Readings: 1st Reading; Acts 7 : 55 – 60
Responsorial Psalm; Ps. 96 : 1-2, 6-7, 9
2nd Reading; Apocalypse 22 : 12 – 14,16 – 17, 20
Gospel ; John 17 : 20 – 26

The first reading recounts the stoning of Stephen for speaking the truth. Stephen is brought to the Sanhedrin because a few jealous, malicious false witnesses cook up lies against him. One of those who approves of the stoning of Stephen to death is Saul, who later becomes Paul, and ends up being one of the most vibrant evangelists. In the second reading, John says those who have washed their robes clean will enter the New City of Jerusalem. Not long ago, John narrated seeing Heaven joined to Earth and the Old City of Jerusalem gone. This washing of robes is opened to all as the City has enough room and there are three gates to each cardinal point, making it possible for all, from all corners of the earth to enter. Even those who bear false witness, as far as they show remorse for their previous ways. In the Gospel, John, narrates of Jesus praying to His Father that all His may be one, even as He and His Father are one. The oneness should be like the love that exists between truly wedded persons.

One thing strikes me in the first reading today; bearing false witness! The Decalogue as handed to Moses in one of the verses says “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbour”.  In conflict resolutions, our societal laws, whether traditional or otherwise, always demand that one giving testimony, should speak the truth, and nothing else but the truth. It goes without saying that false witnessing can be very misleading to those who depend on witnesses to take judgement. It is also true that when truth is devalued, the voiceless or the overshadowed feels cheated and any resolutions of the conflict based on this can only be superficial.

In the first reading, we see Stephen who had just been selected by the new converts as a just and upright man, being stoned to death, because of malice and hatred by a few in his community. They instigate others to bear false witness against him. Maybe, some joined to testify falsely against him, because of fear of the unjust dangerous ones. We have certainly witnessed such incidences around us. That powerful dangerous neighbour, we must pretentious support because we fear we may be his/her next target.We will never say anything against him/her, at least not for some other to hear, but we know quite well, that he is wrong, wicked, unjust and let alone dangerous. Or are we the instigators of others to bear false witness? Sometimes we are bullied into doing so. At other times, we simply sit and watch the innocent around us “crucified” for what we know so well, they did not do or say. We let the bad and powerful people go free, while the just and truthful suffer. Someone says , for evil to strife, it requires the silence of those who best know the truth! A form of false witnessing.

False witnessing is often an off-spring of jealousy. Jealousies manifest in so many ways and can arise anywhere. It looks for some one to blame.  A woman who loses a child blames the husband for coming from a disease-prone family, or the mother-in-law for bewitching her. A man is careless at his job and is fired and he blames the wife for distracting him and not giving him the peace of mind, or he blames the colleague for blackmailing him to the boss. A young woman who commits abortions and destroys the womb and later cannot have a child and accuses friends, neighbours for bewitching her. A rich family that spoils the daughters and they can not stay in marriage,  turns around to blame the husbands, in-laws and society. A lazy student who can not pass exams after several attempts, turns around with accusing fingers left and right! A person whose love relationship fails because s/he was untruthful turns and blames friends for destroying it., etc etc. When we are aware of the truth and make people to believe the false, we are not different from those who came to bear false witness against Stephen to be stoned to death. You are bearing false witness to yourself.

True Christians are suppose to rise with Jesus everyday and live through the whole day with Him. This should mean fighting all injustices around us, defending the defenceless and most of all being a witness to the truth and nothing else but the truth. Standing for truth, for what you believe in. Never waver because of fear, intimidation or prejudice. We may not know how much we can do till we have started. Rather than sit back and claim, that alone, you can not do anything reasonable to change things, begin and you will see the seed you have sown blooming.

I remember a miraculous story about some pilgrims some time ago . It may sound a fable than history, but it is true nevertheless. Some pilgrims spent a night in a certain village on their way to Santiago, Spain. Among them was a family with a very handsome young son. A local maiden took fancy to the lad and encouraged him in not so subtle ways to join her for a bit of a tryst. The virtuous lad spurned her advances. But she was not the type to be put off so. She decided to hide a goblet in the lad’s travelling pouch, and as he and his family left the village the next morning to continue on their pilgrimage, she accused him of thievery. This was a grave crime in that village and the young man was duly hanged.

As his grieving parents left the village, their son miraculously spoke to them, assuring them that he was not dead but that at the moment of the perceived demise, the Saint to whose shrine they were going stood beneath him, holding him up by his feet so that the noose did not have the intended effect. The parents are said to have rushed back to the hanging judge, who was dining on a rooster and a hen. They told the fat magistrate that their son was still very much alive, at which the judge chortled something to the effect that their son was no more alive than the two well roasted chickens upon which he was feeding. To his surprise, at that moment the well roasted fowls jumped off his plate, as alive as alive can be, grew feathers,  and began to flap about, crowing in delight at their resurrection and that of the chaste young lad. The lad was finally reunited with his parents and they left the village praising God. The village has since the incidence in the fourteenth century, kept an iron cage that holds a rooster and a hen, and some gallows nearby to remind its indigenes of false-witnessing.  Till this day, the cage stands on the camino (pilgrimage) road.

To some extent, it tells us that the reason for false-witnessing to hang Stephen to conceal the truth, has never succeeded. The Word of God spread the more and will not stop till it reaches all the ends of the earth, as Jesus commands in the Gospel of today. When Stephen died, other converts scattered for fear of their lives but did not keep quiet where they went. Greeks for the first time got to know about Jesus from these fleeing converts and the word spread, and is spreading. The word has reached Abassakom, as well as Ngvinkejem, Esu as well as Akweto, Akono as well as Mokolo. It should reach out to all corners of the world. You should be its bearer, the instrument of truth and light, not of darkness. A true witness and not a false witness.

As a Christian, have you been a false-witness? Giving those you do not love a bad name to hang them? Hiding the truth because you want to protect yours? How many times do you as a Christian swear, let alone falsely on the Bible? How often do you jump-in without second thought to defend your child, friend, partner for glaring wrongs done? Jesus whom you follow says, He is the way, the ‘Truth’ and life. As a His follower, do you mess around with the truth? You mess around with Him and His as He says, ‘what you do to the least of my brothers, you do it to me’

A Little Prayer
Thank You Jesus for being my way and life. May I learn and keep your truth. Lord as I await the coming of your Holy Spirit, may I not be tempted to give in to the weakness of being a false witness. May the coming of your Spirit strengthen and connect me, challenge and correct me, to love in word and deed. Amen.

Have a Blessed Week!
Bobe Talla Toh