Dec 26- Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Lễ kính Thánh Têphanô Tử Đạo

Dec 26- Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Lễ kính Thánh Têphanô Tử Đạo
Có lẽ chúng cảm thấy là lạ kỳ khi Giáo Hội mừng kính đặc biệt về cái chết của một vị thánh ngay sau ngày chúng ta mừng Chúa Giáng Sinh. Một số người nói rằng có thề là Giáo Hội để nhắc nhở chúng ta rằng niềm vui và đau khổ, vinh quang và thập giá không bao giờ có thể tách rời trong cuộc sống của một người Kitô hữu. Điều này đúng. Cũng như như chúng ta đang suy niệm về Lời Chúa trong bài đọc hôm nay, Ngài cũng  nhắc nhở cho chúng ta là Chúa đã ban cho chúng ta tất cả những Ân Sủng mà chúng ta cần để chúng ta có thể sống trong cuộc sống này đó chính là Chúa Giêsu.
Lễ kính thánh Stêphanô tử Đạo luôn luôn là một cơ hội để nhắc nhở một lần nữa chúng ta hãy nhìn Chúa Hài Nhi đang trong nằm trong máng cỏ của tâm hồn chúng ta và tự hỏi con : "chúng ta có vẫn muốn ôm ấp Chúa Hài Nhi bé nhỏ này ở trong tâm hồn của chúng ta, thậm chí chúng ta có thể phải chịu đau khổ và mất nmạng sống mình vì danh Chúa Kitô? "Nếu được như thế thì chúng ta cũng như Thánh Gioan Tẩy Giả, Chúng ta phải trở nên nhỏ bé và thấp hền đê danh Chúa được Vinh danh và cả sáng.
 
Monday 26th Dec St Stephen, Proto martyr
Isn’t it strange to see how the Church puts the commemoration of a saint’s death immediately after the celebration of our Lord’s birth? Some say that it is to remind us that joy and sorrow, the glory and the Cross can never be separated in the life of a Christian. This is true. As I meditate on the Word of God in today’s readings, He is telling me the same thing: that a Christian is one who is so willing to give his entire life just to embrace fully the greatest gift that God has given him — Jesus, “God with us.”
            The Feast of Saint Stephen is always a great opportunity to remind us Christians to gaze once more on the Child lying in the manger of our hearts and ask ourselves, “Am I still willing to embrace this Holy Infant dwelling in me, even if it costs my entire life to do so?” For this is what it means to decrease so that Christ may increase in us. Father, let me experience how much You love me by not withholding from me Your most beloved Son, our Lord Jesus, so that I may embrace him fully, even if giving up my entire life is what it takes to have him.
 
Feast of St. Stephen, First Martyr - Second Day of the Octave of Christmas, December 26
“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. For it will not be you who speak but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.” Matthew 10:19–20
These words of our Lord came to fruition in the life of Saint Stephen, the Church’s first martyr. Saint Stephen was martyred within a couple of years after Jesus’ ascension into Heaven. He was one of seven deacons who the Apostles appointed to assist them in their work of caring for the poor as the Church began to grow.
Stephen was a man of deep faith and was filled with the Holy Spirit. After he was appointed deacon, he began to preach with boldness. Among his listeners were members of the synagogue of Hellenistic Jews. Stephen debated them vigorously and proved himself to be full of wisdom and power, performing many signs and wonders in their midst. But this only led his listeners to become outraged to the point of seeking his death. As a result, they made false claims that Stephen was preaching against the Temple and the Law of Moses.
In the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 7:2–53), Stephen responded by giving a long and detailed speech by which he explained the full truth of Jesus in light of the Old Testament. Stephen concluded by saying, “You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always oppose the Holy Spirit; you are just like your ancestors.” This infuriated his listeners in the synagogue even more. After this, something truly miraculous happened. Stephen had a vision. He looked up to Heaven and said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” He saw his Lord, standing at the right hand of the Father. And it was his proclamation of this vision that finally drove the infuriated crowd to drag him out of the synagogue and city and to stone him to death. Stephen’s story, however, ended in a beautiful and inspired way. As the crowd was stoning him, he spoke two powerful statements. First, he said, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” And then he prayed in a loud voice,  “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.”
As mentioned above, the words our Lord speaks in the Gospel today came to fruition in the life of Saint Stephen. First of all, we see that Jesus’ prediction that some of His followers would be handed over to deaths by their own kinsmen came true in the life of Saint Stephen. But Jesus also promised that when this would happen, “You will be given at that moment what you are to say.” And it will be the Spirit of the Father “speaking through you.” And that’s exactly what happened with Saint Stephen. First, he was given a glorious vision of Heaven. Second, he was inspired to fully surrender his spirit over to Jesus. And third, he was inspired to pray for his persecutors and forgive them. These words and actions did not come from Stephen alone. They were the fulfillment of Jesus’ promise that when one is persecuted for the sake of the Gospel, the Father will be especially present and give powerful inspiration at the moment of need.
Reflect, today, upon the profound truth that God never abandons us. In fact, when we suffer the most or endure persecution, rejection or any form of mistreatment, God is especially present. Look at your own life and consider those moments that you find most challenging. Pray to Saint Stephen and ask him to pray for you so that you will be open to the inspired words and actions of our Lord when you need them the most.
Most glorious Saint Stephen, please pray for me. Pray for me especially when I experience the heaviest crosses in my life. Pray that I, like you, will be open to God’s inspiration and grace at those times I need it the most. St. Stephen, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.
 
Feast of St. Stephen, First Martyr - Second Day of the Octave of Christmas, December 26
Opening Prayer: My God, I believe you are present and active in this moment of prayer and always. Open my heart to hear your Spirit’s promptings and respond with generosity and love. I believe you are here with me, that you have something to say to me, and by your grace I wish to respond in trust and love. Mother Mary and St. Joseph, be with me and draw me close to the mangerside, that I may adore the infant Lord in my heart.
Encountering Christ:
1. The Infant King and the Risen Christ: This is quite a passage for meditation the day after Christmas, yet perhaps not so strange after all, when we consider the saint whose feast we celebrate today: St. Stephen, the first martyr. He was one of the first group of deacons set apart among the first followers of Christ for the ministry of service. Today we recall in the Mass his ultimate witness of life and death to the risen Christ. The infant King whose coming we celebrate in these Christmas days is the same Christ who would die and rise again, and to whom thousands of martyrs, known and unknown, have witnessed to, and continue to witness to, over the centuries and still do today. No Christian is alone in giving witness to Christ. St. Stephen is among the crowd of witnesses that encourage us by their example and intercede for us through their prayers. Let us pause here in prayer and be strengthened by the company of these heavenly friends.
2. Christ Is the First Witness: Christ’s words paint a stark contrast, one which makes sense only within the context of the redemption he has won for us. Being handed over, scourged, judged and hated—there’s nothing to be made light of in any of this. But Christ tells us it is the Spirit of the Father speaking through us which gives witness. Our job is not to come up with brilliant and convincing words. Perhaps it’s not even to convince anyone at all. Rather, it is to endure to the end—not to worry about what to say, but to be receptive to the Spirit who will speak through us, if only we lend our voice and heart in witness. This would be a hard pill to swallow, if we did not first have the example of Jesus. From the manger to the tomb he gives witness to us of the fidelity of God. Let this reassuring message of Christ settle in the soul, in those places where it is most needed.
3. Handing Over: Christ does not promise an easy journey through this life back to his heart. His own journey through this world was hardly easy. Contemplating the manger and the tiny babe snuggled amid linen bands for clothing and straw for warmth, we see the beginnings of the simple life he embraced for our sake. We see the example he invites us to follow. See the newborn as the infant King is passed from hand to hand among the shepherds who came to see and adore him. No one is too poor to receive him. For now, he knows the strength and comfort of Joseph’s and Mary’s hands. Soon, he would know the whip and the cross under the cruel hands of the soldiers. But he also teaches us that we have nothing to fear, no real cause for worry, for whatever life may “hand over” to us, we are always held in the Lord’s loving hands—hands that will always bear the wounds he suffered for love of us and with us.
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you are the one to whom I can “hand over” all my worries, for you are the one who already–faithfully–holds me. As I contemplate you in Mary’s arms, strengthen my faith—you are always holding me, too. Attune my heart to listen to your Spirit’s promptings so that I can let you speak through me. You are faithful, Jesus. Let this be the great conviction of my life. 
Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will try not to worry about what to say or not to say, but will ask the Holy Spirit to speak through me. At the day’s end I will look to see if I have done so.