Feast of St. Stephen Dec 26

 Being First

Everyone loves being first. 

First in line. 

First to be chosen,

And First to choose. 

Except when it comes to Martyrdom. 

Very few people race to the front of the line to be stoned, crucified, or beheaded. 

But Stephen did.

He is the first martyr. 

The first to die for Christ. 

As he was dragged outside of Jerusalem 

And stoned. 

We may not be called to lay down our lives,

But we can be martyrs of a different kind. 

We can be the first to forgive. 

The first to apologize. 

The first not to gossip. 

The first to lay down the phone or turn off the TV in order to pray. 

These kind of firsts are not always easy. 

But then again Martyrdom never is.