THE OCTAVE OF CHRISTMAS
SAINTS OF THE DAY: FEAST DAY ~ DECEMBER 26, 2024
Greetings beloved family and Happy Thursday, the Second Day of the Octave of Christmas!
On this Special Feast day of St. Stephen, through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and the Saints, we pray for all persecuted Christians and Christians all over the world. We pray for God’s grace and mercy and for the safety and well-being of our children and for peace in our family and the whole world. We continue to remember the souls of the faithful departed and the souls in Purgatory. Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May their gentle souls and souls of all the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in perfect peace with our Lord Jesus Christ… Amen 🙏 ✝️🕯✝️🕯✝️🕯
“Blessed are those who have died in the Lord; let them rest from their abors for their good deeds go with them.” ~ Rev 14:13
PRAYER FOR THE DEAD: In your hands, O Lord, we humbly entrust our brothers and sisters. In this life, you embraced them with your tender love; deliver them now from every evil, and bid them eternal rest. The old order has passed away: welcome them into paradise, where there will be no sorrow, no weeping or pain, but fullness of peace and joy with your Son and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen🙏
Watch “Pope Francis Opens the Holy Door at Rebibbia Prison and Presides Holy Mass Rome, Italy | Jubilee 2025 | December 26, 2024 |
Watch “Holy Mass and Holy Rosary | December 26, 2024 | EWTN on YouTube |
Watch “Holy Mass from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | December 26, 2024 |
Pray “Holy Rosary for Peace with Pope Francis” | LIVE Basilica of St. Mary Major | October 6, 2024 |
Pray “Holy Rosary Novena From Lourdes” | December 26, 2024 |
Pray “The Chaplet of Divine Mercy in song”| December 26, 2024 |
Pray “Holy Rosary ALL 20 Mysteries VIRTUAL🌹JOYFUL🌹LUMINOUS🌹SORROWFUL🌹GLORIOUS” oùn YouTube |
Memorare Chaplet | Prayer in Difficult Times (Powerful Prayer) |
Today’s Bible Readings: Thursday, Second Day in the Octave of Christmas, December 26, 2024
Reading 1, Acts 6:8-10; 7:54-59
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 31:3-4, 6, 7, 8, 17, 21
Gospel, Matthew 10:17-22
THE LITURGICAL YEAR IN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/2024/12/03/the-liturgical-year-in-the-catholic-church/
THE HOLY ROSARY: WHAT IS THE HOLY ROSARY AND WHY DO WE PRAY THE HOLY ROSARY? | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/2024/11/21/the-holy-rosary-what-is-the-holy-rosary-and-why-do-we-pray-the-holy-rosary/
THE SAINTS: WHO ARE THEY AND HOW ARE THEY CANONISED? | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/2024/11/01/the-saints-who-are-they-and-how-are-they-canonised/
PURGATORY: WHAT IS PURGATORY? | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/2024/11/15/purgatory-and-limbo/
SAINT OF THE DAY: SAINT STEPHEN, FIRST MARTYR – FEAST DAY ~ DECEMBER 26TH: Today, we celebrate the Feast of Saint Stephen, First Martyr.
SAINT STEPHEN, FIRST MARTYR: St. Stephen (1st. c.) was the first martyr, traditionally regarded as the Protomartyr or the very first Martyr of the Church. This means that St. Stephen the first one to die for his faith in God, in giving his life for the sake of the glory of God and in the midst of his mission. We may wonder why just immediately right after the most joyful celebration of Christmas Day we suddenly enter into this sombre occasion of the memory of the martyrdom of St. Stephen, but in truth, this celebration of St. Stephen and his martyrdom is an important reminder for all of us what Christmas is truly all about. St. Stephen reminds us all that Christmas is about celebrating the coming of Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, Who brought into our midst the truth about the love of God for each one of us, and which truth is the reason why St. Stephen died courageously in defending that truth and Good News from those who tried to silence him and the Church.
St. Stephen is one of the Church’s first deacons in Jerusalem and an eloquent preacher of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. St. Stephen’s name comes from the Greek word meaning ‘crown,’ fitting as he was the first Christian to earn the martyr’s crown. St. Stephen was a Jew, a disciple of Christ, chosen after the Ascension as one of the seven deacons. According to Sacred Scripture he was “a man full of faith, and of the Holy Ghost” and “full of grace and fortitude, was working great wonders and signs among the people” (Acts 6:8). St. Stephen’s reputation for holiness led the Apostles to choose him, along with six other men, to assist them in an official and unique way as this dispute arose. Through the sacramental power given to them by Christ, the Apostles ordained the seven men as deacons, and set them to work helping the widows. As a deacon, Stephen also preached about Christ as the fulfillment of the Old Testament law and prophets.
The account of his martyrdom is recorded in the Acts of the Apostles. Many rose up against him, but they were not able to withstand the wisdom that spoke. After boldly preaching against the Jewish leaders for their rejection of the promised Messiah, unable to refute his message, some members of local synagogues accused him of blasphemy against Moses and against God. St. Stephen was brought before the Sanhedrin, their religious authorities, charging him with seeking to destroy their traditions. St. Stephen responded with a discourse recorded in the seventh chapter of the Acts of the Apostles. He described Israel’s resistance to God’s grace in the past, and accused the present religious authorities of “opposing the Holy Spirit” and rejecting the Messiah. He was condemned to be cast out of the city and stoned to death. Before he was put to death by stoning by the angry mob St. Stephen had a vision of Christ in glory. “Look,” he told the court, “I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!” The council, however, dragged the deacon away and stoned him to death. “While they were stoning Stephen, he prayed, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit,’” records St. Luke in Acts 7. “Then he knelt down before his murderers and cried out in a loud voice, ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them.’(Acts 7:60). And when he had said this he fell asleep in the Lord, 35 A.D. The man who would later become St. Paul the Apostle, while he was persecuting the Church before his conversion, was among the mob as an approving witness. St. Stephen is the Patron Saint of Stonemason, Altar Servers, casket makers, deacons, headaches, horses, masons, Italy.
PRAYER: God, grant that we may imitate the Saint we honor and learn to love our enemies. For today we celebrate the feast of St. Stephen who knew how to pray even for his persecutors. Amen 🙏
SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS:
Bible Readings for today, Feast of Saint Stephen, First Martyr | USCCB | https://bible.usccb.org/daily-bible-reading
Gospel Reading ~ Matthew 10:17-22
“For it will not be you who speak but the Spirit of your Father”
“Jesus said to His disciples: “Beware of men, for they will hand you over to courts and scourge you in their synagogues, and you will be led before governors and kings for my sake as a witness before them and the pagans. When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say. You will be given at that moment what you are to say. For it will not be you who speak but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Brother will hand over brother to death, and the father his child; children will rise up against parents and have them put to death. You will be hated by all because of my name, but whoever endures to the end will be saved.”
In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus warns His disciples that a day will come when they will be hated by all on account of Jesus’ name. It was only a short time after Pentecost when that day came for Stephen and for many other believers in Jerusalem. We are being reminded that the birth of Jesus was not experienced as good news by everyone. It gave rise to tremendous hostility from some which led not only to the death of Jesus but also the death of His followers. When we welcome Jesus into our lives, we are risking the same hostility and incomprehension that Jesus and His first followers experienced. Witnessing to the child of Bethlehem, to the crucified and risen Lord, will often mean taking the road less travelled and leaving ourselves open to rejection. Yet, Jesus assures us in the Gospel reading today that the one who stands firm to the end, in spite of that, will be saved. St. Stephen is put before us today as an example of someone who stood firm to the end. He died holding onto the values of the Gospel that had sustained him since His conversion to Christ. He died as Jesus died, entrusting himself to God, to the risen Lord, and praying for forgiveness for those who persecuted him. St. Stephen shows us how to die, and how to live, how to stand firm in way of the Lord to the end.
In our first reading today, St. Stephen, just before his death, sees the risen Lord standing at the right hand of God. It was Stephen’s relationship with the risen Lord that enabled him to witness to Jesus as powerfully as he did. Our own relationship today is with the risen Lord, rather than with the child Jesus. Like St. Stephen, it is our relationship with the Lord that will enable to bear witness to him in our lives. St. Stephen, we are told, was filled with the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of the risen Lord, and it was that Spirit which inspired his witness. When we open our lives to the risen Lord, we too will be filled with His Spirit and it is the Lord’s Spirit that will empower us to witness to Him in all we say and do. St. Stephen’s witness seemed to have a powerful impact on one observer of his death. The first reading makes reference to a young man called Saul at whose feet those who stoned St. Stephen placed their garments; it is said of this man Saul that he approved of St. Stephen’s killing. Saul would become the man we know as St. Paul, the Apostle, the great preacher of the Gospel to the Gentiles. Like St. Stephen’s witness, our own witness to the Lord can have a powerful impact on others in ways that we might never suspect or even become aware of.
As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures today, on this special feast of Saint Stephen, the First Martyr of the Church, we are reminded that Christmas is truly about a celebration of the love of God which has allowed us all to have hope today, because without God and His love, there can be no hope for us, and we would have been doomed to eternal damnation because of our disobedience and multitudes of sins. It was by the suffering, death and ultimately, the Resurrection of the Lord, our Saviour that we have received healing and rejuvenation, hope and new strength, which He has provided us through His coming into this world, His actions and providence by His ministry in the world, as He came offering us this new hope and the light that He delivers unto us all, and by which we have seen the Light of His salvation. And because God has loved us so much that He was even willing to suffer and die for our sake, should we not then love Him in the same way as well? Christ’s love is what encouraged and strengthened St. Stephen, that guided by the wisdom of the Holy Spirit, he chose to stand by his faith in God. Let us all therefore be inspired in the same way by the love of Our Lord and Saviour, which He has shown us from His Cross, and also by the courage of St. Stephen, holy martyr and most devout servant of God. May God in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us the grace and bless us all and may He grant us His strength to persevere against all the challenges and trials we may have to face in life, because of His love and truth. Amen 🙏
DEVOTION OF THE MONTH OF DECEMBER:
MONTH OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION: The month of December is dedicated to the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Chosen before time to be the Mother of God Incarnate, Jesus Christ, God created Mary perfect and full of grace, preserving her from the stain of Original Sin. Mary Immaculate is the most beautiful fruit of the work of redemption accomplished by her Son, thereby making her the perfect model of holiness for all Christians.
https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/overviews/months/10_1.cfm
THE POPE’S MONTHLY INTENTIONS FOR 2024: FOR THE MONTH OF DECEMBER – FOR PILGRIMS OF HOPE: We pray that this Jubilee Year strengthen our faith, helping us to recognize the Risen Christ in our daily lives, and that it may transform us into pilgrims of Christian hope.
https://www.usccb.org/prayers/popes-monthly-intentions-2024
PRAYER FOR PEACE ~ POPE FRANCIS:
Lord God of peace, hear our prayer!
Prayers for Peace | https://mycatholic.life/catholic-prayers/prayers-for-peace/
PRAYER INTENTIONS: Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and the Saints, on this special feast of St. Stephen, we humbly pray for persecuted Christians. We pray for hope, faith, love, joy and peace in our world today, as we face these incredibly challenging times. We pray for God’s deliverance from impossible causes or situations. We pray for the safety and well-being of all those traveling during this season of Christmas. We pray for the sick and dying, especially sick children, those who are mentally and physically ill, strokes, heart diseases, and those suffering from cancers and other terminal diseases. We pray for an end to war, political and religious unrest. We pray for the souls in Purgatory and the repose of the souls of the faithful departed and we pray for all widows and widowers. We pray for torture victims, the poor, the needy and the most vulnerable in our communities and around the world. We pray for all parents and children, for peace, love, justice and unity in our marriages, our families and our world. And we continue to pray for our Holy Father, Pope Francis, the Bishops, the Clergy, for vocations to the priesthood and religious life, for the Church, for persecuted christians, for the conversion of sinners, and Christians all over the world… Amen🙏
Let us pray:
Most glorious Saint Stephen, please pray for me. Pray for me especially when I experience the heaviest crosses in my life. Pray that I, like you, will be open to God’s inspiration and grace at those times I need it the most. St. Stephen, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You ~ Amen 🙏
Save Us, Savior of the World. Most Sacred Heart of Jesus and Most Precious Blood of Jesus, Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe….have mercy on us. Our Blessed Mother Mary, Saint Stephen, First Martyr ~ Pray for us 🙏
Thanking God for the gift of this day and praying for justice, peace, love and unity in our families and our world and for God’s Divine Mercy and Grace upon us all. Journey mercies for all those traveling during this Christmas season. Wishing all of us a most blessed, safe and grace-filled Christmas Season! Amen🙏
Blessings and love always, Philomena💖
Daily Reflections | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/
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