Feast Of Saint Stephen, The First Martyr

Acts 6:8-10,7:54-59
Matthew 10:17-22

COMMEND YOUR SPIRIT INTO THE HANDS OF GOD AND THE SPIRIT OF GOD WILL SPEAK THROUGH YOU

With the images of Christmas in our minds – the child in the manger,  Our Lady and Saint Joseph, the angels and shepherds, the ox and ass – today’s feast and Scripture readings seem to be out of place but if we look closely it is the purpose we are called to be Christ’s disciples; an invitation to reflect on, that is, the effects of the events we celebrate.  

In today’s first reading, from Acts of the Apostles, we hear the martyrdom of St. Stephen. The religious leaders “were infuriated, and they ground their teeth” at Stephen when filled with the Holy Spirit, he proclaimed the Word of God. “But they cried out in a loud voice, covered their ears, and rushed upon him together. They were enraged and threw him out of the city and began to stone him.”That discord remains all around us and shows up in the oddest of places. Why are we so frustrated with each other? Too often we “are infuriated and grind our teeth” when on the contrary the Gospel enjoins us to feed the hungry, welcome the stranger, and visit the imprisoned. Did Jesus mean it when he said, “I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you”?

If we consider the whole Christian year, from Advent to Christ the King, it is a unity in which Christmas has a vital part to play.  The message for us today is that Christ is with us, Emmanuel.  God has come among us.  God understands.  God loves us.  God fills the whole world with light which the darkness cannot overpower. So it is on the feast of St. Stephen as such we must remember that Christ is our light, the light darkness cannot overcome so it means death has not had the final say and as long as we remain children of light, we remain children of victory.

Fr Joseph Osho