I hope you had a great Christmas 🙂 In the Church’s liturgical calendar, the Feast of St. Stephen, the first recognized Christian martyr, comes the day after Christmas.
I don’t know about you, but this has always struck me as a powerful statement. Â The anticipation in Advent gives way to the joy that comes with Christmas, only to give way to the realization that to be a follower of this newborn King comes with a cost.
If you want to read about St. Stephen, you’ll find his story in the Acts of the Apostles (6:1-8:1). Â He was known to be a man filled with faith and the Holy Spirit (6:5), and his courage under persecution is powerful. Â