DAILY GOSPEL Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. John 6:68 Friday, 26 December 2014 Saint Stephen, first martyr - Feast Saint(s) of the day : St. Stephen, the first martyr See commentary below or click here Saint Fulgentius of Ruspe : Crowned together by the humble King of glory Acts of the Apostles 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. Psalms 31(30):3cd-4.6.8ab.16bc.17. Be my rock of refuge, a stronghold to give me safety. You are my rock and my fortress; for your names sake you will lead and guide me. Into your hands I commend my spirit; You will redeem me, O LORD, O faithful God. I will rejoice and be glad because of your mercy. Rescue me from the clutches of my enemies and my persecutors. Let your face shine upon your servant; save me in your kindness. Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 10:17-22. Jesus said to His disciples: But 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. Copyright © Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB Commentary of the day : Saint Fulgentius of Ruspe (467-532), Bishop in North Africa Sermon 3, 1-3, 5-6 ; CCL 91 A, 905-909 (trans. Breviairy 26/12 alt.) Crowned together by the humble King of glory Yesterday we celebrated the birth in time of our eternal king; today we celebrate the triumphant death of a soldier… Our king, though he is most high, came for our sake in great humility, but he could not come empty-handed. He brought with him, as it were, a great bonus for his soldiers, which not only made them abundantly rich, but also gave them strength to fight and conquer. The gift he brought was love, which brings men into fellowship with the Godhead… The love, then, that brought Christ down from heaven to earth, lifted Stephen from earth to heaven... And Stephen, so as to deserve to win the crown— which is what his name means—had love as his weapon and by it was everywhere victorious. Through love of God he did not yield to the raging of his enemies, and through love of his neighbor he prayed for those who were stoning him. Through love he accused those who were in the wrong that they might be corrected. Through love he prayed for those stoning him to save them from punishment. Trusting in the strength of love he overcame the cruel raging of Saul, and so won for himself as a companion in men, the man who had been his persecutor on earth, This holy and untiring love ardently desired to acquire as converts by his prayers those whom he had been unable to convert by argument. Now Paul rejoices with Stephen, with Stephen he enjoys the brightness of Christ; he exults with Stephen, he reigns with Stephen. There where Stephen arose the first, stoned under Paul’s very eyes, there too, Paul has risen with the help of Stephen’s prayers.
Posted on: Fri, 26 Dec 2014 02:54:47 +0000