Dec. 26th: Feast of St. Stephen, the first martyr, who was killed by the Jews
Today is December 26th, the Feast of St. Stephen. Stephen was one of the first seven Catholic deacons and the first martyr. The apostles had ordained seven deacons to help with the daily care of the poor and widowed. Stephen was stoned to death by the Jews around A.D. 34-35 for exposing their wrongdoing. (Outlined in Acts of the Apostles, Chapter 7.)
Catholic.org explains, "God worked many miracles through St. Stephen and he spoke with such wisdom and grace that many of his hearers became followers of Jesus. The enemies of the Church of Jesus were furious to see how successful Stephen's preaching was. At last, they laid a plot for him. They could not answer his wise argument, so they got men to lie about him, saying that he had spoken sinfully against God. St. Stephen faced that great assembly of enemies without fear. In fact, the Holy Bible says that his face looked like the face of an angel."
Acts 7:51-59 "You stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do you also. Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? And they have slain them who foretold of the coming of the Just One; of whom you have been now the betrayers and murderers: Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it. Now hearing these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed with their teeth at him. But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looking up steadfastly to heaven, saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God. And he said: Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God. And they crying out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and with one accord ran violently upon him. And casting him forth without the city, they stoned him; and the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man, whose name was Saul. And they stoned Stephen, invoking, and saying: Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. And falling on his knees, he cried with a loud voice, saying: Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep in the Lord. And Saul was consenting to his death."
Orthodoxwiki states, in part, "The Jews in their hatred of St. Stephen lied about him to the people, but St. Stephen with his face illumined reminded the people of the miracles God had worked through him and even rebuked the Jews for killing the innocent Christ. The people were enraged by what they thought was blasphemy and 'gnashed their teeth' at Stephen. It was then that he saw his Christ in the heavens and declared it so. Hearing this, the Jews took him outside the city and stoned him to death, with his kinsman Saul (later St. Paul) holding their coats while they did it. Afar off on a hill was the Virgin Mary and St. John the Theologian who witnessed this first martyrdom for the Son of God and prayed for him while he was being stoned. This occurred about a year after the first Pentecost."
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, which has a Christmas Season webpage, states "The liturgical season of Christmas begins with the vigil Masses on Christmas Eve and concludes on the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. During this season, we celebrate the birth of Christ into our world and into our hearts, and reflect on the gift of salvation that is born with him…including the fact that he was born to die for us."
Their page for December 26th, Feast of Saint Stephen, first martyr states "On this Feast of St. Stephen the Martyr, consider Pope Francis' thoughts about the "daily martyrdom" of those who sacrifice for the good of their family." Their prayer suggestion is the First Antiphon for Morning Prayer on the Feast of Saint Stephen: "Stephen, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of the Father." As Saint Stephen died for Christ, so may we live for him whose cross brings us life eternal!
http://libertyfight.com/2012/Saint_Stephen_December_26.html