THE LOUD SHOUT

Acts 7:57,60 Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord,  And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

Stephen is the central character in today’s text hence we read about his works and notably, his exchange with the consortium who stood against him. But as the story goes, they stood no chance against the wisdom and spirit with which Stephen spoke and about that they were clearly not excited.

The expression of this anger is what lies as the basis of today’s reflection as it gave birth to the two loud voices we consider. One came from Stephen who called on God to pardon the guilt of those who were throwing stones at him. The other, is heard from his opponents, and although its exact content is unspecified, the outcome was Stephen’s death.

Shouting has a myriad of purposes:

• we shout when we want attention,
• we shout to ward off danger,
• we shout when angry,
• we shout when excited, and many other scenarios.

However, the kind of shouting documented today had one intention behind it: to block any chance for the voice or reason. It was the kind of shouting intended to cause an audience or individual to smother any reason to change their mind and approach.

Beloved, beware about the loud voices that seem to shut your ears to the voice of reason, that voice which will prick your conscience and cause you to re-evaluate your actions.

#sly