Homily for the Feast of Saint Stephen, First Martyr
December 26, 2023
Saint Patrick Cathedral
Fort Worth, Texas
Acts 6:8-10, 7:54-59
Psalm 31:3cd-4, 6 and 8ab, 16bc and 17
Matthew 10:17-22
“Yesterday, the Lord was born on earth, that Stephen might be born in Heaven.” This phrase is part of the celebration of the liturgy of the Ambrosian Rite of the Mass. It answers very clearly the question that we might have as to why we seem to jump so far ahead in a jarring way from the sweet image of the Infant in the Manger with Mary and Joseph, and the angels and shepherds, to the jarringly violent murder of Stephen.
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Life on the Chrism Trail 