ST. STEPHEN: MAN ON FORE WITH THE LOVE OF GOD!

One of the first deacons  (called to serve), the Proto-martyr (the first of multitudes to imitate Jesus in shedding his blood, man full of grace and the Holy Spirit, man who knew the Word of God, meditated on it, lived it and died for it— these sublime virtues describe the great SAINT STEPHEN,  whose Feast day we celebrate directly after the birth of the Saviour.  The Saviour was born on earth and his faithful soldier was born in heaven. 

How many excellent lessons we can learn from St Stephen!

1. DEACON!  Means “servant”. In imitation of Jesus (and St. Stephen) may we understand the value of service. Jesus declared: “The son of man came not to be served, but to give His life in ransom for many.”  “To serve is to reign; to reign is to serve!”

2. JESUS IN THE POOR!  As deacon, he was summoned to serve Jesus in the poor, orphans, widows, and the forgotten ones in society. May we see Jesus in the poor and suffering. Mother Teresa’s classical phrase:  “To see Jesus in the distressing disguise of the poor.”

3. WORD OF GOD.  St. Stephen was a man of the word of God.  He read the Word of God, meditated on it; assimilated it; he preached it; he lived it and even died for it!  May the Word of God take a more prominent role in my life!

4. DEFENSE OF THE TRUTH!  St. Stephen was not afraid to confront the enemies of the truth and stick up for the truth.  Never have we ever lived in a world with so much information; never has there been so much confusion.  May we know the TRUTH and stand up for the truth, like St. Stephen and the saints.

5. DEBATE!  Today more than ever we need Christians who can honestly—- through good apologetics— give arguments for the reason why we believe. May our words be like the fiery words of St. Stephen and pierce to the heart of the unbelievers.

6. INNOCENCE.  As St Stephen defends the Truth in front of the Sanhedrin, his face looked like that of an angel.  May we radiate innocence and purity in our actions, which flow from a pure and innocent heart.  “Blessed are the pure of heart, they will see God.” (Mt 5:8)

7. FORTITUDE: MAN OF COURAGE!  Despite the hostility of the enemies of the truth, St Stephen did not back down, nor buckle under pressure. When confronted with obstacles in our lives, tribulations, and persecutions, may we remain firm, sustained by the strength of the Holy Spirit.

8. CROWNING GRACE!    The name “Stephen” means crowning!  He was not crowned with roses, diamonds, gold— no comfortable crown at all!  Rather, St. Stephen’s crowning was that of stones, crashing down upon his skull and killing him.  Shortly after, however, Jesus would crown him in heaven as the  PROTOMARTYR— meaning, the first to die to shed his blood in imitation of his Lord and Master, the crucified and risen Lord  Jesus!

9. MERCY AND FORGIVENESS.  In imitation of Jesus, as Stephen is dying, he is forgiving his enemies, as we read in Sacred Scripture: ” As they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. Then he fell to his knees and cried out in a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them”; and when he said this, he fell asleep.   (Acts of the Apostles 7:59,60).  Another name for mercy is God’s love forgiving.  May we be merciful, so as to receive God’s mercy!

10. CONVERSION THROUGH PRAYER AND MERCY!  St. Augustine points out that it was through the prayers of St. Stephen that we have the conversion of Saul to St. Paul.  Conversion is God’s work; however, He is profoundly moved by humble, pure, sincere and fervent prayer and an outpouring of mercy.  Those were the sentiments of the heart of Stephen. Now, both St. Stephen and St. Paul, side by side, are worshipping the Lord Jesus for all eternity!

May Our Lady, the Mother of Jesus, the Queen of the Apostles, and the Queen of the Martyrs, obtain for us that fire, love enthusiasm and zeal that burned in the heart of St. Stephen. May our words, works, and intentions be crowned with grace and holiness!

Sadness leading to depression, anxiety leading to stress, nervous tension leading to angry explosions– much of this is honestly related to lack of interior peace of soul and the root cause is  “unconfessed sins”.   Seeking this inner peace of mind, heart and soul, why not try the Sacrament of Confession?

Living with guilt and unconfessed sin overwhelms and crushes the spirit.  Lady Macbeth could not live with the guilt of murder and consequently had to constantly wash her hands of the guilt of the blood that was shed.  Guilt due to sin proves to be unbearable and often leads to sinful escape valves such as drink, porn, drugs, and even to suicide.

Years ago an article in Reader’s Digest  came to the conclusion that there were actually less suicides among Catholics  in comparison to Protestants and the principal reason was that Catholics have the sacrament of Confession, which as a secondary effect can actually help to overcome stress, anxiety and severe depression.

Why is it that if we step on a rusty tack, we extricate it right away.  If a child accidentally takes poison, he is rushed to the hospital.  Our junk is waiting outside every week for the Garbageman to trash it.   Bad odour in the home is expelled by a scent-spray.  Showering and bathing is done on a daily basis.  Doctor checkups are regular as means of preventive medicine. A speck of dust in the eye proves to be insupportable.  All of these are clear and daily examples of how intent we are in caring for the health of our body. Now what about the health of our soul!!!  Our care should be all the more serious.   Jesus said, “What does it profit a man to gain the whole world if he loses his soul. What can a man give in exchange for his soul?

The specific sacramental effect of  the sacrament of Confession is healing.  Sin wounds the soul as sickness hurts the body.   Jesus on one occasion healed the PARALYTIC.  Note, however, He first healed the man of his sins and then proceeded to heal his body. Jesus clearly teaches us that  the health and the salvation of our soul prevails over the body!

The following are useful tips to use in our preparation for making a good confession!

1. JUST GO!   The devil will tempt you not to go in a million different ways. Resist! Just to plan to go and then go!

2. PREPARE!  Do your preparation the night before. Never go into the confessional unprepared. Poor sacramental practice!   The fruit of the reception of the Sacrament, depends on the prior preparation. It has been written and proven that 90% of the success of the confession is in preparing even before you go into the confessional!

3. TIME!   Give yourself adequate time, and a quiet place, and a spiritual environment to prepare well!  A half hour to an hour time, silence  (no phones, t.v and distractions). The crucifix, Divine Mercy image, and a picture of Our Lady— all these sacramentals serve to help your preparation!

4. JOYFUL ENCOUNTER!  Be joyful and positive in anticipating your confession.  Remember the parable of the Prodigal Son and the great joy that the father experienced in having the son return home safe. Equally important is the Heavenly Father’s joy  in embracing you with love upon your returning home!

5. HOLY SPIRIT AND MARY.  Prepare examining your conscience call upon Mary(Our Lady of grace, Our Lady of Mercy) for her assistance. Still more, beg the Holy Spirit to enlighten your conscience to see objectively your sins and to arrive at heartfelt compunction and sorrow for sin.

6. GUIDE.  Purchase a good guide, or examination of conscience to help you to see objectively your sins.  Remember that the sin of the century is the loss of the sense of sin. (Pope Pius XII). A strong recommendation is the booklet of Father Altier, Minnesota, Leaflet Press.  It is a masterpiece!

7. PEN AND PAD IN HAND.   Write down your sins!  Why? All of us have “Senior moments” especially when nervous and under pressure. This done, in confessing you have your sins before your eyes.  Otherwise, it happens that you confess all of the sins except the most important and leave the confessional and then  remember; then you want to go back to confess but either no priest or the line is too long!  Afterward, destroy the list of sins!

8. SORROW: PERFECT CONTRITION!   Beg for the grace of both imperfect contrition(attrition)— fear of God’s punishment and the possibility of eternal loss of your soul.  Better yet, beg for perfect contrition— sorrow because you hurt the one who loves you so much and that you want to love  in return.  (Fulton’s Sheen’s definition of sin).  Perfect love of God far supersedes anything else. Indeed you do not want to hurt your Greatest Lover— Jesus who died on the cross for you!

9. PREVENTIVE MEDICINE.  Confession serves as healing medicine as well as preventive medicine.   When a cold is coming on, better to take a double dose of Vitamin C and avoid the cold. Similarly, frequent confession— even of venial sins— serves as a means to prevent bigger falls!  However, look in retrospect to your sins; rewind the moral-compass, and you will pick up what was the person, place, or thing or circumstance that let to your moral collapse. In other words do not play with fire; avoid walking on the slippery slope; do not walk on thin ice and finally, playing in danger results in perishing in it!   Good confessions take into account the past falls, the “why”, the reason and the “Kryptonite”. Know yourself and your fatal flaw!

10. PRAY FOR CONFESSOR!  St Faustina Kowalska on one occasion  confessed and left in confusion and desolation; the reason?  Jesus revealed to her that she did not pray for the Confessor before entering the confessional.  The next confession, Faustina made sure to pray for the Confessor before entering.  That time, the priest understood her perfectly, gave her good advice and she left flying on a wave of consolation.  In short, pray for your confessor, and to his Guardian Angel, before entering the confessional; the results will markedly improve!

Conclusion!   As catholics, treasures are at your beck and call! Interior peace of soul, purity of conscience, overflowing, joy,  innocence restored,  sanctifying grace abounding— all of these are free gifts to all of those who make good confessions. However, we must prepare well!    The abundance of grace is in direct proportion to the seriousness of the preparation.  Finally, listen to these consoling words:  “ AND I ABSOLVE YOU OF YOUR SINS IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER AND OF THE SON AND OF THE HOLY SPIRIT….YOUR SINS ARE FORGIVEN, GO IN PEACE!!!!   The merciful Heart of Jesus is opened and waiting for you!

St. Elizabeth, St. Anne, Hannah(the mother of Samson)– what did they all share in common, guess?  They all suffered from infertility, but then were blessed with their heart’s desire: a child!  John the Baptist, Samson (the strong man), Mary,  (The Immaculate one and the Mother of Jesus).
These were the priceless treasures given to these elderly women and priceless jewels given to the world and for the blessing of all humanity.

Years ago couples would marry with this philosophy in life: we will take from the hands of God as many children that He sends us, as soon as He sends them and in any way that He sends them. God is the author and  origin of life, and  wise beyond our wildest imagination, He knows best!  Today, on the contrary, many couples marry with the philosophy: let us wait until we have more money in the bank, a bigger and more spacious house, a nice pool, a huge television set, and after travelling the world, then we might decide upon having a child, one or two at most! Avoiding the child, of course, by utilizing contraception and the  many forms! 

The first philosophy embraced the “Gospel of Life”; the latter, embraced the “Culture of death”.  (Concept of Blessed John Paul II).   Where are you on this spectrum? Have you decided to embrace fully the “Gospel of life” in all its ramifications, or have you fallen into the dangerous and sinful pitfall of the “Culture of death”????   If you have been brainwashed into embracing the “Culture of death” the consequences are nothing less than poison in many ways!

Reflect seriously upon what  the deadly consequences of accepting the contraceptive mentality are!

1. CONTRACEPTION/ABORTAFACIENT.    It is a biological fact that many pills and forms of contraception are not simply contraceptive— preventing conception— but worse yet, many are abortafacient— that means they are actually producing micro-abortions.  This means “Microscopic” tiny(invisible to the eye) abortions.  In other words, little babies are being killed. The numbers are not calculated with perfect accuracy; however, huge number are being killed!

2.  CONTRACEPTIVE PILL:  POLLUTION OF FEMININE ECOLOGY.    Nausea,  high blood-pressure, blood clots that can lead to heart-attacks or strokes, increase in weight, infertility, possibility of breast cancer—– these, as well as many other, are possible side effects of taking chemical contraceptives.   What husband who loves his wife would  desire a “Death wish” for the one he truly loves???

3. UNFAITHFULNESS/PROMISCUITY/SEXUAL LICENSE.   Pope Paul VI made stark, but all too real prophecies, for those who buckle under the pressure of the “Contraceptive mentality.”  Among these dire prophecies was the explosion of the Sexual Revolution. Stands to reason!  Marital problems, lack of communication and dialogue, warmth and love has withered— why not seek the greener grass on the other side of the fence and hook up with a past lover, but of course, remember to “Take the pill” and nobody will find out!

4. DIVORCE!  Once found out, the marriage has been jeopardized to the point of “No-return” and the promise of ” Faithful until death do we part” is thrown out the window!

5. PROLIFERATION OF (S.T D’S)  With the explosion of the sexual revolution encouraged by the contraceptive mentality, there has been a sky-rocketing effect of Sexually transmitted diseases, many of which are viruses and will never be cured!  Remember the saying:  “God always forgives; man will sometimes forgive, but nature never forgives.” If nature is abused,  negative consequences will become a reality!

6. WOUNDED CHILDREN.  The innocent will suffer!  Jesus said, “Let the children come unto me; unless you become like a child you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven.”  Children who are products of divorce, led  on by the contraceptive mentality suffer irreparable wounds.  Low self-esteem, sadness leading to depression, insecurity, low grades at school, confusion, drink, drugs and immorality— all of these and more flare up in wounded children of divorced parents!

7. SEXUAL PERVERSION.  Once contraception has become one’s philosophy, then normal heterosexual expression of sexuality becomes boring and monotonous and more exotic forms of sexuality are often experienced; hence homosexuality flourishes! Once “Sex” becomes a god/idol, the capacity for perversion is limitless.  That is why the great St Teresa of Avila stated poignantly that once one lives in mortal sin, we should not be surprised what we do, but what we do not do!!! In other words, moral depravity has no limits when God’s grace is absent!

8. DENIGRATION OF THE WOMAN.    Sadly, another effect of the contraceptive mentality is the denigration of the woman.  The human person, the woman, has an exalted dignity, being created in the image and likeness of God and through Baptism, she is a daughter of God, sister to Jesus and temple of the Holy Spirit.  With the proliferation of contraception, the woman is no longer seen as a person— with this innate dignity– but  rather is seen simply as an object to be used and   enjoyed for pleasure and then discarded as would be a Coke bottle!

9.  SPIRITUAL DISASTER/MORAL DECAY/GODLESSNESS!   Once contraception becomes one’s life-choice, then God is ejected from one’s life!  Mortal sin indeed causes,  “Moral suicide” (words of Pope John Paul II). If  one ends his life in this state, then eternal damnation is the end result— this indeed is the ripe fruit of accepting and living the lie of the contraceptive life, which leads to physical, moral, spiritual and eternal death. Jesus said that the devil is a liar and murderer from the beginning.  Nothing more clearly explains the contraceptive mentality!

May Our Lady, St. Elizabeth and all the holy women of God through their prayers spur us on to purity, self-control, discipline and one day eternal life!