Reflection for Saturday, Dec. 26

It seems strange that of all days in the year, the Church chooses the day after Christmas to celebrate the violent murder of Stephen, the first martyr. When people are still focused on the shepherds, the angels, the Wise Men, and the peace of Bethlehem, why throw this disconcerting event into the mix? Perhaps it has something to do with discipleship: a reminder that the Christ will suffer and that if we make the choice to follow him, we, too, will be confronted with opposition, suffering, and even violence.

Christmas calls forth those events that marked the first moments of the Incarnation. But according to the story, the original visitors to Bethlehem who were present at those first moments are never heard from again in the entire New Testament. They are not allowed to stay there. They leave. The shepherds return to their fields and the Wise Men go back to their country. They are the forerunners of the story of our salvation, yes, but when the public ministry of Jesus begins, those shepherds and Wise Men have no successors - no children, no grandchildren, reminding the people of that day in Bethlehem when their fathers or grandfathers knelt in homage before this Child. And the feast of Stephen reminds us that we are not allowed to linger in Bethlehem either. 

It was from Stephen’s belief in the Incarnation that he received the grace to embrace his suffering and to trust in God’s presence. The same Spirit who was with him is with us as we live through these difficult days and months of isolation, of closed businesses, of unemployment, and of the ravages of Covid. The Spirit moves us forward with courage, with fidelity, and with hope.

Sr. Maryann Cantlon, C.S.J.