December 26

The Feast of St. Stephen
 
Day after Christmas.
day after a holiday…
a feast day remembering the birth
            of one called holy,
            of one called ‘the true Light’,
            of one called ‘the Life’.
 
‘Boxing Day’, another day off
            in Canada.
Frenzy day of exchanges and sales
            of big spending in the US.
Day when the battle resumed
            for soldiers in WWI where
            (at least they took leave from
            killing one another for a day.)
 
Fighting and death take no holiday.
Children are born and die
            without regard to dates.
Holy scriptures tells of
            insane old King Herod’s
            massacre of the innocents
            in fear of ‘God-with-Us’.
A voice was heard in Ramah,
            Rachel weeping for her children
            that were not.
Some remember the
            St Stephen day murders;
            death after celebration of birth
 
Angel song of peace on earth,
            good will toward all
            with whom God is well pleased-
                        -ridiculous.
Earth proceeds living and dying,
            birthing and killing,
            creating and destroying.
The martyrdom of Stephen,
            stoned for believing
            in life, in one called, Jesus
falls this day,
            a day after the celebration of birth.
 
Paradox abounds.
Divine becomes human.
Life leads to death leads to life.
Spirit and flesh are one.
God births human and human births God.
Giving birth, taking life.
Dare we acknowledge this
“feast” of St. Stephen come
            on the heels of Christmas?
                        Dare we not?
 
May we find the grace born
            within that we might
            live, together, in peace.