one bloody christmas week - december 26 2018

On this second day of Christmas we celebrate the martyrdom of St. Stephen. He is one of the first seven deacons of the church assigned by the apostles to take care of christians who are in need.  As our first reading narrates he was the first Christian martyr who offered his life in defense of the faith.  Some of us may act adversely to the placement of this feast just as we begin Christmas.  But in reality except for Dec. 30, the days leading to the new year, the week of Christmas are all filled-up with feast of martyrs or would have been martyrs in the case of St. John.  So this is as the English say one bloody Christmas week and we have to take that literally.

What lessons then can we glean from this arrangement?  There are two.

First, when foremost in our minds is the birth of our Savior in a manger which is his birth to this world, we are reminded of another birth, the birth to eternal life, the dies natalis or the real birthday of every Christian.  This dies natalis is our death when like Stephen we will be called to finally fully and totally surrender ourselves to Christ. 

Second, we are reminded of a beautiful attitude towards life and a beautiful prayer.  I am referring to the psalm said by Jesus on the cross and repeated by Stephen as he was stoned to death.  The psalm says, Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.  It is an important attitude towards life – I commend, I surrender my life to the Lord, for this prayer reveals our level of trust in the Lord whom we know loves us and whom we know will always seek our good.  The church prays this prayer before we sleep in the night.  And so we pray it, Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.