Catholic Mass Readings and Reflection December 26, 2024
Saint Stephen, The First Martyr
26th December 2024 (Thursday)
Psalter: Proper
Readings of the Day
First Reading: Acts 6:8-10; 7:54-59
Stephen, filled with grace and power, was working great wonders and signs among the people. Certain members of the so-called Synagogue of Freedmen, Cyrenians, and Alexandrians, and people from Cilicia and Asia, came forward and debated with Stephen, but they could not withstand the wisdom and the spirit with which he spoke. When they heard this, they were infuriated, and they ground their teeth at him. But he, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked up intently to heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, and he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” But they cried out in a loud voice, covered their ears, and rushed upon him together. They threw him out of the city, and began to stone him. The witnesses laid down their cloaks at the feet of a young man named Saul. As they were stoning Stephen, he called out “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”
Psalm 31:3cd-4, 6 and 8ab, 16bc and 17 (R. 6)
R/. Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.
Gospel Acclamation
V/. Alleluia
R/. Alleluia
V/. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD: The LORD is God and has given us light.
R/. Alleluia.
Gospel: Matthew 10:17-22
Jesus said to his disciples: “Beware of men, for they will hand you over to courts and scourge you in their synagogues, and you will be led before governors and kings for my sake as a witness before them and the pagans. When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say. You will be given at that moment what you are to say. For it will not be you who speak but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Brother will hand over brother to death, and the father his child; children will rise up against parents and have them put to death. You will be hated by all because of my name, but whoever endures to the end will be saved.”
Daily Gospel Reflection
Thursday – Saint Stephen, The First Martyr
Guidelines: True love transforms the whole person and life. One who loves the Lord lives for him and dies for the sake of the same love
1. In the Christmas Octave, immediately after the holy Christmas, on 26th we celebrate the feast of St Stephen, the first Christian martyr. He was stoned to death. His confession of faith in the Lord was misconstrued as blasphemy. Consequently, he was killed according to Jewish law.
2. Does it not look odd that soon after the greatest birth of the Saviour, there is a death? It is perfectly right because for us believers, death for God is life to heaven. Death for the sake of faith and love is a birth in heaven. That is why we usually celebrate the death days of the saints as the feast days.
3. Stephen’s martyrdom is the logical consequence of his faith. It is the greatest sign of witness to his passionate love and unswerving loyalty to the Lord. His death bears testimony to the intensity of his commitment. His death shows how much he loved the Lord, and how he lived for him.
4. His death was not just a one-time event. His death synthesizes one whole life of witness. As we are told, he was already one of the seven deacons who shared the burden of the apostles in serving the community. He was “filled with faith and the Holy Spirit”. He was “full of grace and power”. He “was doing great wonders and signs among the people”. He was filled with the Wisdom of the Spirit that no one could “withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking”.
5. He was filled with the fortitude of the Spirit that nothing could frighten or intimidate his loyalty to the Lord. Even in the face of death, about to be stoned, he would gaze into heaven and see the glory of God”. He confided totally in the words of his Master, who said, “When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you”.
6. He was fully imbued with the Spirit of his Master and he imitates him even in death. He forgives his enemies during his dying moments, just like his Master and Lord. His love for the Lord fills him with wisdom and courage to face suffering and death as an honour and grace.
Practice: Passionate love for God is seen in witnessing life. It is a life that lives wisely, courageously, and mercifully.
