The day after Christmas, the readings at Mass took a wild turn. Airwaves wrapped up their nominal tribute to Christmas by continuing to divert our attention with the remnants of Santa Baby and fa la la. The Scripture readings instead douse us with the icy water of martyrdom.

Whoa, hang on there. I’m still enjoying my fancy-wrapped boxes, bamboozles, candy, and cakes.

Talk about a real downer, and my kids thought I was a “fun-sucker.”

The Acts of the Apostles, chapters six and seven, pull us out of our sugar coma by setting the scene of the first martyrdom in the New Testament. That is if you don’t count the slaughter of the innocents by Herod, who, in angry fury, ordered all the little boys killed in hopes of annihilating the newborn king.

Way to pull the rug out from under the Christmas tree, Barb.

Why get us all juiced-up on egg nog just to pour it on the floor?

God has a purpose and plan in everything. Always begin with that in mind. Life is not meant to be one big Christmas party. The manger points to the Cross, which is the biggest Christmas present ever. Jesus gives Himself freely in love over to death for our sake because He cannot imagine eternity without us. Christ came, lived, loved, and then died an excruciating death, so we get everlasting joy and Christmas morning for eternity.

If… we choose Christ.

The story of St. Stephen’s martyrdom (Acts 6:8-10,7:54-59) gives us a striking example of what love looks like in the face of jealousy, unfair judgment, and rage. It says nowhere in the reading that Stephen fought back. Shouted, “liars” or blamed God. What it does say is that Stephen, while being stoned, “fell to his knees and cried out in a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” (Acts 7:60)

Sounds like what Christ said on the Cross about His situation,

“Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.”

Lk 23:34

There are so many valuable lessons for us in Scripture.

We are unlikely to be nailed to a cross or stoned to death; except by the stones and nails of today—words. How we respond either feeds or extinguishes the blaze. Asking God to forgive and show mercy to those who hurt us musters heavenly help.

There is supernatural power in the prayers of the sufferer.

So many times, my knee-jerk reaction was to repay those who hurt me. That, however, solved nothing and made things worse. It was when I refused to be like the one who hurt me and instead intentionally prayed for her that miracles began to happen.

“But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you” (Matt 5:44).

Jesus’ way runs countercultural. Test them and see.

The Gospel of Matthew 10:17 states, “When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say. You will be given at that moment what you are to say.”

“When?”

There will be a time when each of us will have to stand for or against Christ. It will look different for each of us. It is not a matter of “if” but when.

What will we say?

The invitation and challenge I am proposing as we slide into another year, eyes wide open but completely blind; is to immerse ourselves in Scripture each day of 2025. This gold mine of wisdom, hope and truth will equip us for that day when it comes, as we confidently stand firm and fortified in the Word of God.

Countless times, the Word has been a game changer for me, clarifying and offering perspective on my situation, and reminding me of the magnitude of God’s love and attentiveness to whatever I am going through. That is real intimacy. He has solutions before we ever know there is a problem.

I’ll close by sharing one of my new favorite Scripture passages. It provides the best way to summarize all my previous rambling.

“We may say with confidence: “The Lord is my helper, [and] I will not be afraid. What can anyone do to me?”

(Heb 13:6)

Please share your favorites too. We all benefit. The God who hand paints a brand-new sunset for us every night, wants to fill our heart and mind with His love and goodness.

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