For getting extra OBOB books in Spanish, please call (513) 296-1380 or email jerrycappel@fuse.net with your request.
Please include the number of books you want along with the name and address for sending. May God bless your efforts to evangelize!
Monday, December 26, 2022, St. Stephen
Acts 6:8-10; 7:54-59
Psalm 31:3-4, 6, 8, 16-17
Matthew 10:17-22
View Readings
WITNESS STAND
"You will be brought to trial before rulers and kings, to give witness before them." —Matthew 10:18
Christmas is a special opportunity to witness for Jesus. Because St. Stephen was the first witness to give up his life for Jesus the faithful Witness (Rv 1:5), it is appropriate that he is the first of the Christmas saints. Witnessing is not just saying good things about Jesus. Witnessing is communicating a personal experience of Jesus. St. Stephen was a witness not just because he spoke about Jesus, but because he saw Jesus at the Father’s right hand and proclaimed this to the crowd (see Acts 7:56). Witnesses for Jesus share not just what they have received from other human beings in conversation or instruction. Rather, their witness is based on their personal experience of revelation from Christ (Gal 1:12).
Moreover, witnessing is not just communicating a personal experience of Jesus. Witnessing is in the context of a trial. This may not be a legal trial but any situation where people have decided to cross-examine Jesus again and to pronounce judgment on His followers. These courts are set up at work, in politics, social events, entertainment, mass media, and even church. When we proclaim our personal experience of Jesus in a legal court or in a “kangaroo court,” we are witnesses for Jesus in the true sense of the word. Then the Holy Spirit will put words in our mouths (Mt 10:20). We will be persecuted and possibly even martyred. Then Sauls will become Pauls, and Christmas will be truly the celebration of Jesus’ birth.
Prayer: Father, may my simple, persistent witness shake the social fabric in which I'm involved.
Promise: "As Stephen was being stoned, he could be heard praying, 'Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.' " —Acts 7:59
Praise: "Stephen's face seemed like that of an angel" (Acts 6:15). St. Stephen, please pray the Holy Spirit will give us peaceful and courageous hearts.
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Rescript: In accord with the "Code of Canon Law", I hereby grant the "Nihil Obstat" ("Permission to Publish") for "One Bread, One Body."
"In accord with the Code of Canon Law, I hereby grant the Nihil Obstat for the publication One Bread, One Body covering the time period from December 1,2022 through January 31,2023. Reverend Steve J. Angi, Chancellor, Vicar General, Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio April 12, 2022"
The Nihil Obstat ("Permission to Publish") is a declaration that a book or pamphlet is considered to be free of doctrinal or moral error. It is not implied that those who have granted the Nihil Obstat agree with the contents, opinions, or statements expressed.
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