A Reflection for the Feast of St. Stephen, first martyr
Find today’s readings here.
St. Stephen’s Day became a more important day to me when I started dating a Stephen.
Since there is no St. Molly (yet!), I never had the experience of a name day like this one, recognizing a patron saint with whom I could share this particular nominal connection. My Stephen gets (almost) as excited about December 26th as he does about Christmas Day. “My day!” he’ll exclaim excitedly when we go over it on the calendar. (He’s also always pleased that the saint’s name is traditionally spelled the “right way,” that is, with a ph instead of a v.)
But it’s a bit of an odd day to feel excited and jolly about; after all, St. Stephen is known as the first Christian martyr. Much of what we know about him comes from his mentions in the Acts of the Apostles, and we hear an account of his death by stoning in today’s first reading.
In the passage from Acts 6 and 7, Stephen infuriates his interlocutors in a debate because “the wisdom and the spirit with which he spoke” is too great. Their rage at his abilities escalates into violence, and they eventually push him out of the city and stone him to death. Stephen is collected in the face of their anger, even at the very end, and that seems to only light their fire even more. But while their eyes are on him, Stephen’s eyes are on heaven. Before the stoning begins, today’s passage says that he “looked up intently to heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, and he said, ‘Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.’” Then, in the moments of his death, he cries out simply, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”
Even though this feast marks a brutal event, my Stephen is not the only one who sees this as a day of celebration. In many European countries, this is celebrated as a holiday, sometimes coinciding with the observance of Boxing Day, and often including a lingering holiday spirit that reflects this second day of Christmastide. Local cultural customs vary widely, but they can include everything from sleigh rides to pantomimes to a Mummer’s Festival. Even as people remember St. Stephen’s bloody end, they still find ways to be festive.
I’m thankful for that; after all, martyrdom is hardly the thing anyone wants to associate with someone they love. But there is something about this account of St. Stephen that reminds me of the Stephen in my life, and that’s his expression of wisdom and solidity. Today, on what is the final St. Stephen’s Day before I marry my own Stephen this upcoming year, I pray that those qualities continue to characterize our life together. I believe they are God’s great gift to me, and I’ll spend today expressing my love and gratitude for them.
Thanks be to God for these name days, the chances we have to imagine connections between the saints and their namesakes in our lives. As we approach a new year, maybe we can use these feast days on the liturgical calendar, and the real aspiring saints who share their names, to increase our daily prayerfulness and gratitude.
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Do you have any favorite holiday recipes?
This time of year is almost synonymous with sweets, which I absolutely love, but since there will be plenty of Christmas cookies to go around, I plan to make a savory breakfast for my family that switches things up while still feeling festive.
Below is a take on Ina Garten’s Country French Omelette that I found thanks to Kristen Hushen Greer (@kristenhushen on Instagram and TikTok), one of my favorite online accounts for recipes.
You’ll need:
-7 eggs
-14 small Yukon gold potatoes sliced in half and quartered
-1 shallot sliced thin
-6 slices of thick but bacon cut into lardons
-¼ cup heavy cream
-1 heaping cup shredded Gruyere (put in as much as you want!)
-finely chopped chives
-salt and pepper
-flaky sea salt
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
In a bowl, whisk together eggs, heavy cream, cheese, salt and pepper.
Add bacon to an oven safe skillet on medium heat. When nice and crispy, remove from skillet but keep all the grease in the pan. Add potatoes. Sauté until browned and cooked through. Add shallot and cook another two minutes. Turn off heat. Depending on how much you have, you can remove some bacon fat from the pan, but you still want a nice layer in the bottom so the omelette doesn’t stick, so don’t remove it all. Add bacon and egg/cheese mixture. Make sure everything is nice and incorporated/mixed. Top with extra pepper and put it in the oven for about 25 minutes or until the egg is set. To serve, garnish with chives and flaky sea salt. Cut into pieces, however many you need. Serve with sourdough or a bagel on the side. Enjoy!
What are you most excited to work on at America in 2025?
I’m hopeful that I’ll get the chance to meet some more of our readers in person in the new year. That face-to-face connection always reminds me that our work is reaching real people who are faithful, smart and curious about the church and world. I’m grateful for the feedback and the conversations, and I’m praying for more in 2025!
Share a photo of an Advent or Christmas memory.
Around the table on Christmas Day 2022 with my Nana. As you can see, we had props.
