"Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God. But they cried out in a loud voice, covered their ears, and rushed upon him together. They threw him out of the city, and began to stone him."

Even in the days of the early church, the disciples often confronted hatred and suspicion from those they tried to tell about Jesus.

The reading tells of the killing of St. Stephen, typically referred to as the first martyr. For as long as there are humans, there have been killings over beliefs. Time and time again, wars have been fought which boiled down to "my God is better than your God."

Despite the complexity of the situation in the Middle East, Iraq, Afganistan and international fundamentalism, the bottom line is a fight over how to believe in God. Will it be my way or your way?

How far we have come in terms of human development? Some things remain forever etched in granite. Jesus came and told us to love God and each other. Are we listening?


As  always, God Bless you! 

 - Father Aloy