Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today on the day after Christmas Day, the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Stephen the Protomartyr of the Church. He is known as such because he is the first (from the word Proto, which means ‘First’) among all of the martyrs of the Church according to the Scriptures and the Apostolic traditions. St. Stephen was one of the first seven Deacons of the Church, appointed by the Apostles to be the ones who were assisting the people of God, showing care and attention to them, distributing the goods and the properties of the Church to care for the common good. At the same time, they also continued to proclaim the Good News and truth of God, and amidst that ministry, St. Stephen was the first to be martyred.

At that time, St. Stephen was chosen by the Apostles to help administer to the people of God, and he was given the gift of the Holy Spirit by the laying on of the hands, instituting the Order of Deacons. And as we heard from our first reading passage today from the Acts of the Apostles, an argument and struggle happened when the members of the Jewish High Council, the Sanhedrin and their supporters were trying to discredit and challenge the works of St. Stephen, who courageously stood up against them and proclaimed the Good News of God. St. Stephen was full of the Holy Spirit and he refuted all those false witnesses and the people the Sanhedrin had manipulated and paid to give false witness against St. Stephen.

St. Stephen faithfully defended the Lord and His truth, His teachings and Good News against all those who tried to slander and mislead the people with their lies and falsehoods. This is because at that time, the Sanhedrin had also released the story that the disciples of the Lord had stoled His Body and claimed that He was Risen from the dead in order to try to cover-up and prevent the news and truth about the Lord’s Resurrection spreading ever more amongst the community. Thus, they targetted St. Stephen and attempted to bring him down, silence him and to stop his works, even using false witnesses in order to achieve that goal. But through the wisdom of the Holy Spirit and his determination, St. Stephen overcame all the struggles and he pointed out bravely before all those assembled how wrong their path and actions had been.

St. Stephen recounted the summary of the story of mankind and how they had been created, guided and helped by the Lord along their whole journey, and how God had fulfilled and accomplished everything that He had promised to them all through the same Jesus Christ that many of those members of the Sanhedrin had decided to oppose, persecute and condemn to death on the Cross. He spoke with such great Wisdom and inspiration that no one could argue against him, and they saw how his face glowed like that of an Angel. But the hearts of those who continued to resist the truth were hardened, as they stubbornly refused to listen to the words uttered by St. Stephen, and rushed to stone him to death, and hence, that was how the very first martyr of the Church came to be.

In the Gospel passage today, the Lord Jesus has also spoken on the same matter to His disciples and warned them about the challenges, trials and persecutions that would likely happen to them as they carried out their missions and works, and lived as they should as Christians. The Lord reminded all of them that just as the world had resented, persecuted and rejected Him, therefore the same fate would likely be faced by those who have endeavoured and committed themselves to follow the Lord and walk in His path, just as St. Stephen had done. Many Christians throughout the history of the Church, right up to this very day are still struggling and enduring many trials and sufferings amidst their lives, as they had to endure those persecutions and oppressions by those who refuse to believe in Christ and His truth. However, at the same time, the Lord also reassured His disciples and followers that they must not be worried or fearful, for as St. Stephen himself has shown us, the Lord will be by our side and guide us in what we ought to do.

If we are wondering why so soon after we rejoice and celebrate Christmas, we come to this day of remembering and commemorating the memory of a martyr of the Faith, this is because once again we are reminded that Christmas is all about Christ, and all that He had done for us, so that through His salvation and liberation for each and every one of us, He has rescued us and brought us all into a new hope and existence. However, all of us have to realise that just as the Lord had told His disciples Himself and as St. Stephen and many other martyrs of the Church had shown us, through their sufferings and deaths, it is often required that if we are to truly believe in the Lord and His salvation, which He had brought forth into this world by His Incarnation in the flesh, then we may need to endure trials and sufferings for that.

That is why we are all reminded that our Christmas celebration and joy must also be tempered and aligned with the Lord, so that we do not end up being enamoured and distracted by the many worldly concerns, pleasures and all the other things that may distract and keep us away from the Lord and His saving grace. We should always remember our brothers and sisters around us who may be suffering the daily effects of the hardships of life, and being unable to celebrate Christmas the way that we do it. We should therefore be thankful for all the blessings that God has given us, and we should also strive to help and encourage our brothers and sisters around us who may need our help, so that all of us may continue to persevere in faith.

May the Lord, our loving God and Creator, Who has graced us all with His Holy and loving Presence, continue to strengthen our faith so that amidst all the challenges and trials, we will always be strong and able to endure the temptations and pressures to give in to wickedness of sin and evil. Let the examples and faith of His servant, St. Stephen, the Protomartyr of the Church, continue to inspire us always. May God be with us always and may He protect us in our respective journeys of faith and life. Amen.