[Comment: Full of Faith and the Holy Spirit]
Friends of the Rosary,
Today, on the day after the solemnity of Christmas, we celebrate the feast of St. Stephen, the first Christian martyr. He was stoned in Jerusalem two years after the death of Christ.
St. Luke praises him as "a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit" (Acts 6:8-10; 7:54-59) and describes the scene of St. Stephen's death—witnessed by St. Paul before his conversion—at the hands of those who refused to accept Jesus as the Messiah.
Before he was stoned to death, Stephen had a vision of Christ in glory. He told the council: "I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!"
While they were stoning, he prayed for his executioners, forgiving them. "Lord, do not hold this sin against them," he cried out in a loud voice.
St. Stephen embodies the forgiving and merciful love of God, along with the spirit of detachment from material things—which is the fruit of the third Joyful Mystery that we pray for today.
Ave Maria!
Merry Christmas!
St. Stephen Pray for Us!
[Written by Mikel A | The Rosary Network, New York]
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After the birth of Jesus and the peace and joy, we reflect on the tragedy of St. Stephen, killed during the first persecution against the nascent Church.
Analyzing the mystery of Christmas, we see how three decades later, Jesus—the only-begotten Son of God—would save humanity by dying on the cross. The Redeemer was born to die, to give His life in ransom for all.
St. Stephen died forgiving and praying for his executioners. He exemplifies the imitation of Christ even unto the complete self-giving.
Professing the Christian faith demands the heroism of the Martyrs.
[Written by Mikel A | The Rosary Network, New York]
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