Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish

FR MICHAEL BIBLICAL IMAGERY

(Fr Michael Boakye Yeboah: Vice Rector of St Gregory Seminary, Kumasi-Ghana)

STEPHEN

            I have heard it said that “the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” I would like to associate myself with these wise words. We are all complaining of the acts and deeds of some evil men in our world which have left diverse effects on millions of people especially women, children, the sick and the physically challenged. I am of the opinion that it is not that these evil men are powerful but it is simply because a lot of the good men have decided to remain silent and mute. How many good people are ready to speak as prophets of God?

            Our present situation isn’t different from the days of the Acts of the Apostles. After the resurrection of Jesus many people attacked the Christians. While some good men decided to stay silent and made those evil men powerful, some were not afraid to speak the truth and bear witness to the point of death. An example of such fearless men was a certain Stephen. We first heard of Stephen, when the leadership of the church saw the need to choose deacons to serve. He was among the first to be chosen. The missionary work kept the Apostles so busy that they could not do all that was necessary to direct the Church, so they chose and ordained seven good men to take care of the poor and the widows. One of the seven men chosen was Stephen. His calling was special to him. Whoever recommended Stephen, did so, not only because of his moral uprightness alone but also because of his boldness in defending the faith.

            In today’s first reading, St Luke tells us that Stephen filled with the Holy Spirit defended the faith. Unfortunately, many people were angered by Stephen’s preaching. They did not believe that Jesus was the Savior, and they accused Stephen of blasphemy. St Luke tells us that some of these non-believers brought Stephen before the Sanhedrin, a court of Jewish leaders. An unlawful and unfair trial was held, and some of the people lied about Stephen, hoping to get him into trouble. But even though Stephen was falsely accused, he remained strong, faithful, and forgiving. He knew that God was with him.

            During the trial Stephen’s face began to glow. It was like the face of an angel, for the power of God was upon him. In answering the charges of the council, Stephen did not try to defend himself, but instead told the people that they were not obeying God’s commandments. The enemies of the faith did not only threaten Stephen but they killed him by stoning. Stephen knew the fate that awaited him but that did not keep him silent to allow evil men to spread “poison.” There are so many ways we can also be bold and fearless. In our world today, there are still some people who are suffering and they do not have anybody to speak for them. One group of people who need help among the lot is those who have been wrongfully imprisoned. The last time I checked we still have “pro bono” as part of the legal system. We need many of our Catholic lawyers to take “pro bono” cases and help those who are in prison. Some people cannot speak for themselves, they need help.

            There are a lot of evil deeds in our world so we need fearless people like Stephen to speak up even to the point of death. If good men continue to be silent and indifferent, then our world will sink into darkness and evil. We should note that as Christians, speaking up and defending the defenseless does not call for any hate and violent speeches. As Christians, our words should always be laced with words from Holy Scripture.

            You know what rocks my heart vehemently about the life of Stephen? He went beyond his line of work to testify to the truth and preach the Gospel. Stephen’s line of work was clearly defined for him and he was aware of his qualification for his work. For his qualification, he and the other deacons were meant to be morally upright Christians. As regards to his definition of work, he was meant to serve the poor and the needy in the community. But when there was the need, Stephen moved by the Holy Spirit went beyond his work definition to do more for Jesus. He demonstrated his prowess in catechetical instruction and boldness in standing for Jesus against the non-believers.

The great lesson we can learn from Stephen’s example is that we need to go beyond our lines of work and profession and preach the gospel in our world. I know you are not an ordained minister of the gospel who has preaching the gospel as his well-defined line of work. You may be an academic professor, a lawyer, a nurse, a secretary or any other professional but you can move beyond your profession and stand up for Jesus. In our world today, we can find Christians in almost every sector of life but are Christians bringing the Gospel’s witness in our places of work? At times it is sad that for some Christians, instead of standing up for Jesus like Stephen, we have joined the league of evil doers and promoting the deeds of darkness.

            Is a mother waiting for the pastor to enter her home and preach to her college daughter who seem to be living her youthful life like a prostitute? Is a father of a house waiting for the priest to correct his wayward son who seem to be chasing everything in skirt? Parents are meant to stand up for Jesus and his gospel by preaching moral uprightness in their homes because moral decadence is on the all-time high.

            Who among the clergy will stand up and speak boldly to the men of God against the waywardness of some of them. Can a Christian find in his/her pastor a reflection of the gospel he preaches every Sunday? If we are not regaled with the boldness of Stephen and defend the tenets of the gospel, we will live to regret. For some Christians today, Christianity is more of a fashion than a way of life. Some men of God are not bold and fearless. They preach what the world wants to hear. Let us all come together and defend the Christian way of life. We need our bishops, priests, religious, and lay faithful to preach the Gospel fearlessly. Please, we should always remember that: “the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”  I know you cannot force someone to hear a message (s)he is not ready to receive. But we must never underestimate the power of planting a seed of goodness. Please make efforts to spread goodness. OUR LADY OF PERPETUAL HELP PRAY FOR US.