Today is the feast day of St. Stephen. According to the scriptures he was the first deacon of the church and its first martyr. He is honored by having his feast day the day after Christmas. The last words of St. Stephen, as he was being stoned to death was: “Do not hold this sin against them.” (Acts 7:60). These are the same as the last words of Christ on the cross.
Like Stephen we are often pushed out of our comfort zone in following Christ. We are very happy that we are forgiven by Christ and by others, but the next logical step of forgiving those who have offended us is not so easy. To become a forgiving St. Stephen we need a change of heart, but that is what this Christmas Season is all about. By contemplating today that loving face of God in that baby in the manger, we can experience his infinite love for us.
Today then let us thank God for the example of the Deacon St. Stephen. Like Stephen I believe that I am safe in your arms no matter what difficulties I face in my life. I believe that you have entrusted me with your mission. I will try to look for the positive side in everyone I meet. I will look beyond their limitations. I will try to forgive anyone who might offend me !
DeColores, Deacon Doug
Join us in prayer!
We encourage you to join us as we recite the Holy Rosary every night at 8PM! On Wednesdays, we pray the rosary via Zoom with the rector and rectora.
Resources for those not able to attend Mass
Daily Readings in English and Spanish from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops:
Prayers, readings for Mass, and additional spiritual readings are available at:
“Give Us This Day” a digital file of their periodical, which includes daily Mass texts. Visit GUTD.net and select “Digital” in the upper right of the screen.
