St. Stephen's Day

This past Sunday, December 26th, was a big day for me. It was my 30th Birthday. I started the day with going to Mass, then the Browns game, then a little surprise party with friends and family. It truly was a wonderful day and I am thankful for everyone who helped make it so special.

Now that I am 30, I guess Oklahoma State football coach Mike Gundy would say that I am at least three-fourths of a man. If you don't understand what I am talking about here just go to youtube.com and type in "I am forty, I am a man."

As mentioned, I started my day by going to Mass. But instead of going to our normal parish, I attended St. Stephen's Parish on West 54th Street in Cleveland. It is beautiful church, one which I have family ties to. My father's grandparents were parishioners there many decades ago. But the real motivator behind us going to celebrate Mass there was the fact that December 26th is St. Stephen's Day. And since my birthday falls on that feast day, my parents gave the middle name of Stephen to me on that winter day back in 1980. (As a side-note, my older brother Mark's middle name is Steven. By having three older brothers I grew used to "hand-me-downs" but a middle name?? At least my parents gave me the "ph" version... aka "the right way" to spell it.)

St. Stephen was a deacon who is the first recorded martyr (a person who dies for his or her beliefs) of the Church. The story of Stephen is told in chapters six and seven of the Acts of the Apostles. He was stoned to death for professing his belief in Jesus. In Act 7: 59-60 we read, "As they were stoning Stephen, he called out, 'Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.' Then he fell to his knees and cried out in a loud voice, 'Lord, do not hold this sin against them'; and when he said this, he fell asleep."

Jesus taught "Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad for your reward will be great in heaven." (Mathew 5: 10-12) He is telling us that when we live the Christian life and boldly witness to Christ and his Church, we will be rejected by a world that is so often focused on worldly things. In other words, Christ is saying that "following me won't be easy but it will be so worth it!"

St. Stephen and the other martyrs of our Church provide an excellent example of what it means to truly live out the beatitudes that Jesus taught in the 5th chapter Matthew's gospel. And like Jesus himself who forgave those who crucified him, St. Stephen prayed for those who were taking his life. His devotion and willingness to forgive those who were killing him makes me pause and think about what I would do in that position. I pray that I can have the courage and compassion that St. Stephen showed the world.

Questions for reflection:

1) Would you be willing to die for your faith? Why or why not?

2) How do you feel when people discuss faith in social settings?

3) Are you comfortable sharing your faith with others?

4) In what ways have you been persecuted for your beliefs?

5) How do you think you could obtain the courage needed to stand up for your beliefs in difficult situations?

6) Who has hurt you?

7) Have you forgiven them? If not, why not?

Pray: Lord, thank you for the example of St. Stephen. Grant that we always strive to be true disciples of Your Son even though that will require rejection and persecution. Help us to know you are always with us and let us be filled with your Spirit so we can forgive those who have hurt us. St. Stephen, pray for us. Amen.