Mass Readings for : Tuesday, 26th December, 2023

Liturgical Readings for : Tuesday, 26th December, 2023

12-26 St Stephen, Christianity’s First Martyr

St Stephen was the first adult Christian martyr. He is outstanding for his forgiveness of his enemies. The Church offers Stephen to us as a reminder that the birth of Jesus as a helpless baby is no sentemental feast and has serious consequences for all of us.

FIRST READING

A reading from the Acts of the Apostles 6:8-10. 7:54-61
I can see heaven thrown open.

Stephen was filled with grace and power and began to work miracles and great signs among the people. But then certain people came forward to debate with Stephen, some from Cyrene and Alexandria who were members of the synagogue called the Synagogue of Freedmen, and others from Cilicia and Asia. They found they could not get the better of him because of his wisdom, and because it was the Spirit that prompted what he said. They were infuriated when they heard this, and ground their teeth at him.

But Stephen, filled with the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at God’s right hand.
‘I can see heaven thrown open’ he said ‘and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.’
At this all the members of the council shouted out and stopped their ears with their hands; then they all rushed at him, sent him out of the city and stoned him. The witnesses put down their clothes at the feet of a young man called Saul. As they were stoning him, Stephen said in invocation,
‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit’.
Then he knelt down and said aloud, ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them‘;
and with these words he fell asleep. Saul entirely approved of the killing.

The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 30
Response Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.

1. Be a rock of refuge for me, a mighty stronghold to save me,
for you are my rock, my stronghold.
For your name’s sake, lead me and guide me. Response

2. Into your hands I commend my spirit. It is you who will redeem me, Lord.
As for me, I trust in the Lord: let me be glad and rejoice in your love. Response

3. My life is in your hands, deliver me from the hands of those who hate me.
Let your face shine on your servant. Save me in your love. Response

Gospel Acclamation
Alleluia, alleluia!
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord; the Lord God is our light.
Alleluia

GOSPEL

The Lord be with you. And with your spirit
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew 10:17-22
It is not you who will be speaking; the Spirit of your Father will be speaking in you.

Jesus said to his apostles:
‘Beware of men: they will hand you over to sanhedrins and scourge you in their synagogues.
You will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the pagans.
But when they hand you over,
do not worry about how to speak or what to say;
what you are to say will be given to you when the time comes; because it is not you who will be speaking;
the Spirit of your Father will be speaking in you.

‘Brother will betray brother to death, and the father his child; children will rise against their parents and have them put to death. You will be hated by all men on account of my name;
but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.’

The Gospel of the Lord Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

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Gospel Reflection Dec 26th Saint Stephen Matthew 10:17-22

A day after celebrating the birth of Jesus we celebrate the death of the first martyr, Stephen. We move from a birth to a death very quickly. Today’s feast brings home to us the words of Simeon to Mary and Joseph as they brought the child Jesus to the Temple, ‘this child is destined… to be a sign that will be opposed’. Not only would Jesus be opposed but so also would those who witnessed to him, like Stephen. The loss of someone so gifted as Stephen must have been a great blow to the early church. The Acts of the Apostles refers to him as ‘full of faith and the Holy Spirit’ and ‘full of grace and power’. After he was stoned to death, Acts says that ‘devout men buried Stephen and made loud lamentation over him’. The other disciples did not simply weep silently over his death but wailed publicly, so great was their loss. Yet, some good came out of this loss. The Lord worked powerfully through the martyrdom of Stephen and the persecution of the church that followed. The Acts of the Apostles says that those who were scattered because of the persecution went from place to place proclaiming the word where it had never been preached. Also today’s first reading tells us that a young man named Saul witnessed the killing of Stephen and approved of it. He went on to become the great apostle to the Gentiles. Perhaps the martyrdom of Stephen was somehow instrumental in Paul’s transformation from zealous persecutor of the church to its most dynamic missionary. Today’s feast reminds us that the Lord can bring new life out of all our losses. In the words of today’s psalm, the Lord remains our rock and our stronghold in the midst of our painful losses. As Jesus declares in the gospel reading, ‘the Spirit of your Father will be speaking in you’. If we entrust ourselves to the Lord at those times of loss, if we commend our spirit into his hands, we will experience his saving help.