The second day of Christmastide has a different feel than the first. December 26th we remembered the first martyr Stephen. December 27th we remember St John the Evangelist. According to tradition, he is the only one of the twelve apostles who did not suffer martyrdom (We pass over the end of Judas in silence). Gone … Continue reading Incarnation and Racial Reconciliation during Christmastide: The Feast of St John the Evangelist
Tag: Christmas
Christmastide and St. Stephen’s Day
The gates of heaven were opened for blessed Stephen, who was found to be first among the Martyrs and therefore is crowned triumphant in heaven. – Entrance Antiphon for the feast of St. Stephen After midnight, in the first moments of Christmas, I stood before the altar clothed in white to celebrate the coming of … Continue reading Christmastide and St. Stephen’s Day
A Christmas Eve Homily: The claim, the call, and the coming of the king
In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered... It is hard to hear the scriptural story on Christmas, the actual good news recorded in Luke’s gospel. So much threatens to crowd it out. The church’s greatest hymn writers and homilists for thousands of years have focused … Continue reading A Christmas Eve Homily: The claim, the call, and the coming of the king
The Christmas story is not my own
For you know the generous act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich. (2 Corinthians 8:9) The Christmas story is not my own. I take comfort in the parts of it that make me feel welcome. … Continue reading The Christmas story is not my own
