An Act of the Will
"Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." (Acts 7:59)
"Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." (Acts 7:59)
For the faithful of God, the martyrdom of Saint Stephen to be remembered the day after Christmas is a paradox of our faith. The birth of Our Lord and Savior is to be celebrated, and the death of His loved ones to behold.
Our birth is gifted to eternal life by the grace of our baptism into the life of our Holy Redeemer, Jesus Christ. The disturbance we hear of in the Gospel comes when the faithful meet the unfaithful who are intent on killing rather than coming to see. The gift of God has been given to us in the Christ Child and remains with us in the Eucharist. Saint Stephen cried out to Our Father to receive his spirit. He endured to the end, Jesus asks this of us. The Liturgy, the highest form of prayer, will give us the fortitude to resound the love of God with our eyes fixed on heaven.
"God will lead us where he wills. God allows this so that we will abandon ourselves to him, to be led like Mary and Joseph. If the sun had risen and set only once, how we would have admired its beauty and glory, and how grateful we would have been to God. Our Lord is the sun of justice (cf. Mal 3:20), but he neither rises nor sets. He remains always in his brightness and glory on our altars." Saint Peter Julian Eymard
Will we make an act of the will to serve the mystery of Christmas?
May we remember the gift of ourselves is the one most precious to Jesus. Amen.
Laura Catherine Worhacz is a Lay Associate of the Blessed Sacrament daily communicant at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church in Holiday, FL. She is the Director of Communication and Stewardship at her parish. Also, the Director of the Mothers of the Blessed Sacrament Cenacle of Prayer. Author of Consecration to Jesus through Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament, 33 Days with St. Peter Julian Eymard, Apostle of the Eucharist, and co-founder of Elisheba House, a non-profit Catholic Media Apostolate whose mission is to make the love of God greater known in the Eucharist. Laura’s passion is Liturgy. Mother of two adult daughters and loving wife to Raymond, 33 years of the Sacrament of Marriage. She loves to cook, garden, read, and prayerfully support all who need intercession.
