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Feast of Saint Stephen

Today's Lectionary Readings
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This is the Feast Day of St. Stephen, one of the first seven deacons
appointed by the apostles to serve the poor and the vulnerable while
allowing the apostles the opportunity to share the Good News of Jesus
Christ with others. St. Stephen professed the Lord Jesus Christ and
stood firmly on his faith and the Holy Spirit working within him. For
his love of Jesus and his faith he was martyred.

Today, we who are blessed to work for Catholic Charities provide
ministry to the poor and the vulnerable in many different settings and
circumstances.

We are often criticized for not doing enough, or for doing too much.
We may be criticized for standing on the teaching of the Catholic
Church, which often is at odds with our communities and the larger
society we live in. We face demands of funders to sometimes compromise
our values and rethink our positions on issues in society that put us
at odds with the mainstream.

When these persecutions occur, we can simply look to St. Stephen for
our example. Undaunted by criticism, overflowing with the love of the
Holy Spirit directing him to embrace his brothers and sisters in need,
he stood firmly in faith and did as the Spirit directed.

I pray that we will follow his example of unwavering faith and immense
love for those we are privileged to serve. May we truly serve Jesus
and set aside the expectations of our society as we seek to share the
light of Jesus through our actions and our words.

Deacon Gary Tester is President of Catholic Charities of Central
Florida and a board member of Catholic Charities of Florida.




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