THE REAL MILLIEU OF THE INCARNATION
Feast of St. Stephen, Protomartyr
Mt 10:17-32
Yesterday we celebrate the Solemnity of the Lord’s Nativity. The Christmas season has just begun. But today, I feel almost sinful to celebrate and be merry. We remember today the death of the first Christian martyr, Stephen.
Stephen was one of the seven deacons who helped the apostles. But he preached like one of the apostles too. The Acts of the Apostles (Cf. Act 6:8-10; 7:54-59) gives us a glimpse on his character: “filled with faith and with the Holy Spirit” and was “full of fortitude”. He was stoned to death outside Jerusalem and died while praying for his executioners. The Acts of the Apostles provides a detailed report on his martyrdom except one thing. It does not say that he was executed on the day following the annual celebration of Christmas.
Can this feast be a “kill joy” in the midst of the Christmas revelries? Of course not. It is rather good that we celebrate the feast of the first Christian martyr immediately as the Christmas season begins. It keeps our feet on the ground.
So quickly after Christmas, we speak of a martyr, of death, of dissension. We are reminded that the holiday is an idealized parenthesis in our life. Right after the last Christmas greetings are said and the last Christmas gifts are sent, dirty politics, human rights violations, and social inequalities return to the front pages of the dailies. This is the real setting of the Incarnation. This is the world where the Word became flesh. This is the world that killed Stephen. This is the world to which we are sent to incarnate the Word each day.
Mt 10:17-32
Yesterday we celebrate the Solemnity of the Lord’s Nativity. The Christmas season has just begun. But today, I feel almost sinful to celebrate and be merry. We remember today the death of the first Christian martyr, Stephen.
Stephen was one of the seven deacons who helped the apostles. But he preached like one of the apostles too. The Acts of the Apostles (Cf. Act 6:8-10; 7:54-59) gives us a glimpse on his character: “filled with faith and with the Holy Spirit” and was “full of fortitude”. He was stoned to death outside Jerusalem and died while praying for his executioners. The Acts of the Apostles provides a detailed report on his martyrdom except one thing. It does not say that he was executed on the day following the annual celebration of Christmas.
Can this feast be a “kill joy” in the midst of the Christmas revelries? Of course not. It is rather good that we celebrate the feast of the first Christian martyr immediately as the Christmas season begins. It keeps our feet on the ground.
So quickly after Christmas, we speak of a martyr, of death, of dissension. We are reminded that the holiday is an idealized parenthesis in our life. Right after the last Christmas greetings are said and the last Christmas gifts are sent, dirty politics, human rights violations, and social inequalities return to the front pages of the dailies. This is the real setting of the Incarnation. This is the world where the Word became flesh. This is the world that killed Stephen. This is the world to which we are sent to incarnate the Word each day.
posted by Fr. Bobby @ 4:00 PM
1 Comments
1 Comments:
St. Stephen, pray for us. There maybe instances in our life that we are killed while we are alive with our sins. Help us that we can surrender them to you and be able to live a life that will serve you while were here on earth.
God bless po.
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