Our darkness can become the light of Christ

The stoning of Stephen, the first martyr of the Church, reminds us that the cross is not simply the precursor of the resurrection. The cross is and becomes the revelation of the risen life of Christ in every generation. Stephen saw it at the exact moment of his death. "Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus was at the right hand of God. 'I see the sky wide open and Jesus standing at the right hand of God'".

Instinctively we shrink from pain and suffering. We cannot understand its meaning, and yet, when they surrender to the Cross of Christ, they become Stephen's vision of the door of heaven wide open. Our darkness becomes the light of Christ, our fervent struggle the revelation of his Spirit.

The Book of Revelation embraced the suffering of the early Church and spoke with a certainty that went beyond its darkest fears. Christ, the first and the last, the Alpha and the Omega, proved to be the fulfillment of our restless desire. “Come, make all those who are thirsty come; all those who wish can have the water of life and have it free. Whoever guarantees these revelations repeats his promise: soon I will be with you soon. Amen, come Lord Jesus. "

Sinful humanity longs for peace that remains undisturbed despite the challenges of life. Such was the unshakable peace that accompanied Jesus on the Cross and beyond. He could not be shaken because he rested in the love of the Father. This was the love that brought Jesus to new life in his resurrection. This is the love that brings us peace, which sustains us day after day. "I have made your name known to them and I will continue to make it known, so that the love with which you have loved me can be in them and that I can be in them".

Jesus promised living water to the thirsty. The living water that he promised is our sharing in his perfect communion with the Father. The prayer that concluded his ministry embraced us in that communion: “Holy Father, I pray not only for these, but also for those who, through their words, will believe in me. May they all be one. Father, may they be one in us as you are in me and I am in you ”.

May our life, through the promised Spirit, witness that perfect communion of Father and Son.