Feast of Saint Stephen, first martyr

I have always wondered why the liturgy follows the great joyful feast of Christmas with the sad story of Saint Stephen’s martyrdom. Thank God for the commentaries!! I learned that by celebrating St. Stephen, the first martyr, on the day after Christmas, the Church leads us into the heart of the mystery of the Incarnation. Christ’s flesh given is also His blood spilled out. His body is also mystical, like that of all martyrs. His body in the manger of Bethlehem’s grotto rocked in Mary’s arms is also his body taken from the Cross and placed in the arms of the Sorrowful Mother.

The light that radiates from the manger is a prelude to the glory of His resurrection. His body, once a vulnerable infant, is now His mystical Body, flourishing in the Church through love, enduring in every persecuted Christian, and nourishing his mystical Body in every Mass. In his final moments, Saint Stephen mirrored Christ’s forgiveness from the Cross: ‘Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.’ He peacefully surrendered to God, much like a child falling asleep.

The angels who sang “Glory to God in the Highest” welcomed Stephen into the chorus as he proclaimed his faith in Jesus, the Son of God:  “Look, I can see heaven thrown open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” This feast brings us to contemplate the whole mystery of Christ, from birth through death to resurrection and his exaltation in heaven, interceding for us: “Glory to God in the Highest!”

Prayer

Jesus, as we celebrate this Christmas Season, we embrace in one act of adoration your coming among us in the flesh and the glory that is yours at the Father’s right hand, always interceding for us.