These reflections are a result of more than 40 years of ministry as a Roman Catholic priest. Most of these years I spent in the Diocese of Charlotte which covers Western North Carolina. Now I am retired, and live in Medellín, Colombia where I continue to serve as a priest in the Archdiocese of Medellín.

SATURDAY IN THE OCTAVE OF CHRISTMAS—Saint Stephen, Proto-Martyr, December 26

You will be hated by all because of my name,
but whoever endures to the end will be saved.
(Mt 10:22)

The feast of Saint Stephen coming so close to Christmas Day feels somewhat jarring until we realize that in the early church martyrdom was considered one’s “birthday” into heaven. And so Saint Stephen has the honor to celebrate his “heavenly birthday” the day after we celebrate the Birth of the Lord. It is also a good reminder that the Birth of the Lord was not welcomed by the “powers that be.” The Christmas Carol is from Ecuador, Entre Paja y el Heno (Between the Straw and the Hay).