Monday, December 26, 2011 {St. Stephen, First Martyr (Feast)}

REFLECTION FOR TODAY
O blessed penance which has earned for me such great glory!
-- St Peter of Alcantara in a vision to St. Teresa

READINGS FOR TODAY
First Reading: Acts 6:8-10; 7:54-59
(The Arrest AND Stoning of Stephen)
8 Stephen, a man richly blessed by God and full of power, performed great miracles and wonders among the people.
9 But he was opposed by some men who were members of the synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called), which had Jews from Cyrene and Alexandria. They and other Jews from the provinces of Cilicia and Asia started arguing with Stephen.
10 But the Spirit gave Stephen such wisdom that when he spoke, they could not refute him.
54 As the members of the Council listened to Stephen, they became furious and ground their teeth at him in anger. 
55 But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw God's glory and Jesus standing at the right side of God.
56 “Look!” he said. “I see heaven opened and the Son of Man standing at the right side of God!”
57 With a loud cry the Council members covered their ears with their hands. Then they all rushed at him at once, 58 threw him out of the city, and stoned him. The witnesses left their cloaks in the care of a young man named Saul.
59 They kept on stoning Stephen as he called out to the Lord, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!”
Psalms: Psalm 31:3-4, 6, 8, 17
3 You are my refuge and defense; guide me and lead me as you have promised.
4 Keep me safe from the trap that has been set for me; shelter me from danger.
6 You hate those who worship false gods, but I trust in you.
8 You have not let my enemies capture me; you have given me freedom to go where I wish.
17 I call to you, Lord; don't let me be disgraced. May the wicked be disgraced; may they go silently down to the world of the dead.
Gospel: Matthew 10:17-22
17 Watch out, for there will be those who will arrest you and take you to court, and they will whip you in the synagogues.
18 For my sake you will be brought to trial before rulers and kings, to tell the Good News to them and to the Gentiles.
19 When they bring you to trial, do not worry about what you are going to say or how you will say it; when the time comes, you will be given what you will say.
20 For the words you will speak will not be yours; they will come from the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
21 “People will hand over their own brothers to be put to death, and fathers will do the same to their children; children will turn against their parents and have them put to death.
22 Everyone will hate you because of me. But whoever holds out to the end will be saved.