Daily Thoughts: Here we are on
the day after Christmas, the day after the wonderful scene of Mary holding her
newborn infant in a cave just outside of Bethlehem. However, the scene has
shifted to a place outside the walls of the city of Jerusalem. It is not a
tranquil scene but one of mob violence as they drag a young man out of the city
to his death all because he believes. Stephen becomes the first martyr of the
new church.
Now on Sunday so we will celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family but usually on December 28th we celebrate the feast of the Holy Innocents, the baby boys martyred
by Herod because he was so afraid of the infant Jesus. However because it is Sunday the feast of the Holy Family will take precedent. My point here is that usually in these early days after Christmas the two of the feasts we
celebrate, St. Stephen and Holy Innocents stand is stark contract to Christmas
and they do so as a reminder that being a person of faith, believing comes with a
challenge, comes with resistance from the world.
Christmas is not a happily ever after
story. It is the beginning of a journey of faith that will take us from a cave
outside of Bethlehem to a hill outside of the Jerusalem and beyond. Christmas
is the beginning of a challenge to wake up every day and find Emmanuel, God
with us, in our lives.
As we celebrate the feast of St. Stephen
today we are reminded that the world will not always see things as we do. Sometimes the world’s reaction to what we
believe will be harsh and at times even deadly. But like Stephen we are asked
to believe, to trust and to know that God is with us.
In our prayers today we ask St. Stephen
to help and protect all who are persecuted because of what they believe. We
pray for peace among religions, peace in our world!
“Peace demands the most heroic labor and
the most difficult sacrifice. It demands greater heroism than war. It demands
greater fidelity to the truth and a much more perfect purity of conscience.”
(Thomas Merton)
Have a wonderful Friday everyone!
Daily Prayer: Loving God, we
give you thanks today for the inspiring example of Stephen, who in the midst of
struggle and persecution prayed for those who were against him. He is a true
example of your Son’s Gospel message of forgiveness. Grace our hearts this day
with the gift of forgiveness so that we too can be faithful in times when the
world seems against us. May we have the strength of Stephen’s faith to always
believe that you are with us and will never leave us to face our perils alone.
Amen.
A Runner’s Thoughts: “I run because
long after my footprints fade away, maybe I will have inspired a few to reject
the easy path, hit the trails, put one foot in front of the other, and come to
the same conclusion I did: I run because it always takes me where I want to
go.” (Dean Karnazes)
Daily Blessing: Happy Day after
Christmas everyone! Also for all named Stephen, Happy Feast Day! I hope
everyone had a wonder day yesterday with many gifts, good food, choice drink
and family and friends with which to enjoy the day. It was a quiet day here in
Pelham and there is something to be said for quiet.
My prayer of blessing today will be a
simple one – May the gift of the Christ Child continue to bless us this day
with the joy of smiles, the energy of youthfulness, the spirit of children, the
faith of St. Stephen, the hope of the Christmas Star and the love of family!
Blessings to all today and always. Peace in Christ’s Passion…Fr. Paul
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