Blood of the martyrs, seed of the church...

 The gates of heaven were opened for blessed Stephen, 

who was found to be first among the number of the Martyrs 

and therefore is crowned triumphant in heaven.  

Today's Entrance Antiphon

"Thursday the 26th, St Stephen's Day.  

I (St Paul of the Cross) was in particular uplifting of soul, 

especially at Holy Communion;  I wanted to go and 

die a martyr's death in a place where the adorable 

mystery of the Most Blessed Sacrament is denied.  

This wish has been given to me for some time past by the 

Infinite Goodness, but today I had it in a special manner; 

I had the desire for the conversion of heretics, especially 

in England and the neighboring kingdoms, and I 

offered a special prayer for that at Holy Communion...." 

- Fr Edmund, CP

Excerpt from: Hunter of Souls: A Study of the Life 

and Spirit of St Paul of the Cross

  

St Stephen

Jerusalem ~  + 35 AD

Protomartyr and Archdeacon

Feast Day – Dec 26

Photo above:  Tabernacle, St Maron Catholic Church, 

Minneapolis, MN (Photo credit:  Mary Anne Frank)

“Yesterday we celebrated the birth in time of our eternal King.  Today we celebrate the triumphant suffering of His soldier.  Yesterday our king, clothed in the robe of flesh, left His place in the virgin’s womb and graciously visited the world.  Today His soldier leaves the tabernacle of His body and goes triumphantly to heaven. … And so the love that brought Christ from heaven to earth raised Stephen from earth to heaven; shown first in the king, it later shone forth in His soldier.” - St Fulgentius of Ruspe, bishop

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The first of all the martyrs in... Our Christian history ... St Stephen looked upon his foes... With love and sympathy ... Before the twelve apostles died ... He gave his life for Christ ... And in whatever way he could  ... He always sacrificed ... To those in high authority ... He pointed out that they  ... Enforced the laws which they had no ... Intention to obey ... He showed them their hypocrisy ... And did not fear his end ... As every pauper he had helped ... Became his special friend ... And as he loved the children of  ... His boundless charity ... The final prayer before his death ... Was for his enemy. - From Poem Portraits of the Saints, James J. Metcalfe 

Click here: Saint Stephen - YouTube (2 mins)

St Stephen, pray for us! 

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Second Day of Christmas

Felix dies Nativitatis...

  May God, who by the Incarnation 

brought together the earthly and heavenly realm, 

fill you with the gift of His peace and favor

and make you sharers with the Church in heaven.  

Missale Romanum

 

Felix dies Nativitatis

 

Merry Christmas - Glædelig Jul - Veselé Vánoce - Vrolijk Kerstfeest -

 Häid Jõule - Hyvää Joulua - Joyeux Noël - Fröhliche Weihnachten -

 Boldog Karácsonyt - Gleðileg Jól - Nollaig Shona - Buon Natale - 

Il-milied It-tajjeb - God Jul - Wesołych Świąt - Feliz Natal - 

Un Crăciun Fericit - C Pождеством Xристовом - Nollaig Chridheil - 

Vesele Vanoce - Feliz Navidad - Noeliniz Kutlu Olsun

... and a Happy and Prosperous

New Year of the LORD!

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Let us continue in earnest and zeal

to know, love and serve our Eucharistic Lord

day by day, more and more -

and invite all that we meet to embrace the same...
the enduring mission of this Truth Himself Apostolate.
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Please pray a MEMORARE every day for this intention
when you open the daily Eucharistic reflection.
Let us together see what God will do!

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This Apostolate began at the end of the Year of the Eucharist (2005)

20 years ago with 12 recipients of the Reflections!

United in prayer and mission - Janette +JMJ+

(This is 2nd in series of two entries today)

The heavens have distilled honey...

  Make merry therefore on this beautiful day, 

on which the sun of the Eucharist is rising.  

Let your gratitude never separate the Crib from the Altar, 

the Word made Flesh from the God-Man made 

Bread of Life in the Most Blessed Sacrament."

 St Peter Julian Eymard

 

 “In this midnight Mass . . . I shall see a crib on 
the altar, and the sweet Babe with his two eyes 
filling with tears more precious than pearls, 
I will offer him to God his Father 
with his Mother’s approval, 
and will ask him for you, 
that he may ever be heart of your heart 
and the sole Beloved of your soul.”
St. Francis de Sales

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"Celebrate the feast of Christmas every day,
even every moment,
in the interior temple of your spirit."

 St Paul of the Cross

 

 Adoration of the Shepherds ~ Guido Reni

Each of us must sink 

to child-level before the Crib. 
Each of us, at the same time,
must rise to the Incarnation-level.

Msgr Ronald Knox

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Today is the dawn of the new redemption,

of the old restoration, of eternal happiness:

today, the heavens have distilled honey

throughout the whole world." 

 St Bonaventure

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"Raise Your tiny hand, divine Child,

and bless these young friends of Yours,

bless the children of all the earth." 

Pope St John Paul II

"Dearly beloved, today our Savior is born;
let us rejoice. 
Sadness should have no place 

on the birthday of life. 
The fear of death has been swallowed up; 
life brings us joy 

with the promise of eternal happiness. 
No one is shut out from this joy;
all share the same reason for rejoicing.”

From a sermon of St Leo the Great, Pope

Our abiding Bethlehem...

     Behold, when the fullness of time had come,

God sent his Son into the world. – Gal 4:4

  

"The Bethlehem of that night …

has never passed away.

…It lives a real, unbroken, unsuspended life, 

not in history only, or in art, or in poetry, 

or even in the energetic fertile worship 

and fleshly hearts of the faithful, but in the 

worshipful reality of the Blessed Sacrament.

Round the Tabernacle, 

which is our abiding Bethlehem, 

goes on the same world of beautiful devotion 

 which surrounded the new-born Babe, 

real, out of real hearts, 

and realized by God’s acceptance." 

Fr Frederick W Faber

"The mystery of Bethlehem 

is renewed upon the altar,

and the cry goes forth:

'Christ is born to us.  Come, let us adore!' "

Fr Karl Adam

His resting places...

  "Let each of us leave his house empty 

so that we may see our Master 

wrapped in swaddling clothes 

and lying in a manger...

The table of this altar 
takes the place of the manger.
And surely the Master's body

will be lying on this altar."

St John Chrysostom

Fourth week of Advent:  LOVE