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. In today’s
readings, 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.
On Monday
we will celebrate the Feast of the Holy Innocents, the baby boys martyred by
Herod because he was so afraid of the infant Jesus. My point here is that
usually in these early days after Christmas two of the feasts we celebrate, St.
Stephen and Holy Innocents, stand in stark contrast to Christmas and they do so
as a reminder that being a person of faith, that 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 Saturday 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 and mercy.
Grace our hearts this day with the gift of forgiveness and mercy so that we too
can be faithful in times when the world seems against us. May we have the
strength of St. 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:
Saturday greetings and blessings to all. 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 and friends! Blessings to all today and
always. Peace in Christ’s Passion…Fr. Paul
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