Episode 1726: Why Martyrdom the day after Christmas?

So now it is the day after Christmas. Many Children are enjoying the gifts of Christmas while the parents cleanup and head back to work possibly or just relax from the exhaustive day. But wait its only just begun! Now for the real work of our faith.
I know my presentation of St Johns Chrysostom writing of the nativity may have seemed a little too deep, but it does say something about our times. In his day, the was renowned for his writings and preaching but today we sit through those types of preaching. I dare say no because we are a culture of immediacy. We need the net net so we can move on but in those times the written word and preaching was looked upon as the knowledge center where most learned their faith and for some the first time. I presented it so we can see how we need to slow down and listen and not only listen but reflect and by so doing learn. Really truly learn our faith in a much deeper sense really feel our faith in a true sense. Really truly understand why Our Lord brings people into this world to guide us and to provide providential influences in our faith life and not just our secular life.
So I said earlier now for the real work!
If you think people are brought into your life for no reason at all or you think the hand of God touches you for no reason at all you have to step back and say two things:
1. I am not that important that the events in my life were created by me.

2. You were here to know, to love and to serve our God.
Once you get there you start living your life with a sense of Godly purpose and not your own.

That then draws the most obvious question. If the word was made flesh and dwelt amongst us, then for what purpose was this done? Really stop and think about it. For what purpose?
Or better yet “Imagine what your life would have been like if Jesus had not come”
The impact of Jesus' coming is deeply rooted in Catholic theology and doctrine. According to Catholic teaching, Jesus is considered the Son of God and the savior of humanity. His coming is seen as the fulfillment of God's promise to send a messiah to redeem humanity from sin and reconcile them with God.

In the absence of Jesus' coming, the Catholic perspective holds that humanity would have remained in a state of separation from God due to the original sin committed by Adam and Eve. Original sin is believed to have brought spiritual death and the need for redemption.

Without Jesus, there would be no Incarnation, Crucifixion, or Resurrection. The Incarnation refers to the belief that God took on human flesh in the person of Jesus Christ, making it possible for humanity to be saved. The Crucifixion is viewed as the atoning sacrifice through which Jesus bore the sins of humanity, and the Resurrection is seen as the triumph over sin and death.

The Catholic Church teaches that, without Jesus, humanity would lack the means of salvation and the opportunity for eternal life with God. The sacraments, especially the Eucharist, are considered essential channels of grace that connect believers to the saving work of Jesus.

In summary, the traditional Catholic perspective asserts that without the coming of Jesus, humanity would be left without a redeemer, without the forgiveness of sins, and without the hope of eternal life with God. Jesus' life, death, and resurrection are central to Catholic theology, providing the foundation for the Christian understanding of salvation.
Okay so you may ask why you did an episode titled “why martyrdom the day after Christs Birth?” Well why did the wisdom of the Church place the feast day the day after Christmas and not the day after the resurrection? I mean did not Stephen go to his death right after Christs death and resurrection? Isn’t he the protomartyr: The Very first? Yepper he was and who was there holding the coats of those killing Stephen? St Paul. Wow what a wake-up call for all of us. Are we not the St Paul’s prior to our conversion to the faith? Do we not live our lives outside the faith most of the time? Don’t we put our faith in nice little buckets and make nice platitudes but for the most part go on with our humanistic approach to life and most importantly do we actually ask our selves the two biggest questions?
1. What would have happened to us if the Word were not made flesh and dwelt amongst us?
2. Are we really living our lives to know to love to serve our lord so we can be with him in heaven?

See the beauty of the Christmas tide is that it ends our old year and trips into our new year.
So lets look at 2024 with a new set of eyes and instead of holding the coats of those that attack the church lets go forth like the first martyr St Stephen and truly offer all we have to Christ the King and say the words that were utters by both Christ while he was being nailed to the cross and St Stephen when he was beings stoned/ Forgive them father for they know not what they do”. Dear faithful, most people today do not know how they offend our lord and so they truly do not know what they do when they offend him, but we can make a difference. We can be a martyr for the faith and move forward and convert someone in 2024 so we can all be with Christ in heaven.

God Bless and Good Day.