DAY 2 OF THE 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS 2020 SERIES.
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| Manger scene: 12 Days of Christmas 2020 series. |
Feast of St Stephen. First Martyr.
We may
of sung or heard the carol Good King Wenceslas. If not here is one rendition of
this Christmas carol. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVoANsKnlLs
Today
is the feast of St Stephen. What do we
know from Scripture about St Stephen?
St. Stephen
The deacon Stephen, stoned in Jerusalem two years after the death of Christ, has always been the object of very special veneration by the faithful. He is the first martyr. The account in the Acts of the Apostles relating his arrest and the accusations brought against him emphasize the parallel with our Saviour's trial; he was stoned outside the city wall and died, like his Master, praying for his executioners.Stephen belongs to the group of seven deacons whom the Apostles
associated with their work in order to lighten their load. He was "filled
with faith and with the Holy Spirit," "full of grace and
strength" he showed himself as a man of God, radiating divine grace and
apostolic zeal. As the first witness to Christ he confronted his opponents with
quiet courage and the promise made by Jesus (Mark 13.11) was fulfilled: ".
. .Disputing with Stephen they were not able to resist the wisdom and the
spirit that spoke."
In St. Stephen, the first martyr, the liturgy emphasizes the
imitator of Christ even to the extent of the complete gift of self, to the
extent of that great charity which made him pray in his suffering for his
executioners. By establishing the feast on the day after Christmas the Church
draws an even closer comparison between the disciple and the Master and thus
extends his witness to the whole mission of the redeeming Messiah.
So in
our reflection today on the feast of St Stephen we might like to:
- Consider our own faith- what are its strengths and weaknesses right now?
- What areas of my faith do I need to strengthen through God’s help?
- Are we filled with faith and with the Holy
Spirit?
- Who is the Holy Spirit for you? Do you have a relationship with the Holy
Spirit? Do you pray to the Holy Spirit daily?
- How do I do my part to evangelise- to bring other people to God?
- Am I willing to hold on to my faith to the point of death? If not, what would stop me doing it?
On the
second day of Christmas, the Feast of St. Stephen has a lot to offer us and to
help us consider our faith. In this time
of the coronavirus, our faith may have been sorely tested and/or we have also
received blessings during this time. How
are you nurturing your faith daily especially in this time?
We can
also reflect at the crib in our homes or in our parish church ( if it is open)
or online in a church or even find a manger scene on pixabay.com or
unsplash.com to help you reflect on the faith of Mary, Joseph, the Shepherds
and the Kings. Each one of the
characters in the manger scene had faith but also had their faith tested and
stood up to do God’s will for them when it counted.
Read
the Gospel of the Annunciation for Mary’s faith in action when she said yes to
being the Mother of God?
Read
the Gospel when the angel appears to Joseph. He was considering divorcing Mary
informally to spare her; publicity but the angel told Joseph that Mary had
conceived through the Holy Spirit. She had not been unfaithful and he was to
take Mary home as his wife. He was to be
foster father to Jesus, the Son of God.
Read
the Gospel relating the angels appearing to the shepherds and telling of the
birth of Jesus. Shepherds were simple people but they had enough faith to
believe the angel and to take action.
What do the shepherds say to me this Christmastide?
Read
the Gospel relating to the visit of the Magi.
They were intelligent people but they also knew they did not know
everything. They had enough humility to adore God and to know that their
intelligence came from Him.
So Day
2 of Christmastide has a lot to offer us if we sit and ponder and through the
inspiration of the Holy Spirit take action.
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