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St. Stephen

The document discusses reflecting on the story of the first Christian martyrs, St. Stephen, on the day after celebrating Christmas. It uses the story to illustrate that life is not just about receiving but also about giving, and not just about living for oneself but also about 'dying' so that others may live. As we begin to lose weight from overeating at Christmas, we should also lose our self-indulgence and die to ourselves each day so God's image in us can shine through.

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Juanmiguel Ocampo Dion Schp
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76 views1 page

St. Stephen

The document discusses reflecting on the story of the first Christian martyrs, St. Stephen, on the day after celebrating Christmas. It uses the story to illustrate that life is not just about receiving but also about giving, and not just about living for oneself but also about 'dying' so that others may live. As we begin to lose weight from overeating at Christmas, we should also lose our self-indulgence and die to ourselves each day so God's image in us can shine through.

Uploaded by

Juanmiguel Ocampo Dion Schp
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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TO DIE A LITTLE EACH DAY A day after celebrating the birth of the Lord, the Church invites

us to reflect on the story of the first Christian martyrs, St. Stephen, as narrated in the Acts of the
Apostles. After the story of a birth, now we look at the story of a death. Life and death are
intimately intertwined. Just as giving and receiving, or gaining and losing. I remember the story
of two kids comparing the gifts they received after Christmas. The first boy bragged, “You know
what I got yesterday? I just received a mountain bike from my brother as Christmas gift.”
Longingly and with a deep sigh, the other boy said, “How I wish …” “That you got a mountain
bike, too?” the first boy interrupted proudly. “No,” the other boy continued, “How I wish I could
give a mountain bike, too, for a present. That would be nice.”

Honestly now, if you were asked to complete that sentence, “I wish …” will you say “I also
receive” or “I can also give”? In his simple but moving way, the second boy just gave us a lesson
on the meaning of life. Life is not always about getting; it is also about giving. Life is not only
about living, i.e., looking after myself and my welfare. Life is also about “dying” so that others
may live. We continue to behold Jesus today in the crib. But let us not see Him only as a cute
little infant resting silently in His mother’s arms. As the old man Simeon will later prophesy
when Mary brings the Infant into the Temple, the baby shall be a “sign of contradiction,” a
disturbing voice that aims to draw us out of our self-absorption, an invitation to self-donation,
just like the martyrdom of Stephen.

As we begin to shed off the pounds we gained from all the eating we did this Christmas season,
let us begin also to shed off the pounds of self-indulgence, die to our self a little each day, so that
the image of God in us may shine forth for all the world to see.

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