(Seventh Sunday of Easter (C): This homily was given on May 29, 2022 at St. Pius X Church, Westerly, R.I., by Fr. Raymond Suriani. Read Acts 7:55-60; Psalm 97:1-9; Revelation 22:12-20; John 17:20-26.)
[For the audio version of this homily, click here: Seventh Sunday of Easter 2022]
It would be hard to think of two
people who were more disunited than
Saul the Pharisee and Stephen the deacon.
And the focal point of their disunity was none other than Jesus Christ:
Stephen accepted Jesus as the Messiah and Savior of the world, and Saul
categorically rejected him. And because
he was so utterly convinced that he was right, Saul made it his business to
persecute, arrest and imprison those who professed to be Jesus’ disciples.
Ultimately, of course, his misguided passion made him an accomplice to murder. As we heard in today’s first reading from Acts 7, when Stephen was being stoned to death, Saul watched over the cloaks of those who were throwing the rocks. He looked on approvingly, while the first martyr of the Church was being killed.
Which brings us to this morning’s gospel text from John 17, in which Jesus prays for unity among his followers (and, since Jesus calls everyone to follow him, it’s actually a prayer for unity among all people). Jesus says, “Holy Father, I pray . . . that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you. . . . And I have given them the glory you gave me, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may be brought to perfection as one . . . “
The Lord desires unity in his Church. But not only that—he desires unity in marriages; he desires unity in families; he desires unity among ethnic groups; he desires unity in every dimension of life.
But it often seems to be an elusive goal, does it not?
Well, today I’ll share with you a simple insight as to how we can all move closer to the goal.
It’s a rather simple concept, but (as is so often the case) it’s not so simple to put into practice.
Our teachers of this crucial lesson about unity, believe it or not, are Saul the Pharisee and Stephen the deacon.
Now you might say, “But, Fr. Ray, you just spoke about how disunited those two men were!”
That’s true. But they are not disunited now! In fact, at this moment, they have achieved a perfect unity—the kind that we can only dream about on this side of the grave.
What caused this incredible, 180-degree change in the quality of their relationship? And what’s the lesson they teach us about how to achieve greater unity in our Church, in our families, and in our other interpersonal relationships?
Very simply, the lesson is this: For unity to be attained within a group of people, something radical must happen on the inside of everyone involved! And I mean everyone!
We see this clearly in Saul and Stephen.
Something radical happened inside of Stephen just before he died: he forgave his murderers—and that included Saul! He fell to his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” Stephen cooperated with the grace which God offered him at that moment, and made the decision to pardon those who were stoning him to death. If he had not made that decision—if he had allowed hatred to fill his heart, and had carried that with him to his grave—he could never have been united with Saul in God’s kingdom. His hatred would have been an insurmountable obstacle to unity.
The radical change that happened in Saul occurred not long after Stephen’s death. We all know the story: Jesus knocked him to the ground as he was heading to Damascus to arrest more Christians, and our Lord said to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” The radical, interior change Saul experienced was his conversion to Christianity—a change that would ultimately lead to his becoming Saint Paul, the Apostle of Jesus Christ.
The unity which Stephen and Paul now share in heaven is beautifully expressed in this writing from a 6th century bishop and saint:
Love was Stephen’s weapon by which he gained every battle, and so won the crown signified by his name. His love of God kept him from yielding to the ferocious mob; his love for his neighbor made him pray for those who were stoning him. Love inspired him to reprove those who erred, to make them amend; love led him to pray for those who stoned him, to save them from punishment. Strengthened by the power of his love, he overcame the raging cruelty of Saul, and won his persecutor on earth as his companion in heaven. . . .
Now at last, Paul rejoices with Stephen, with Stephen he delights in the glory of Christ, with Stephen he exults, with Stephen he reigns. Stephen went first, slain by the stones thrown by Paul, but Paul followed after, helped by the prayer of Stephen. This, surely, is the true life, my brothers, a life in which Paul feels no shame because of Stephen’s death, and Stephen delights in Paul’s companionship, for love fills them both with joy. It was Stephen’s love that prevailed over the cruelty of the mob, and it was Paul’s love that covered the multitude of his sins; it was love that won for both of them the kingdom of heaven. (From a sermon by St. Fulgentius of Ruspe, 2nd reading in the Office of Readings for Dec. 26.)
Think, this morning, of the people in your life with whom you desire a greater unity. (No doubt some of them are in your own family.) Then ask the Lord to help you to see what radical changes need to occur INSIDE YOU before this unity can come about. The Lord may bring you to the realization that you need to forgive, or swallow your pride, or ask forgiveness, or deal with a bad habit or a personality flaw.
But—whatever it is—resolve to make that radical change with the help of God’s grace, and pray that everyone else involved in the situation will do the same.
Remember, for unity to be attained within a group of people, something radical must happen on the inside of everyone involved.
St. Stephen and St. Paul, pray for us, that we will be one, as you are one!
