00:00In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, peace be with you.
00:19A happy Christmas to you all. We are within the octave of Christmas and in the East Christmas season.
00:26Today, however, as you can see, I'm wearing red because it's the feast of the first Christian martyr, St. Stephen.
00:33So we remember him today in a special way, the deacon St. Stephen, who gave up his life rather than deny his faith.
00:43So we acknowledge our sins. We acknowledge, more importantly, the mystery, the amazing forgiveness and healing of God's love.
00:50Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. May Almighty God forgive us our sins, have mercy on us, and lead us into healing and life everlasting.
01:07Being the octave of Christmas today, we pray the Gloria.
01:14Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to people of goodwill.
01:19We praise you, we bless you, we adore you, we glorify you.
01:23We give you thanks for your great glory.
01:25Lord God, Heavenly King, O God Almighty, Father, Lord Jesus Christ, only begotten Son, Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father,
01:35you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.
01:39You take away the sins of the world, receive our prayer.
01:43You are seated at the right hand of the Father, have mercy on us.
01:46For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, you alone are the Most High Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, and the glory of God the Father.
01:57Amen.
01:58Let us pray.
02:08Grant, Lord, we pray, that we may imitate what we worship, and so learn to love even our enemies.
02:15For we celebrate the heavenly birthday of a man who knew how to pray, even for his persecutors.
02:25Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, forever and ever.
02:33Amen.
02:37A reading from the Acts of the Apostles.
02:39Stephen was filled with grace and power and began to work miracles and great signs among the people.
02:47But then certain people came forward to debate with Stephen.
02:52Some from Cyrene and Alexandria, who were members of the synagogue called the synagogue of the freed man.
03:00And others from Cilicia and Asia.
03:02They found they could not get the better of him because of his wisdom and because it was the Spirit that prompted what he said.
03:12They were infuriated when they heard what he said and ground their teeth at him.
03:19But Stephen, filled with the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at God's right hand.
03:27I can see heaven thrown open, he said, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.
03:35At this all the members of the council shouted out and stopped their ears with their hands.
03:41When they were, then they all rushed at him, sent him out of the city and stoned him.
03:49The witnesses put down their clothes at the feet of a young man called Saul.
03:55As they were stoning him, Stephen said in invocation,
03:59Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.
04:02Then he knelt down and said aloud, Lord, do not hold this sin against them.
04:09And with these words he fell asleep.
04:12Saul entirely approved of the killing.
04:16The word of the Lord.
04:19Thanks be to God.
04:21Into your hands, O Lord, I entrust my spirit.
04:25Into your hands, O Lord, I entrust my spirit.
04:28Be a rock of refuge for me, a mighty stronghold to save me.
04:33For you are my rock, my stronghold.
04:35For your name's sake, lead me and guide me.
04:38Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.
04:42Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.
04:45It is you who will redeem me, Lord.
04:47As for me, I trust in the Lord.
04:50Let me be glad and rejoice in your love.
04:53Into your hands, O Lord, I entrust my spirit.
04:57My life is in your hands.
04:58Deliver me from the hands of those who hate me.
05:02Let your face shine on your servant.
05:05Save me in your love.
05:08Into your hands, O Lord, I entrust my spirit.
05:11Alleluia, alleluia.
05:13Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
05:16The Lord God shines upon us.
05:19Alleluia.
05:19The Lord be with you.
05:30A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Matthew.
05:34Jesus said to his apostles,
05:37Beware of men.
05:39They will hand you over to some hadrins and scourge you in their synagogues.
05:43You will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake,
05:46to bear witness before them and the pagans.
05:49But when they hand you over, do not worry about how to speak or what to say.
05:55What you are to say will be given to you when the time comes.
05:59Because it is not you who will be speaking.
06:02The spirit of your father will be speaking in you.
06:07Brother will betray brother to death.
06:10And the father his child.
06:12Children will rise against their parents and have them put to death.
06:16You will be hated by all on account of my name.
06:19But the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.
06:23The gospel of the Lord.
06:28Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
06:31Into your hands, Lord Jesus, I commend my spirit.
06:35Echoing the words of Jesus himself into your hands, Father, I commend my spirit.
06:40The final trust, he died forgiving those who killed him.
06:47Jesus died forgiving those who killed him.
06:51Christian living has its challenges.
06:54We need to be able to make a stand.
06:57Stephen made a stand.
06:58And he lost his life over it.
07:01If we choose the life of ease and comfort.
07:05And just following what we feel like doing.
07:08Then we are not really following the example of Stephen or of Jesus.
07:12We don't just do what we feel like doing.
07:16We do what is the loving thing to do.
07:18We do what is the loving thing to do.
07:22And that will cost us something.
07:25We need a good dose of decent, proper, mature humility to do that.
07:31Otherwise, our ego takes over.
07:33Our insecurities take over.
07:36And we will not be able to forgive.
07:39We will not be able to take what comes from following the gospel
07:43with his challenges.
07:47Christmas is about hope.
07:49Great hope.
07:50And this is the octave, the special time for Christmas.
07:54When we celebrate the hope that God is with us.
07:58Jesus said,
07:59You will be given wisdom that you need.
08:02You will be given the spirit that you need.
08:05So as we face all our challenges,
08:07we rely on the spirit and on that wisdom.
08:13Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation.
08:20For to your goodness we have this bread to offer.
08:23Which earth has given human hands and made.
08:25It will become for us the bread of life.
08:28Blessed be God forever.
08:29Amen.
08:43Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation.
08:54For to your goodness we have this wine to offer.
08:57Fruit of divine work of human hands.
08:59It will become a spiritual dream.
09:01Blessed be God forever.
09:03Let us pray, brothers and sisters,
09:13that my sacrifice and yours may be acceptable to God,
09:17our almighty Father.
09:19May the Lord accept his sacrifice at our hands
09:21for the praise and glory of God's name
09:24for our good and the good of God's holy church.
09:27May these offerings of our devotion today
09:29be acceptable to you, we pray, O Lord.
09:32For they are prompted by the glorious commemoration
09:35of St. Stephen the martyr.
09:37Through Christ our Lord.
09:39Amen.
09:41The Lord be with you.
09:43Lift up your hearts.
09:46Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
09:49It is truly right and just our duty and our salvation.
09:52Always and everywhere to give you thanks,
09:55Lord, Holy Father, almighty and eternal God.
09:58For in the mystery of the word made flesh
10:00a new light of your glory has shone upon the eyes of our mind
10:04so that as we recognize in him God made visible,
10:08we may be caught up through him in love of things invisible.
10:13And so with angels and archangels,
10:15with thrones and dominions,
10:16and with all the hosts and powers of heaven,
10:19we sing the hymn of your glory
10:21as without end we are praying.
10:23Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of hosts,
10:26heaven and earth are full of your glory.
10:29Hosanna in the highest.
10:31Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
10:35Hosanna in the highest.
10:37You are indeed holy, O Lord, the font of all holiness.
10:41Make holy, therefore, these gifts, we pray,
10:43by sending down your spirit upon them like the dewfall,
10:46so they may become for us
10:48the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.
10:50At the time he was betrayed
10:53and entered willingly into his passion,
10:56he took bread and giving thanks broke it
10:59and gave it to his disciples saying,
11:01take this all of you and eat of it,
11:04for this is my body,
11:06which will be given up for you.
11:08In a similar way,
11:15when supper was ended,
11:16he took the chalice
11:17and once more giving thanks,
11:20he gave it to his disciples saying,
11:23take this all of you and drink from it,
11:25for this is the chalice of my blood,
11:28the blood of the new and eternal covenant,
11:31which will be pulled out for you
11:33and for many for the forgiveness of sins.
11:36Please, do this in memory of me.
11:46The mystery of faith,
11:49we proclaim your death, O Lord,
11:51and profess your resurrection
11:52until you come again.
11:57Therefore, as we celebrate the memorial
11:59of his death and resurrection,
12:02we offer you, Lord, the bread of life
12:04and the chalice of salvation.
12:06giving thanks that you've held us worthy
12:08to be in your presence
12:10and minister to you.
12:12Humbly we pray
12:13that partaking of the body
12:15and blood of Christ,
12:16we may be gathered into one
12:18by the Holy Spirit.
12:20Remember, Lord,
12:21your church spread throughout the world
12:23and bring her to the fullness of charity.
12:26Together with Leo, our folk,
12:27me, your unworthy servant,
12:28and all the clergy.
12:31Remember also our brothers and sisters
12:33who have fallen asleep in the hope of the resurrection.
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