciful love; in
your abundant compassion blot out my transgressions. Thoroughly wash away my guilt; and from my
sin cleanse me.
Now Stephen, filled with grace and power,
was working great wonders and signs among the people.
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The following is a brief reflection based on Fr. Matthew
Long’s reflection on ministry and the diaconate.
Today we learned about the true power of
ministry. It was explained to us, that this power is what deacons and all ministers of Christ are given. It is a power from God that we have in common
with Jesus. It is also something
every Christian has; the power to give a person dignity.
Jesus miracles of healing the sick, casting out
demons, turning water to wine, and feeding thousands are just a few of the
divine miracles. However, Jesus also
performed many great works with the humanly attainable acts of love and
caring. Jesus
forgave sins and made plain the effect of this forgiveness. Forgiveness brings the forgiven back into the
community. In forgiveness, Jesus gave
dignity to those who had become outcasts. Jesus did this with Zacchaeus, the tax collector of Jericho
In his reflection, Fr. Long said that people who fall
into sinfulness are looking for love. We can see this looking for love in all three of these three people. They were just looking in the wrong place.
Since the beginning of time, human nature is the same in
all people; we are all looking for a loving relationship with God. Everyone has
a god, something they worship; it just may not be the true God. It was true for the people Jesus
found; yet, Jesus gave them the love
they were looking for and in it they found God. Jesus gave them dignity.
This is what the first deacons were chosen
to do. They were
to bring justice to the Christian community and restore dignity to those who
felt they were outcasts. Justice is giving a person what is their due. This includes dignity. Stephen's justice, dignity, and forgiveness that brought people back to the community could the works
of great wonder accomplished in the grace and power of God.
It is said that Adam’s sin was the loss of justice. In social teachings we learn that the
foundation of justice is human dignity. Human
nature seeks dignity and this has not changed. Jesus’ message remains the same. If justice is lost then so is dignity and sin
cause us to loose both. The true power of Christian ministry is the forgiveness that restores humanity to a place of justice and dignity. Our message like Stephen's is that Jesus died for the forgiveness of our sins to restore justice and dignity; and, bring us to the Father.
Prayer:
Christ Jesus, Forgive us our
sins as our Lord and Savior who died for our sins, Christ Jesus have mercy on
us. Lead us to your reconciliation. In
the grace and power that are gifts of the Father, allow us to do his work in
the world. Amen
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