Posted by The WORD in other words (2006) by Fr John O’Mahony SVD – Christ the King Seminary, Quezon City
Feast of St Stephen, first martyr – December 26 in the Octave of Christmas
St. Stephen is the first martyr to die for Jesus. Although he is truly a great saint we might still ask why is his feast celebrated on the day after Christmas. Probably for the simple reason that the Church already celebrated his feast on this day before December 25 became fixed as the Feast of Christ’s birth. It became so much a part of our tradition that the Church never considered moving the feast of St. Stephen to some other day of the year.
Intended or otherwise, we can find much that is appropriate in celebrating the feast of St. Stephen on the day after Christmas. When we are filled with beautiful and, at times, over sentimental thoughts about the crib, we get a sudden reminder of why Jesus came. We see that the crib scene is not just something cute and sweet but the beginning of a life that would end on the Cross. The coming of Jesus is a call to commitment, if need be to the ultimate call of martyrdom.
As the first Christian martyr, Stephen shows us what dying for Christ really means. To truly be a martyr it is not enough to be killed because of Jesus, one must die as Jesus died. This is clear in the account of the death of Stephen. Following the example of the Master, he offered his spirit to God and prayed for forgiveness for those who killed him: “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” A Christian martyr does not die consumed by hatred and crying for vengeance. His love for Christ overflows to those who persecute him. This is truly a great gift of the Spirit.
As part of the Christmas celebration St. Stephen shows us that to welcome Jesus is to offer our lives to him. It is a call to conversion, for how can we welcome Jesus without praying for forgiveness and for the power to love and forgive even our enemies?
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