The first reading from the Acts of the Apostles (6:8-15) gave an account of the encounter between Stephen, debating with certain members of the Synagogue of Freedmen, and how those groups instigated some people to falsely accused Stephen of speaking “blasphemous words against Moses and God.” Old tricks never die.
Many of our Christian brothers and sisters are suffering the same faith today in various parts of the world. They are faced with false accusations or instigation of blasphemy. As it was at the time of Stephen, so also at our time, some religious groups still have blasphemy as a capital crime.
So, if someone wants to get rid of a person, just accuse him or her of a blasphemous act, and then the mob, mad dogs, will do the job for them. We all have read numerous accounts or reports of such heinous acts around the globe.
In the first reading, the crowd and the mob did a number on Stephen. In the Gospel, we have another kind of crowd. After being fed by Jesus the previous day, this crowd was hungry for food. Jesus called them out for directing their material needs above their spiritual needs.
Jesus said to them, “Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures of eternal life” John 6:27.
What can you and I learn from Jesus’s statement? We should not look at life solely in terms of “food”: things that perish, wears out, and have no eternal worth.
The Lord did not mean that they should not work for their daily living, but He did mean that this should not be the supreme aim in their lives. Satisfying one’s physical appetite is not the most important thing in life. Man consists not only of body, but of spirit and soul as well. We should labor for the food which endures to everlasting life.
You and I should not devote all our strength and talents to the feeding and clothing and entertaining of our body, which in a few short years will be eaten by worms. Rather, we should make sure that our soul is fed day by day with the Word of God.
“Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.”
Easter season is a wonderful time to do an examination of conscience. It is a good time to ask the important questions: Who am I? Why am I here on earth? Where will I be at the end of my earthly life? Let’s strive to work tirelessly to acquire a better knowledge of the Word of God, “to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior.” (2 Pet 3:18)
