second Christmas
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On the Second Day of Christmas

On the second day of Christmas my true love gave to me, two turtle doves

The pair of birds were meant to symbolize the Old and New Testaments.

The Church is good to her children. She wisely instructs us in the way of Faith – not the happiness of a commercial Christmas, but the joy of the Faith – no matter our circumstances.

Yesterday, we celebrated. We sang and laughed. Gifts were exchanged. Families spent the day together, celebrating the Biggest Birthday Of All, where we received the Best Gift. But the Church very wisely reminds us today that this gift is not a toy, not a plaything, but a true gift. Like all true gifts, it requires something from us.

The Church today celebrates St. Stephen, the first martyr for the faith. His story is recounted in Acts 6. Stephen, a man widely recognized for his faith, was a gifted evangelist. Many were moved to conversion after hearing him speak. And some were moved to evil.

Just like Christ, Stephen was brought up on false charges and the Sanhedrin sentenced him to death – the first Christian martyr.

Party yesterday, death today. That, as they say, escalated quickly. The Church wants to remind us, her children, that even in the midst of the celebration of Christmas, we must know that our Faith will cost us.

Perhaps it will cost us in that we live our family life very differently than others. Maybe we will be ridiculed at work for our beliefs. We will be mocked on social media. Even our family members will question or make fun of us. And yes, many of us (as these past months have taught us) will lose our lives for the Faith.

On this second day of Christmas, with the joy of the birth of Christ still very fresh in our minds and hearts, pull out your Bible and read Acts 6. Our wonderful, rich, deep and true Faith comes at a price. St. Stephen, pray for us.

[From the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops: “The liturgical season of Christmas begins with the vigil Masses on Christmas Eve and concludes on the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. During this season, we celebrate the birth of Christ into our world and into our hearts, and reflect on the gift of salvation that is born with him…including the fact that he was born to die for us.” There are, however, the traditional “12 Days of Christmas,” captured in the song of the same title. Some claim the song was meant as catechism of a sort, written and sung for nearly 300 years of British persecution of Catholics. We will be using both the song and the Church’s liturgical calendar to celebrate the Christmas season. We hope you enjoy.]

new saints
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Meet The Church’s Newly Proclaimed Saints

This past Sunday, Pope Francis proclaimed seven new saints, once again reminding the faithful that sainthood is for everyone, not merely for a select few.

In his homily, Pope Francis said:

The saints are men and women who enter fully into the mystery of prayer.  Men and women who struggle with prayer, letting the Holy Spirit pray and struggle in them.  They struggle to the very end, with all their strength, and they triumph, but not by their own efforts: the Lord triumphs in them and with them.  The seven witnesses who were canonized today also fought the good fight of faith and love by their prayers.

The newly-proclaimed saints are:

  • José Sánchez del Río, a 14-year-old boy who was killed in 1928 in Mexico during the “Cristero” struggle which opposed the government’s anti-Catholic and anticlerical policies.
  • Brother Salomone Leclercq, a martyr of the French revolution, who like many religious at the time, refused the government’s orders to either revoke their vows or to leave the country
  • José Gabriel del Rosario Brochero, an Argentinean priest known as the “Gaucho priest,” who lived and worked among the poor; Pope Francis praised him for smelling “of sheep”
  • Spanish Bishop Palencia Manuel González García, founder of the Congregation of the Eucharistic Missionaries of Nazareth, the Disciples of Saint John, and the Children of Reparation; known as the “bishop of the tabernacle” for his devotion to the Eucharist
  • Father Lodovico Pavoni of the Italian city of Brescia, founder of the religious congregation ‘Sons of Mary Immaculate’ or ‘Pavonians’
  • Alfonso Maria Fusco, a priest from the southern Italian city of Salerno, founder of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. John the Baptist, commonly known as Baptistine Sisters
  • French Discalced Carmelite mystic and writer Elizabeth of the Trinity who died aged just 26 in 1906 from Addison’s disease, but not before leaving behind writings of great faith and depth

The Holy Father exhorted the faithful to prayer, saying, “To pray is not to take refuge in an ideal world, nor to escape into a false, selfish sense of calm.  On the contrary, to pray is to struggle, but also to let the Holy Spirit pray within us.  For the Holy Spirit teaches us to pray.  He guides us in prayer and he enables us to pray as sons and daughters.”

Ignatius of Antioch
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St. Ignatius of Antioch: Early Believer, Early Martyr

Ignatius of Antioch is one of the earliest believers and one of the earliest martyrs in the Church. By the year 107 A.D., Ignatius served as bishop of Antioch (its ruins are located in modern-day Turkey.) Sentenced to death my a Roman emperor, Ignatius was taken prisoner and brought to Rome.

Both on the journey to Rome and while imprisoned, Ignatius continued to lend pastoral support to his church in Antioch. The letters he sent survived far longer than he did; the Church treasures these letters as not only historical documents, but as testimony of how the teachings of Christ were passed on by the earliest Christians.

The content of the letters addressed the hierarchy and structure of the Church as well as the content of the orthodox Christian faith. It was Bishop Ignatius who first used the term “catholic” to describe the whole Church. These letters connect us to the early Church and the unbroken, clear teaching of the Apostles which was given to them directly by Jesus Christ. They also reveal the holiness of a man of God who became himself a living letter of Christ. The shedding his blood in the witness of holy martyrdom was the culmination of a life lived conformed to Jesus Christ.

Once in Rome, Ignatius faced the fate of so many early Christians: the arena. The lions released, Ignatius died a a martyr’s death. In one of his pastoral letters, he wrote, “Permit me to imitate my suffering God… I am God’s wheat and I shall be ground by the teeth of beasts, that I may become the pure bread of Christ.” God answered Ignatius’ heartfelt and humble prayer.

Today, the Church celebrates this humble man. His example as both bishop and martyr remain for us, his brothers and sisters in Christ, nearly 2000 years removed.