Memorial of Saint Catherine of Siena, virgin and doctor of the Church
Lectionary: 275

Reading 1 Acts 8:1b-8

There broke out a severe persecution of the Church in Jerusalem,
and all were scattered
throughout the countryside of Judea and Samaria,
except the Apostles.
Devout men buried Stephen and made a loud lament over him.
Saul, meanwhile, was trying to destroy the Church;
entering house after house and dragging out men and women,
he handed them over for imprisonment.

Now those who had been scattered went about preaching the word.
Thus Philip went down to the city of Samaria
and proclaimed the Christ to them.
With one accord, the crowds paid attention to what was said by Philip
when they heard it and saw the signs he was doing.
For unclean spirits, crying out in a loud voice,
came out of many possessed people,
and many paralyzed and crippled people were cured.
There was great joy in that city.

Responsorial Psalm 66:1-3a, 4-5, 6-7a

R.    (1)  Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R.    Alleluia.
Shout joyfully to God, all the earth,
sing praise to the glory of his name;
proclaim his glorious praise.
Say to God, “How tremendous are your deeds!”
R.    Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R.    Alleluia.
“Let all on earth worship and sing praise to you,
sing praise to your name!”
Come and see the works of God,
his tremendous deeds among the children of Adam.
R.    Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R.    Alleluia.
He has changed the sea into dry land;
through the river they passed on foot;
therefore let us rejoice in him.
He rules by his might forever.
R.    Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R.    Alleluia.

Alleluia John 6:40

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Everyone who believes in the Son has eternal life,
and I shall raise him up on the last day, says the Lord.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel John 6:35-40

Jesus said to the crowds,
“I am the bread of life;
whoever comes to me will never hunger,
and whoever believes in me will never thirst.
But I told you that although you have seen me,
you do not believe.
Everything that the Father gives me will come to me,
and I will not reject anyone who comes to me,
because I came down from heaven not to do my own will
but the will of the one who sent me.
And this is the will of the one who sent me,
that I should not lose anything of what he gave me,
but that I should raise it on the last day.
For this is the will of my Father,
that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him
may have eternal life,
and I shall raise him on the last day.”

For the readings of the Memorial of Saint Catherine of Siena, please go here.

Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

The Modern Early Church

I have wondered for a while if the church is experiencing a bell curve or sorts. As Christians, we read about the early church. The early saints are a source of encouragement and strength to us. They modeled a life well lived seeking after Christ and Christ alone. To seek Him is the only reason we even breathe, and we all want to be like Him and like the saints of His early church.

The Early Church of Stephen and Saul

But the early church was a heartbreaking and terrifying place to be. Death, pain, and suffering hounded the early Christians to the ends of the known world. Of course, that spread the truth of Christianity all the more quickly. But it wasn’t without pain and cost, even a cost joyfully paid by those saints.

For the last couple days, we have met Stephen and Saul. They were both zealous for their God, and in Stephen’s case, even unto death. But the two couldn’t have been more different. For while Stephen could see Jesus clearly, standing at the right hand of God, Saul was blinded by his own perception of truth.

The Modern Church of Today

Today, I can see this polarity played out in the world around me. We have the believing Christian world, clearly seeing Jesus on the right hand of God. But then there is the world around us, blinded, unable to see Jesus, and yet staunchly believing in its own truth. To each his own personal truth! Truth is subjective! Except that it isn’t.

Additionally, persecution is still greatly with us. We are called fools, demeaned, and torn down. Belittled and ridiculed. Sometimes, we are hurt or even killed.

Hope in the Hardship

With everything happening in our modern world, thoughts of persecution are a little scary. But Jesus promised us that we would be persecuted. He said that the world would hate us because it hated Him first.

And yet, there is such great hope in this time. Just like there was a persecuting Saul, there was a faithful Stephen. There was a Philip, who came behind Stephen and spread the news. And the unbelieving world is filled with hungry hearts eager to hear and believe.

Something about persecution and suffering opens the hearts of the hurting and makes them receptive to God. Right now, people are suffering. People are waiting for us to step forward and offer them the hope of the good news.

The Kingdom of God is at Hand

The greatest marker of the early Church was how close it was to Christ, both in time and in belief. If we are on a bell curve, we may be close to Christ, too. The kingdom of God is at hand. The time may be coming.

We have the ability to show Jesus to a dying world. He offers the only truly sustaining source of life. With Jesus, you will never hunger, and you will never thirst. Even in persecution, you will be filled. In Him, the you will have eternal life and be raised on the last day. Let us leave behind the darkness and begin to walk in His great light.

Jesus, give us the strength and courage today to step out of our comfort zones. Give us opportunities to share your overwhelming and abundant Good News with a broken world that is hungry for Living Bread. Give me the courage to invite a friend to read Your word today and to share Your love with a broken world.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.