In the Spirit of St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori
Commemoratio: S. Stephani Papæ Martyris
“Tu ergo, fili mi, confortare in gratia, quæ est in Christo Jesu.”
“Go: Behold I send you as lambs among wolves.”
— 2 Tim. 2:1; Luke 10:3
The Labor of the Gospel: Suffering and Harvest
In the Epistle appointed for this day, the Apostle Paul exhorts the young bishop Timothy: “Be strengthened in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.” (2 Tim. 2:1). This summons to spiritual fortitude is not abstract but apostolic, grounded in the real cost of the Gospel. Timothy is reminded that he must be ready to “suffer hardship as a good soldier of Christ Jesus” (v. 3), for the life of a preacher is marked not by ease, but by warfare—a warfare not against men, but against error, sin, and the powers of darkness.
Likewise, in the Gospel, our Lord sends forth seventy-two disciples, commanding them to go “as lambs among wolves” (Luke 10:3). Their mission is one of peace and healing, yet they must not be naïve: they enter a hostile world with only the Cross as their standard and the Gospel as their sword. They are not to carry purse or scrip, a sign that they are to trust in divine Providence and not in human means. They are poor in the eyes of the world, but rich in grace.
St. Alphonsus, in his tireless apostolic zeal, saw this evangelical poverty and suffering as a true conformity to Christ. In his Praxis Confessarii, he wrote: “The soul that labors for the salvation of others must first mortify itself. The apostle is not merely a preacher, but a victim.” The grace that strengthens the apostle is not only a help to avoid sin, but a power to endure trial and self-sacrifice.
Grace and the Teacher: The Chain of Tradition
St. Paul tells Timothy: “And the things which thou hast heard of me… the same commend to faithful men, who shall be fit to teach others also” (2 Tim. 2:2). This is not mere delegation; it is the handing on of sacred tradition. The Fathers saw this as a model for apostolic succession.
St. Irenaeus writes, “We can enumerate those who were made bishops by the apostles and their successors down to our own time… for it is by this succession that the tradition of the apostles has been preserved” (Adversus Hæreses, III.3.3). St. Jerome, too, said, “The Church of Christ is founded upon the succession of the bishops” (Dialogus contra Luciferianos).
Thus, the grace Paul urges upon Timothy is not an interior sentiment, but a missionary power entrusted through ordination and transmitted through the hierarchy of the Church. It is through such faithful stewards that the flock is nourished with sound doctrine and defended from wolves.
The Apostolate as a Spiritual Offering
Both texts reveal the heart of the apostolate—not as a profession, but a spiritual oblation. “The laborer is worthy of his hire” (Luke 10:7), our Lord says, not because he earns it by merit, but because he pours himself out for souls. The preacher, like the athlete or soldier of whom Paul speaks, must be disciplined and focused. “No man, being a soldier to God, entangleth himself with worldly business” (2 Tim. 2:4). His soul is reserved for Christ, his cause singular.
St. Gregory the Great, echoing this, says in his Pastoral Rule: “He must despise all that is of the earth, who undertakes the care of souls.” The ministry is not a path to earthly honor, but to heavenly reward—one that is often hidden under the cross.
St. Stephen, Pope and Martyr: A Witness unto Death
Today’s commemoration of St. Stephen, Pope and Martyr, adds a crowning example. This successor of St. Peter governed with apostolic firmness, defending the practice of rebaptizing heretics—a matter of grave pastoral and theological weight. Though later corrected by the Church’s development under divine guidance, Stephen’s courageous assertion of Roman primacy marked him as a true pastor—one willing to bear opposition, and ultimately martyrdom, for the sake of unity and truth.
St. Cyprian, though his theological opponent, still called him “blessed” and bore testimony to his sanctity. In this we see the fruit of today’s readings: strength in grace, fidelity in teaching, and the offering of one’s life in the service of the Gospel.
Conclusion: The Mission Continues
Dear soul, reflect: has your heart grown weary in the spiritual battle? Have you feared the wolves or drawn back from the labor of the harvest? Then hear anew the words of St. Paul and of our Lord: “Be strengthened in grace… Go, I send you.”
Let us beg the intercession of St. Alphonsus, tireless missionary and master of moral theology, to obtain for us a heart aflame with zeal, a will firm in sacrifice, and a mind fixed on heaven. And may St. Stephen, pope and martyr, teach us to govern our own souls with apostolic courage, ready to lay down our lives for the faith we profess.
“O sweet Jesus, give me strength to suffer for Thee. Grant me the grace to love Thee, and in loving Thee, to save souls for whom Thou didst shed Thy most Precious Blood.”
— St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori