Merry Christmas! While some of our neighbors may have already taken down their decorations, as Catholics, we know the celebration is just beginning. We even have a special carol just for today—my favorite (as I’ve mentioned before), Good King Wenceslas.
Today’s First Reading from Acts is the story of St. Stephen, the first Christian martyr, whose feast we celebrate on the Second Day of Christmas. “Certain . . . people . . . came forward and debated with Stephen, but they could not withstand the wisdom and the spirit with which he spoke.” I was surprised to notice that the debaters did not disbelieve Stephen. They did not accuse him of lying or blasphemy. Rather, “they were infuriated, and they ground their teeth at him.”
In other words, they were so angry that they could not even speak! At a loss for a rebuttal to his spirit-filled words and unwilling to accept what they could not refute, they “covered their ears, and rushed upon him together.” The crowd stoned Stephen to death not because they did not believe but because they could not stand to hear the truth, so they killed the messenger.
Stephen’s final words are reminiscent of today’s Psalm, themselves a foretelling of some of the final words of Jesus: “Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit”. The Psalm goes on to call upon God as a “rock of refuge . . . a stronghold . . . my rock and my fortress.” The very instrument of Stephen’s martyrdom is transformed into an image of God.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus describes persecutions much like Stephen’s: “Beware of men, for they will hand you over to courts and scourge you in their synagogues, and you will be led before governors and kings for my sake as a witness before them and the pagans.” He promises his followers (and us) that there is no need to worry about how to answer their persecutors, because, like Stephen, “[I]t will not be you who speak but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.”
Yesterday was a joyful day of celebrating the birth of our Savior. Today the Church opens a window into a bleaker future of the persecution and martyrdom of Christians that continues to the present day. And yet there is still much to celebrate! While American Catholics may be criticized or misunderstood or ridiculed in our society, this is a far cry from being stoned or tortured. We have the freedom to worship without fear, although this is still not true for many Christians in other countries.
But despite ongoing persecutions, the Catholic Church continues to grow, with approximately 1.3 billion members. And we know what the future holds, because Jesus assured us “ . . . I will build my church, and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it.” (Matthew 16:18).
¡Feliz Navidad! Si bien es posible que algunos de nuestros vecinos ya hayan quitado sus decoraciones, como católicos, sabemos que la celebración apenas comienza. Incluso tenemos un villancico especial solo para hoy: mi favorito (como he mencionado anteriormente), llamado Good King Wenceslaus (El Buen Rey Wenceslaus)
La primera lectura de hoy, de los Hechos de los Apóstoles, es la historia de San Esteban, el primer mártir cristiano, cuya fiesta celebramos en el segundo día de la Navidad. Algunas personas “se pusieron a discutir con Esteban; pero no podían refutar la sabiduría inspirada con que hablaba.” Me sorprendió notar que los debatientes no le creyeron a Esteban. No lo acusaron de mentir o de blasfemia. Más bien, “se enfurecieron y rechinaban los dientes”.
En otras palabras, ¡estaban tan enojados que ni siquiera podían hablar! Sin poder refutar sus palabras llenas de espíritu y no dispuestos a aceptar lo que no podían refutar, “se taparon los oídos y todos a una se precipitaron sobre él”. La multitud apedreó a Esteban hasta la muerte no porque no creyeran, sino porque no podían soportar escuchar la verdad, así que mataron al mensajero.
El Salmo de hoy repite las últimas palabras de Esteban, las cuales predicen unas de las últimas palabras del mismo Jesús: “En tus manos, Señor, encomiendo mi espíritu”. El Salmo continúa invocando a Dios como “mi fortaleza y mi refugio…la muralla…mi fortaleza y mi defensa.” El mismo instrumento del martirio de Esteban (las rocas) se transforma en imagen de Dios.
En el Evangelio de hoy, Jesús describe persecuciones muy parecidas a las de Esteban: “Cuídense de la gente, porque los llevarán a los tribunales, los azotarán en las sinagogas, los llevarán ante gobernadores y reyes por mi causa; así darán testimonio de mí ante ellos y ante los paganos.” Él promete a sus seguidores (y a nosotros) que no hay necesidad de preocuparse por cómo responder a sus perseguidores, porque, como Esteban, “Pues no serán ustedes los que hablen, sino el Espíritu de su Padre el que hablará por ustedes.
Ayer fue un día gozoso de celebración del nacimiento de nuestro Salvador. Hoy la Iglesia abre una ventana a un futuro más sombrío de persecución y martirio de cristianos que continúa hasta el día de hoy. ¡Y todavía tenemos mucho por celebrar! Si bien los católicos estadounidenses pueden ser criticados, malinterpretados o ridiculizados en nuestra sociedad, estamos muy lejos de ser apedreados o torturados. Tenemos la libertad de adorar sin miedo, aunque esto todavía no es cierto para muchos cristianos en otros países.
Pero a pesar de las continuas persecuciones, la Iglesia Católica sigue creciendo, con aproximadamente 1.300 millones de miembros. Y sabemos lo que nos espera en el futuro, porque Jesús nos aseguró “[E]dificaré mi iglesia, y las puertas del infierno no prevalecerán contra ella” (Mateo 16:18).
Leslie Sholly is a Catholic, Southern wife and mother of five, living in her hometown, Knoxville, Tennessee. She graduated from Georgetown University with an English major and Theology minor. She blogs at Life in Every Limb, where for 11 years she has covered all kinds of topics, more recently focusing on the intersection of faith, politics, and social justice.
Feature Image Credit: MonikaP, pixabay.com/photos/cross-winter-summit-cross-alps-1996530/
Susan Ciancio has a BA in psychology and a BA in sociology from the University of Notre Dame, with an MA in liberal studies from Indiana University. For the past 19 years, she has worked as a professional editor and writer, editing both fiction and nonfiction books, magazine articles, blogs, educational lessons, professional materials and website content. Thirteen of those years have been in the pro-life sector. Currently Susan freelances and writes weekly for HLI, edits for American Life League, and is the executive editor of Celebrate Life Magazine. She also serves as executive editor for the Culture of Life Studies Program—an educational nonprofit program for K-12 students. You can reach her at 
Kathryn Mulderink, MA, is married to Robert, Station Manager for Holy Family Radio. Together they have seven children (including Father Rob), and seven grandchildren. She is President of the local community of Secular Discalced Carmelites and has published five books and many articles. Over the last 30 years, she has worked as a teacher, headmistress, catechist, Pastoral Associate, and DRE, and as a writer and voice talent for Catholic Radio. Currently, she serves the Church by writing and speaking, and by collaborating with various parishes and to lead others to encounter Christ and engage their faith. Her website is 
Allison Gingras ( 
J.M. Pallas has had a lifelong love of Scriptures. When she is not busy with her vocation as a wife and mother to her “1 Samuel 1” son, or her vocation as a public health educator, you may find her at her parish women’s bible study, affectionately known as “The Bible Chicks.”
Christine Hanus currently lives in Upstate, NY. Though she enjoys writing and her work as a catechist, Christine is primarily a wife, mother, and more recently, grandmother!
Mike Karpus is a regular guy. He grew up in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, graduated from Michigan State University and works as an editor. He is married to a Catholic school principal, raised two daughters who became Catholic school teachers at points in their careers, and now relishes his two grandchildren, including the older one who is fascinated with learning about his faith. He also has served on a Catholic school board, a pastoral council and a parish stewardship committee. He currently is a lector at Mass, a Knight of Columbus, Adult Faith Formation Committee member and a board member of the local Habitat for Humanity organization. But mostly he’s a regular guy.
1-800-994-9817