Merry Christmas, everyone!
As the old song reminds us, “It’s only just begun…”

On this Second Day of Christmas, the Church sets before us the Feast of St. Stephen, Protomartyr.

Was it the pouring out of Stephen’s blood that opened the way for Saul’s conversion into St. Paul? Sacred Scripture does not say so directly, yet the Church has long pondered this mystery. What we do know is this: suffering offered in union with Christ is never wasted. Let us, then, offer our daily sacrifices—especially those that are hidden or misunderstood—in union with Jesus Christ for the conversion of sinners, particularly those most distant from His Heart.

At first glance, it may seem strange that the Church celebrates a martyr’s death so soon after Christmas. Should we not still be kneeling quietly before the Child in the manger? Yet this feast fits perfectly within the Christmas mystery. It reminds us why the Son of God took flesh. He did not come merely to be admired—though He is worthy of all adoration—but to redeem us and to show us the path to eternal life.

The Incarnation leads inexorably to the Cross.

The life of a disciple, therefore, is a life marked by sacrifice—not a rejection of joy or human goods, but their right ordering. As my dear friend Eileen George once said, “God didn’t make all the good things for bad people.” God created what is good so that we might know Him, love Him, and serve Him in this life—and be happy with Him forever in heaven. He desires our happiness even now. Discipleship is not a call to misery, but an invitation to transform suffering into love, to “make up what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ.”

Today’s feast, at its heart, is a feast of love. Only one who truly loves Christ can give his life for Him. “There is no greater love than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” As Stephen was being stoned, we witness that love made visible. His final words were not curses or cries for vengeance, but mercy:
“Lord, do not hold this sin against them.”
And having said this, Scripture tells us, “he fell asleep.”

How fitting this is for Christmas. The innocent Child lying in the manger would grow to be the God-Man who, from the Cross, would utter His own final prayer of love:
“Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

In St. Stephen and in Our Lord Jesus Christ, we are given the same lesson: love that forgives, even in suffering. It is a message we especially need to hear—and to live—during these holy days of Christmas.

Merry Christmas!