December 26, Monday, Feast of Saint Stephen
Daily Readings: Acts 6:8-10; 7:54-59 ; Gospel: Matthew 10:17-22
It’s quite weird to think that right at the start of the Christmas liturgical season we commemorate the feast of one of the first Christian martyrs, Saint Stephen. While we always associate Christmas with joy and the revelling brought about by the fulfilment of God’s promise through the covenant in the birth of the long awaited Messiah we are also reminded of the price that came along with it.
The martyrdom of Stephen is thus but a mirror of the ultimate sacrifice embraced by God through the person of Jesus Christ. Our romantic image of the saviour’s birth is in fact so far from the real image of the nativity scene. Imagine the saviour of all creation being born at such an uncomfortable circumstance and place. Born not in a lavish and comfortable mansion or a wealthy family but to a two insignificant and socially anonymous individuals. And yet this image represents the kind of sacrifice and self-giving that God wants to demonstrate to humanity to teach us about true love and the value of self-giving.
With Stephen at the helm of today’s feast we therefore look back to his example of faithfulness and loyalty to the very example of our own saviour who denied himself for the sake of sinful humanity.
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
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