Celebrating the great post-Christmas Holy Days
By Fr. Dan McKean

While Christmas was the peak of our celebration of this season, very few of us know and celebrate the great feasts that immediately follow. These post-Christmas celebrations help to define for us the meaning and mission of the church that the coming of the Messiah has established.

Friday, Dec. 26, the feast of St. Stephen, the first martyr.
According to the Acts of the Apostles, the early Church appointed deacons to assist in the care of widows and orphans. It was up to them to see that the gifts of the community were distributed to those in need. Stephen was one of seven chosen to be the first deacons. He would not only be the herald of the servant church, but a suffering Church. He would be the first of many hundreds who would witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ with their blood, sweat and tears.

Saturday, Dec. 27, the feast of St. John, Apostle and Evangelist.
John, son of Zebedee, brother of James, and the "disciple whom Jesus loved." Jesus appointed the 12 and entrusted them with the task of continuing His work. Filled with the gifts of the Holy Spirit, these simple men, and the others that followed Jesus, would continue to tell the story of salvation. They would go forth to fulfill Jesus’ command to announce the good news to all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. John’s Gospel would be a spiritual and historical record that all generations would be able to read. As we believe that we are a Church that is set upon the foundation of the first Apostles, John reminds us that we must share the gift that we have been given.

The feast of the Holy Innocents.
Although this feast is omitted this year because it falls on a Sunday, most years this feast day is a very painful remind of the presence of evil and greed in our world. King Herod was so jealous of Jesus, the newborn King, that he ordered the death of every child under the age of two. Why is it that the innocent, the poor and oppressed are made to suffer for the sins of mankind? Our world is still filled with those who set themselves against holiness, choosing instead to be instruments of evil and hatred. Whether it is the innocents who are killed in the womb, or children who know only war and poverty, the innocents remind us of the urgency of our work for justice.

Sunday, Dec. 28, the feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph.
Where do we look to see a mirror of Christ’s love? Traditionally, the Church calls us to see the example of the love of families. Not only does Christ speak about marriage as a witness of the covenant of God’s love, families are supposed to be the small "domestic" church. It is in families that we are to see the virtues of our Christian faith lived out. Forgiveness, forbearance, charity, justice, fidelity and stewardship are the foundation of family life. If our family is not living these virtues, then we have fallen short. Where will the world turn if we cannot be faithful in love to our most basic relationships? Holy families are not perfect, but they do open themselves up to God’s leadership.

Thursday, Jan. 1, 2004, the feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God.
This is a holy day of obligation in the United States. As our nation has been consecrated to the patronage of the Blessed Mother, we begin the New Year asking for the intercession of Mary in our nation and in our lives. Scripture records Jesus’ words on the cross "Woman, behold your son." Then he said to the disciple, "Behold your mother." (John 19:26) From the very moment of her conception, Mary was a vessel of God’s grace. She continues to be a mediator of God’s grace to us today. Her acceptance of being a "handmaid" of the Lord defines how we should live in the year to come.