I think that today’s readings remind each one of us of the transformation that must occur in each of our hearts in order for the New Evangelization to transform our lives and our world. The last time we heard today’s Responsorial Psalm was on Good Friday, and it reminds us of the need to continually die unto our own selves. We must be willing to put anything on the altar of sacrifice, to follow Christ unreservedly. We must fall in love with the Lord, and to do so, we need to encounter him in a profound, personal way. That is what separates Christianity from every other religion. We are not worshiping a distant being to which we offer daily sacrifices. No, rather, we fall in love with an actual person, a living being, who is here with us, in our joys and sorrows, in our health and our infirmity, in our successes and our failures. We must meet this person who offers us more than we could ever dream of for ourselves, but where do we find him? The answer lies in the Gospel.

“I am the Bread of Life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst” (John 6:35). There is no better place to encounter and have personal experience the living person of Jesus Christ than at Mass, where He is physically present to us, where we receive His Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity, and become intimately acquainted with the almighty and eternal God. This is a great mystery, and if we truly knew what we were receiving, we would die of joy. We receive meaning, purpose, the One who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, Jesus Christ, the Son of God. There is nothing greater we can do in this life. Receiving the Eucharist makes heroes out of ordinary humans, like you and I. It equips us to be as loving as Mother Teresa, as devout as John Vianney, as courageous as Maximilian Kolbe, and as mystical as Theresa Lisieux because when we receive the Eucharist, we are receiving the rare fine air of Holiness itself as Heaven kisses earth. But it is a hard journey and so few recognize the courage within them needed to continue. Today’s First Reading tells us just how hard it can be.

St. Stephen is proclaiming the Truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and those surrounding him reject it, so they take him outside the city and stone him. Stephen stood in the face of the most dominant powers of his society and proclaimed the Truth of God, whom he had personally encountered, and it cost him his life. There is a New Evangelization that is occurring within the Church today. Amidst the darkness of the modern world, the light of Truth and Love found in the Church continues to shine. We must strive to become a beckon of that light to the world around us. This begins with surrendering ourselves to Christ. Then we must encounter him, and finally, we must proclaim him from the rooftops, telling everyone we encounter the Good News of Jesus Christ, and living it out in every aspect of our lives.

We are living at a time when we may be persecuted for our beliefs, for proclaiming the truth, but that should not deter us. “Do not be afraid.” We have been entrusted with a mission from God, a mission to proclaim the Gospel at all times, regardless of the circumstances. We must live for the Truth of Jesus, as proclaimed by the Church, never letting anyone or anything stand in our way. While Stephen was being martyred, Saul was giving his consent because he could not understand why someone would give their very life for a man crucified. What he soon realized, however, is that Stephen was not willing to die for a poor carpenter that taught people good ideas about life. Rather, Stephen lived for the eternal Truths that God revealed to us in the person of Jesus Christ, and, that choice cost Stephen his life. Ironically enough, in time, Saul, later Paul, discovered those same Truths for himself. Again, that choice cost him his life. He did not give up, let up, or quiet down until the end. He was a disciple of Christ. So, too, are we called to be. We must get holy or die trying because holiness is not a spectator sport. We are in to together: Sainthood or bust!