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GOSPEL POWER - DECEMBER 26, 2020 - SATURDAY
GOSPEL POWER - DECEMBER 26, 2020 - SATURDAY
SAINT STEPHEN, FIRST MARTYR
Gospel: Mt 10:17-22
Jesus said to his disciples, “Beware of people, for they will hand you over to councils and flog you in their synagogues; and you will be dragged before governors and kings because of me, as a testimony to them and the Gentiles. When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you at that time; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death; and you will be hated by all because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.”
REFLECTION
Red, the festive color that highlights the joy of the season, is also the color of martyrdom. The celebration of the feast of the first Christian martyr within the Christmas Season is not out of place. It simply reminds us that the Word who became flesh and came to what was his own was not accepted by his own people (Jn 1:11). Mary’s child was destined to be a sign of contradiction (Lk 2:34). Even as an infant, his life was already threatened, and his family had to flee with him and take refuge in a foreign land (Mt 2:13-15). This is the child whose birth we are celebrating. To commit ourselves to him is not simply to bear the title “Christian,” but to be ready to share in his destiny as the crucified Messiah. St. Stephen reminds us that Christmas cannot be detached from the Paschal Mystery
PRAYER
Lord Jesus, thank you for reminding us through the feast of St. Stephen that joy and suffering, glory and the cross go together and make our Christian life meaningful. Amen.
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By Daughters of St. Paul | Phil-Malaysia- PNG-Thai Province
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GOSPEL POWER - DECEMBER 26, 2020 - SATURDAY
SAINT STEPHEN, FIRST MARTYR
Gospel: Mt 10:17-22
Jesus said to his disciples, “Beware of people, for they will hand you over to councils and flog you in their synagogues; and you will be dragged before governors and kings because of me, as a testimony to them and the Gentiles. When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you at that time; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death; and you will be hated by all because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.”
REFLECTION
Red, the festive color that highlights the joy of the season, is also the color of martyrdom. The celebration of the feast of the first Christian martyr within the Christmas Season is not out of place. It simply reminds us that the Word who became flesh and came to what was his own was not accepted by his own people (Jn 1:11). Mary’s child was destined to be a sign of contradiction (Lk 2:34). Even as an infant, his life was already threatened, and his family had to flee with him and take refuge in a foreign land (Mt 2:13-15). This is the child whose birth we are celebrating. To commit ourselves to him is not simply to bear the title “Christian,” but to be ready to share in his destiny as the crucified Messiah. St. Stephen reminds us that Christmas cannot be detached from the Paschal Mystery
PRAYER
Lord Jesus, thank you for reminding us through the feast of St. Stephen that joy and suffering, glory and the cross go together and make our Christian life meaningful. Amen.