HAVE  YOU  EVER WORN

 STEPHEN’S  SHOES?

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 3^rd Tuesday after Easter is, “Have You Ever Worn  Stephen’s Shoes?”

Stephen being the deacon in today’s first reading …. Stephen being a leader in the early Christian community ….  Stephen who is stoned to death ….  Steven the one who challenges others…. Steven the one who forgives those who kill him ….

So the question again: “Have You Ever Worn Stephen’s Shoes?”  Have you ever been in one of his type situations?

Probably, it should be Stephen’s sandals - not shoes -  but moccasins is what they use in the original version of the old Native American saying? “Don’t criticize  anyone till you walked a mile in their moccasins.”

WE KNOW THIS MESSAGE

We know this message, I’m just repeating it, because  it’s good to be challenged by it every day in our interactions.  

Jesus ran into the same situation with the woman who was caught in adultery. Jesus saved her - by saying, “Let the one without sin, cast the first stone.”

And since all her accusers knew they sinned and made mistakes,  they dropped their rocks and walked away.

I made up a similar saying: “Don’t criticize anyone till you have walked a mile in their sins.”

I like the way Harper Lee put it in her book, To Kill a Mockingbird, “You  never know  man until you understand things from his point of view, until you climb into his shoes and walk around in them.”

Or someone said, “Don’t judge of book by its cover. You might miss out on a good story.”

A guy named Jack  Handey said, “Before you criticize someone, walk a mile in their shoes. That way you are a mile away and you have their shoes.”

STEPHEN

What was it like to be Stephen?  If you were in his shoes, if you  were called like him, what did he go through?

Sometimes in life we have to challenge others. Parents have to do that at times - even if their kids are going to yell and scream and complain to and about them for screaming and complaining about them.

Stephen did that as we heard in today’s first reading.

Sometimes in life, people gang up on us - or  name call us, etc. In those moments  we can take the criticism and then forgive the rock throwers and become the peace makers were are challenged to be.

Stephen did that in today’s first reading.  He basically said what Jesus said from the  cross. “Father forgive them, because they don’t know what they are doing. Stephen said, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them….”

So if you want to walk in Jesus’s - as well as  Stephen’s sandals, shoes, and skin, - forgive each other each day. We dummies often don’t know what we are doing.

CONCLUSION

No selfies today.  Only otherlies today.  Instead of thinking of self, think others. What’s it like to be the other person?

And if enough of us do this each day, then each day will be that much better than it would have been.  Amen.