Joy Of Christmas

 

Joy comes from accepting the reality of life.

Reflection on Today’s Readings, The Feast of St. Stephen (Christmas Octave), Tuesday 26th December, 2023
Texts: Apostles 6:8-10; 7:54-59; Psalm 31:3-4,6,8,16-17; Matthew 10:17-22 

It is very easy to think that today’s feast put sour in the eight-day extended joy of Christmas. The next day after Christmas the feast confronts us with the reality of suffering for Jesus’ sake. He says, "Beware of men; for they will deliver you up to councils, and flog you in their synagogues, and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear testimony before them and the Gentiles.” This tells us that joy comes from accepting the reality of life, both pleasant and unpleasant, for ultimate good.  

Every circumstance of our life is to bear testimony to Jesus. The life of the man we celebrate, today, bore testimony to Jesus. He bore testimony to Jesus by his life and death. He teaches us to respond to Jesus with our lives bearing testimony to Him. He also teaches us to gaze into heaven, not the earth. It is said about him thus: “But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and  Jesus standing at the right hand of God”. If we always gaze into heaven no trial will weigh us down; we will always triumph over trials.

Jesus has not come to make earth our eternal home

Gazing into heaven sheds more light on the importance of the birth of Baby Jesus. It reminds us that Jesus has not come to make earth our eternal home. He has come to lead us to heaven. He has not come to make earth an eternal home even for Himself. He will later return to His Father in heaven. His coming will give us the grace and power that we need to ascend to heaven. Stephen was able to bear testimony to Christ because he was filled with grace and power.

Prayer 

Grant, Lord, we pray, that we may imitate what we worship, and so learn to love even our enemies, for we celebrate the heavenly birthday of a man who knew how to pray even for his persecutors. Amen (Collect) 

Fr. Andrew Olowomuke