December 26 is the Feast of St. Stephen, Martyr, the “Feast
of Stephen” of the carol “Good King Wenceslaus.” The song nowhere mentions Christmas or any of
its accouterments
. The first line marks
the events of the music in time, but there are no other seasonal references
(unless you count “Ye who now will bless
the poor Shall yourselves find blessing…” and that may be a stretch).
It might seem a bit of a downer after al the hoopla of
Christmas to come to the next day and be reminded of the first Christian
martyr. Acts 7:54-60 tells of his death. It is a sobering story.
The Christian calendar reminds us that Jesus does not come
into the world in a vacuum. He does not
remain in the cradle. Nor is his advent
without consequences. Christian history
is filled with the tales of martyrs, both famous and anonymous. Their story is part of the Christmas story,
too.
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