Homily for the Feast of St. Stephen

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of St. Stephen. He was the first martyr of the Church, put to death by a mob in 36 A.D., with the approval of Saul of Tarsus (the future Apostle Paul). He is the patron saint of deacons, as he was among the first group of seven deacons appointed by the Apostles to care for the poor.

During the season of Advent, which we just concluded, we directed our thoughts to the less fortunate, especially people experiencing poverty. We shopped for people who would not receive as many presents as our families. We donated food to people in need, and some of us even volunteered part of our Christmas Day to feed people experiencing poverty in “soup kitchens.” But Christmas Day has come and gone, and it could be easy for us to forget our Advent almsgiving and focus on our future for ourselves.

In his work, Pilgrim’s Almanac, Fr. Ed Hayes suggests using today’s feast to share some of our Christmas gifts with those less fortunate than ourselves. The feast of St. Stephen, known as “Boxing Day” in England and Canada, was once a day when people would box up some of their Christmas presents for the poor. However, the re-boxed gifts are more likely those we didn’t like or couldn’t use and are returned to the store.

Most of us really have no need for all the gifts we receive. So, if you plan to return a sweater, why not share it with someone who is in genuine need of one? It could be a learning opportunity for our youth to share something with other kids who don’t have so much.

A few years ago, just a few days before Christmas, there was a horrible fire in the town of Monson; the family lost everything. Before Christmas, a friend’s granddaughter and her boyfriend gave up some of their gifts so the family victimized by the fire would receive something on Christmas morning. And let’s admit it: the spirit of that gesture was the greater gift. May we freely share that gift of generosity in many ways throughout the year ahead.