Feast of Saint Stephen, first martyr
(Acts 6:8-10,7:54-59; Matthew 11:17-22)
The world
is surprised to know that Christmas is not Christianity’s most important feast day.
The three-day Paschal celebration surpasses
it like Thanksgiving betters Veterans Day in November. The Church indicates this fact by placing the
Feast of St. Stephan, the first Christian martyr, on the day following the
Nativity of the Lord.
Christ was
born as a human to justify humans for sins against their Creator. The work might have been done in ways other
than crucifixion and rising from the dead.
Yet by giving himself over to his persecutors, Jesus not only revealed
the depth of human treachery but also the height of God’s love for the world. As St. Stephen offers himself for similar mistreatment,
he both fulfills Jesus’ prophecy in today’s gospel and joins him in the work of
salvation.
Christmastide
goes on despite today’s commemoration of a holy martyr. However, we may take time to consider
moderating our pleasures to reflect on our real happiness. We will find that it is not so much celebration
of the Lord’s birth as the eternal life he leads us to.
