Gospel: December 26, 2024
December 26, 2024 (Thursday)
Feast of St. Stephen, First Martyr
Psalter: Proper / (Red)
Ps 31: 3cd-4, 6, 8ab, 16bc, 17
Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.
1st Reading: Acts 6: 8-10; 7: 54-59
Gospel: Matthew 10: 17-22
Be on your guard with people, for they will hand you over to their courts, and they will flog you in their synagogues. You will be brought to trial before rulers and kings because of me, so that you may witness to them and the pagans.
But when you are arrested, do not worry about what you are to say, or how you are to say it; when the hour comes, you will be given 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 his brother to death, and a father his child; children will turn against their parents and have them put to death. Everyone will hate you because of me, but whoever stands firm to the end will be saved.
Reflection:
“Bearing witness to Jesus”
Today we celebrate the Feast of St. Stephen. We are also on Thursday within the Christmas Octave. We are now called to ponder on St. Stephen’s martyrdom. St. Stephen is the first martyr (cf. Acts 7:54- 60). What is clear, however, is the fact that St. Stephen gave witness to Jesus Christ. His blood bore witness to Jesus, whose birth we celebrate during this Christmas season. The Gospel passage for today reminds us of the fact that when we receive Christ and make a stand for and with him, there will be consequences.
One of the possible consequences is martyrdom (cf. martyrion). However, martyrdom does not always mean being crucified or stoned to death literally. Martyrdom basically means bearing witness to Jesus, the Word who became flesh in order to live among us.
This entails that we take for ourselves the values that he taught during his ministry and earthly life. When we decide to live up to the challenges of the values of the incarnate Word, we can counteract the dark side of worldly values. Standing against the negative side of worldly values is never easy. But as Christians, we must. By this way, we become martyrs ourselves, just like St. Stephen.
