Acts 7:51 - 8:1 / John 6:30-35
The world often determines standards of who we are and what we should be.
So high up on the scale are those who have powerful authority.
Up there would also be the super-rich, the famous, the influential, etc.
But we may come to see that those are mere externals.
Those externals do not tell us much about the character of the person.
In the 1st reading, the people who were ganging up against Stephen showed who they really are.
They found power in numbers, and they used it against Stephen, who was helplessly alone.
Stephen also showed his true character. He preached even when he knew he was risking his life.
And at the end of his life, his true character was expressed in forgiving his enemies.
Let us remember that it is not what we have or what we do that determines our character.
It is when we put on the person of Christ, that we will be formed into a person who will be like Christ.
And like Christ, we too will be loving and forgiving, kind and compassionate, truthful and humble.