Dear People of God,
It is 26th of December. The First day of Christmas and we celebrate the martyrdom of Saint Stephen. First reading is the account of St. Stephen’s killing. Saint Stephen was able to bring out the wisdom of Jesus through his death. He is the first person to die for Jesus. The emphasis of the first day of Christmas is that we are invited to be the witnesses of Jesus when things turn against Christian ideals and values of the Gospel. Be the witnesses of Jesus in your own simple way. We are invited to imbibe the spirit of St. Stephen in the times of trials and tribulations against Christianity through non violence. Christianity must not even oppress the oppressors. In that struggle, there is a possibility of changing the heart of the oppressor. Just like Saul the oppressor became Paul, the proclaimer of the word. Let our prayer be from the Responsorial Psalm, “Rescue me from the clutches of my enemies and my persecutors. Let your face shine upon your servant; save me in your kindness.” The Gospel today too invites us to be the witnesses for Jesus. We just need to go on endure being the witnesses for Jesus till the end of times. May you have a blessed day.