Sermon given Friday, December 26, 2023

How to Talk to Family & Friends Who Challenge Your Faith

(Readings: Acts 6:8-10, 7:54-59;
Psalm 31:3-17; and Matthew 10:17-22)

The Church recently celebrated the Feast of St. Stephen, the first martyr and Patron Saint of deacons.

He was one of the first seven men mentioned in Acts 6, selected by the Apostles to serve as deacons in the early Church. The term 'deacon' actually means servant. This event occurred in Greece at a time when the Church was growing rapidly. The Apostles were so engrossed in administrative work and attending to the physical needs of the faithful that they lacked sufficient time for prayer and addressing the spiritual needs of the burgeoning Christian community.

Just a paragraph before the readings for St. Stephen at Mass, we find details about how these first deacons were chosen and how they were ordained. This method of selection and ordination is still in practice today.

The scripture notes that the Apostles chose reputable men, filled with the spirit and wisdom, who were then ordained. Then Bishops, who were successors of the Apostles, prayed over them and laid hands on them.

I'm proud to say that this is precisely what happened to me and all other deacons of the Church at our ordination.

Scripture reveals that the initial duties of these new deacons included managing the daily distribution of food to the widows. However, as we see in today's first reading, their responsibilities quickly expanded to include spiritual service.

Stephen, now filled with grace and power, was performing great wonders and signs among the people. He was boldly preaching the gospel of Jesus, sharing his faith, and fearlessly challenging the people, particularly the Jewish religious leaders of the time. He told them they were being a stiff-necked people, always opposing the Holy Spirit as their ancestors had.

Upon hearing this, they were infuriated. Yet, Stephen continued preaching the truth. To silence him, they laid their cloaks at the feet of a young man named Saul, whom we know today as St. Paul, and stoned Stephen. As they did so, Stephen called out, 'Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.' Then, as he fell to his knees, he uttered his last words, 'Lord, do not hold this sin against them.'

St. Stephen was martyred in the year 35 AD, just a few years after our Lord Jesus was crucified.

Preaching the Gospel of Jesus was a perilous endeavor in the early Church, and encouraging others—especially those of other religions—to become Christians was dangerous.

Unfortunately, it seems we are heading more and more in that direction today. It's somewhat ironic that those in our culture who claim to be the most tolerant are often not tolerant at all of anyone who disagrees with them, especially those who, like us, firmly stand with Jesus and oppose worldly ways.

Jesus speaks directly to this in today's gospel. He said, "Beware of men, for they will hand you over to courts and scourge you and you will be led before governors and kings for my sake as a witness before them and the pagans."

While none of us have faced such threats yet, I'm sure each of us has encountered a situation where a friend, family member, or even a stranger felt compelled to challenge our faith. In those unexpected moments, finding the right words to defend our faith in Jesus and his Church can be challenging.

We pray, read the Bible, and study the faith. We know the faith, but it can be difficult to share it as we'd like when put on the spot. This may have even happened recently as we celebrated Christmas with family and friends.

Given all the media attention the Church receives, both good and bad (mostly bad), I anticipated someone might confront me with a statement like, "I heard the Pope approved gay marriage this week."

While it is true, as St. Peter tells us in 1 Peter 3:15, that we should always be ready to give a reason for our faith, we all know that sometimes the right words just won't come.

Today, Jesus reassures us, telling us, "Do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say. You will be given at that moment what you are to say. For it will not be you who speak but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you."

We must remember that even in times when we feel we didn't have the right words to defend our faith as we should or could have, the Holy Spirit works in and through us.

The words we do speak, when expressed with the love of Christ in gentleness and reverence, can have more power and impact than the most eloquent and well-thought-out speech.

Amen.