Fifth Day of Christmas: Optional Memorial of St. Thomas Becket

The Church celebrates the optional memorial of St. Thomas Becket, bishop and martyr. He was born in London and after studying in Paris, he first became chancellor to the king and then in 1162 was chosen Archbishop of Canterbury. He went from being "a patron of play-actors and a follower of hounds" to being a "shepherd of souls." He absorbed himself in the duties of his new office, defending the rights of the Church against Henry II. This prompted the king to exile him to France for six years. After returning to his homeland he endured many trials and was murdered by agents of the king.

Source: Catholic Culture

See also this entry in the Catholic Encyclopedia.

Fourth Day of Christmas: Massacre of the Holy Innocents

Duccio di Buoninsegna. Maesta (front, predella): The Massacre of the Innocents
via Wikipedia.

Nor must we forget that our greatest happiness and our most authentic good are not always those which we dream of and long for. It is difficult for us to see things in their true perspective: we can only take in a very small part of complete reality. We only see the tiny piece of reality that is here, in front of us. We are inclined to feel that earthly existence is the only real one and often consider our time on earth to be the period in which all our longings for perfect happiness ought to be fulfilled.

There is anguish for us, twenty centuries later, in thinking of the slain babies and their parents. for the babies the agony was soon over; in the next world they would come to know whom they had died to save and for all eternity would have that glory. For the parents, the pain would have lasted longer; but at death they too must have found that there was a special sense in which God was in their debt, as he had never been indebted to any. They and their children were the only ones who ever agonized in order to save God's life ... (F. J. Sheed, To Know Christ Jesus)

In Conversation with God: Advent and Christmastide

Read more about the Holy Innocents here.

Second Day of Christmas: St. Stephen, The First Martyr

Byzantine icon, 11th century

We have only just celebrated the birth of our Lord and already the liturgy presents us with the feast of the first person to give his life for this Baby who has been born. Yesterday we wrapped Christ in swaddling clothes; today, he clothes Stephen with the garment of immortality. Yesterday, a narrow manger cradled the baby Christ; today, the infinite heaven has received Stephen in triumph. (St. Fulgentius, Sermon 3)

The Church wants to make us realize that the Cross is always very close to Jesus and his followers. As he struggles for perfect righteousness - sanctity - in this world, the Christian will meet perfect situations and attacks by the enemies of God. Our Lord has warned us: If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you ... Remember the word that I said to you; a servant is not greater than his master: If they persecuted me they will persecute you. (John 15:18-20) Since the very beginning of the Church this prophecy has been fulfilled. And in our days too, if we really follow Our Lord, we are going to suffer difficulties and persecutions in one way or another and of different kinds. Every age is an age of martyrdom, St. Augustine tells us. Don't say that Christians are not suffering persecution; the Apostle's words are always true ...: All who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. (2 Tim 3:12) All, he says, with no one being excluded or exempted. If you want to test the truth of this saying, you have only to begin to lead a pious life and you will see what good reason he had for saying this. (St. Augustine, Sermon 6, 2)

In Conversation with God: Advent and Christmastide

Feast of St. Charles Lwanga and Companions

St. Charles Lwanga and Companions
Source

Charles is #13 above and if you click on the photo to enlarge it you can see everyone much better. Look at how young some of these numbered images look. These young men are truly the same ages as royal pages we would think of it from European history which is more familiar to us.

Today, together with the whole Church, we honor twenty-two Ugandan martyrs. They are the first martyrs of Sub-Saharan Africa and true witnesses of the Christian faith. Charles Lwanga, a catechist and a young leader, was martyred in 1886 with a group of Catholic and Anglican royal pages, some of whom were not yet baptized. King Mwanga, who despised the Christian religion, gave orders that all the Christian pages in his service be laid upon a mat, bound, placed onto a pyre and burnt. This took place at Namugongo, just outside Kampala.

Catholic Culture

I am not sure where I first heard of St. Charles Lwanga and his companions but I think it may have been in My Life With the Saints by James Martin. (Martin supplies the reading in honor of the feast day.) This is a bit, but do go read it all because there is a good amount of background for context.

They were marched to Namugongo, where, bound with ropes, shackles, iron rings and slave yokes, they waited for one week. During that time the martyrs prayed and sang hymns; the Catholics among them recited morning and evening prayers, grace before and after meals, as well as the Angelus and the rosary, in preparation for their deaths. On June 3, before the execution of the rest of the young men, Charles Lwanga was put to death by the king's men. He was wrapped tightly in a reed mat, a yoke hung on his neck, and was thrown onto a pyre. As a taunt to his executioners, Charles is said to have shouted, "You are burning me, but it is as if you are pouring water over my body!" Before he died, he cried out, "Katonda" or "My God."

His companions were killed in the same gruesome fashion. Aylward Shorter writes, "As the flames rose, their voices could be heard praying and encouraging one another." The last words of the young Kizito were, "Goodbye friends, we are on our way." Forty-five Christians were martyred at Namugongo: 22 Catholics and 23 Anglicans.

I was really moved when I read of these young men who so bravely and honorably stood up for their faith until the end. Interestingly, I had completely forgotten the main reason they came under attack, which was that they rejected their king's sexual advances. In times when we have so many temptations to not respect our bodies or to turn away from chastity, these saints speak to our age.

I guess that is a good reason for revisiting these stories as we celebrate the saints every year. We never know what we have forgotten or not noticed until then.

More information can be found at Catholic Culture where there are also related activities and more reading suggestions.

Collect Prayer

O God, who have made the blood of Martyrs the seed of Christians,
mercifully grant that the field which is your Church,
watered by the blood shed by Saint Charles Lwanga and his companions,
may be fertile and always yield you an abundant harvest.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.

Amen.

"Egyptian Christians are made of steel!"

Watch the news anchor's reaction to the forgiveness expressed by the widow of the gatekeeper who prevented a suicide bomber from entering an Alexandria church yard on Palm Sunday, thereby saving countless lives.

It is truly moving. This is why the blood of the martyrs [and the forgiveness of the faithful] is the seed of the church.

Forgiveness Incarnated from The Bible Society of Egypt on Vimeo.

"Egyptian Christians are made of steel! These people have so much forgiveness!"

Via The Deacon's Bench.