December 26, 2020
Feast of Saint
Stephen, first martyr
Lectionary: 696
Stephen, filled with grace and power,
was working great wonders and signs among the people.
Certain members of the so-called Synagogue of Freedmen,
Cyrenians, and Alexandrians,
and people from Cilicia and Asia,
came forward and debated with Stephen,
but they could not withstand the wisdom and the spirit with which he spoke.
When they heard this, they were infuriated,
and they ground their teeth at him.
But he, filled with the Holy Spirit,
looked up intently to heaven
and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God,
and he said,
“Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man
standing at the right hand of God.”
But they cried out in a loud voice, covered their ears,
and rushed upon him together.
They threw him out of the city, and began to stone him.
The witnesses laid down their cloaks
at the feet of a young man named Saul.
As they were stoning Stephen, he called out
“Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”
Responsorial Psalm PS 31:3CD-4, 6 AND 8AB, 16BC AND 17
R. (6) Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.
Be my rock of refuge,
a stronghold to give me safety.
You are my rock and my fortress;
for your name’s sake you will lead and guide me.
R. Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.
Into your hands I commend my spirit;
you will redeem me, O LORD, O faithful God.
I will rejoice and be glad because of your mercy.
R. Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.
Rescue me from the clutches of my enemies and my persecutors.
Let your face shine upon your servant;
save me in your kindness.
R. Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.
Alleluia PS 118:26A, 27A
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed is he who
comes in the name of the LORD:
the LORD is God and
has given us light.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel MT 10:17-22
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Beware of men, for they will hand you over to courts
and scourge you in their synagogues,
and you will be led before governors and kings for my sake
as a witness before them and the pagans.
When they hand you over,
do not worry about how you are to speak
or what you are to say.
You will be given at that moment what you are to say.
For it will not be you who speak
but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
Brother will hand over brother to death,
and the father his child;
children will rise up against parents and have them put to death.
You will be hated by all because of my name,
but whoever endures to the end will be saved.”
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The Remarkable Connection Between Christmas and Stephen's Martyrdom
Why do we have to read about something as depressing and stressful as Saint Stephen's martyrdom on the day after Christmas? The scriptures for this Saturday hit a bad nerve this year. More than usual, we need to be uplifted by the joy of Christmas.
Ahhh, but the joy of Christmas IS in these readings. Stephen was filled with grace and power. Stephen worked great wonders and signs. Jesus warned about persecutions BUT right there in the middle of the Gospel reading is Christmas:
"When they hand you over, do not worry about what you to say. You will be given, at the very moment you need it, what you are to say. For it will not be you who speak but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you."
Christmas for you and me is not the same as it was on that first Christmas day. Christmas is much, much more for us because, when Jesus was born, he had not yet died for us. He had not yet freed us from sin. He had not yet breathed on us to give us the Holy Spirit.
To live as a Christmas Christian means we bring Jesus into the world through our love, our actions, and our outreach. It means being so obviously a believer in the reason why Jesus was born that some people hate us for it. And they don't just reject us; they fight against us now. They block us on Facebook and YouTube. They prevent our children from praying in public schools. They censor us and try to suppress us. They condemn and harass university students who are pro-life.
To live as a Christmas Christian means we know that we cannot face persecutions alone: We know that we have to rely on the Holy Spirit and that Jesus was born to make the Holy Spirit available to us.
To do otherwise means looking like the rest of the world. If we're hiding our faith for self-protection while others are heading to Hell, we have not caught the true Christmas Spirit.
Yes we need Spirit-filled prudence to discern when to speak up and when to be silent. Jesus told us to not throw pearls to swine but he also told us to go out and spread the Good News. He said, "You will be hated by all because of My name, but whoever endures this persecution to the end will be saved."
Have a very blessed and courageous Christmas throughout the new year!
Today's Prayer
Praised be to You, Lord, because Your love wants to work wonders through our faith in You. Thank You for Your merciful power that restores us in body, soul and spirit. Amen.
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God Bless You.....
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