Daily Gospel Reflection
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December 26, 2023
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.”
Reflection
I struggled with this discomforting text. The perils Jesus relates in Matthew 10 are agonizing and violent. “Child will rise up against parents and have them put to death.” This is not the first passage that is conjured when I think of a loving God. I am more at ease with texts akin to John 13: “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” How can Jesus’ directive in John co-exist with today’s reading?
Jesus is reminding his disciples (and us) that perpetuating the message and work of Jesus is not without distress. Sharing God’s radical love in an inhospitable and partisan world where we usually hide amongst our comfortable political, religious, racial, and economic affiliations can be dangerous. Yet, we are enjoined to do so.
The verse that immediately follows today’s reading calls Jesus’ disciples to visit every town of Israel. Perhaps, by extension, we are hailed to visit every faction in our community to show love by word and deed. Whether you volunteer at a soup kitchen, a homeless shelter, a refugee clinic, or a food bank, Matthew 10 compels us to respond with actions that propagate God’s love.
In this season of expectancy and wonder, may we labor to create a world where all experience eternal joy. Theologian Howard Thurman’s poem The Work of Christmas offers a guide to our journey:
When the song of the angels is stilled,
When the star in the sky is gone,
When the kings and princes are home,
When the shepherds are back with their flock,
The work of Christmas begins:
To find the lost,
To heal the broken,
To feed the hungry,
To release the prisoner,
To rebuild the nations,
To bring peace among others,
To make music in the heart.
Prayer
Almighty God, the gift of your Son brings us assurance and confidence. Today, as we remember the first martyr, Stephen, give us strength in every conflict and struggle. We pray for the end of all persecution and strife. May your Son’s peace rest in our hearts. We pray this in his name. Amen.
Saint of the Day

St. Stephen was the first Christian to die for his faith in Jesus.
After the death and resurrection of Jesus, the apostles went about preaching the good news. As Christian communities grew, there arose a need to care for widows and the poor in the name of the community. The apostles, being busy with preaching, asked the communities to recommend seven men to serve the poor. Stephen was one of those seven; the apostles laid hands on these people and ordained them as the first deacons.
Stephen spoke about the faith with great wisdom and eloquence, and he was successful in winning many to Christianity. Enemies of the Church were angry that he was converting others and they tried to argue with him, but it didn’t work. They then found someone to lie and charge him with blasphemy.
He was taken to face a great assembly, and he remained calm and collected and defended his faith, claiming that Jesus is the Son of God and the fulfillment of God’s promises. He even scolded his opponents for their refusal to see the truth.
Fulgentius of Ruspe, a fifth-century bishop, wrote about Stephen's martyrdom:
"Love was Stephen's weapon by which he gained every battle, and so won the crown signified by his name. His love of God kept him from yielding to the ferocious mob; his love for his neighbor made him pray for those who were stoning him. Love inspired him to reprove those who erred, to make them amend; love led him to pray for those who stoned him, to save them from punishment. [...] Love, indeed, is the source of all good things; it is an impregnable defense, and the way that leads to heaven."
At that, they all became incensed and they dragged him out of the city and stoned him to death. Stephen remained faithful to the end, crying out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” He knelt and begged God to forgive those who were killing him. St. Paul was among the crowd who opposed Stephen and witnessed his martyrdom.

A number of Stephen’s relics rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica. His relics also rest in the main altar of the Basilica. Today's featured stained glass image of him stands in the chapel in the new Stayer Center for Executive Education.
St. Stephen, first Christian to die for your faith in Jesus—pray for us!