Commontide
Liturgical Color: Red
The 1st Sunday of Christmas
Almighty God, you have poured upon us the new light of your incarnate Word: Grant that this light, kindled in our hearts, may shine forth in our lives; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Christmas
Because you gave Jesus Christ, your only Son, to be born for us; who, by the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary his mother, was made truly man, yet without the stain of sin, that we might be cleansed from sin and given the right to become your children.
Most liturgical texts are from the Book of Common Prayer (2019) of the Anglican Church in North America.
The New Coverdale Psalter, © 2019 by the Anglican Church in North America. Used by permission.
Deacon and First Martyr
Red Letter Day
Archbishop of Canterbury and Martyr
Anglican Commemoration
The first Christian to be killed for the name of Christ, and the first to be asked to forgive it. Acts makes him one of seven men set over a quarrel about food, and never once calls him a deacon; the Church gave him that title later, and has kept his day since at least 411, the morning after Christmas. He died praying for the men throwing the stones, and one of the coats at that execution belonged to Saul of Tarsus.
Stephen appears exclusively in Acts 6–7. He was among the seven men 'full of the Spirit and of wisdom' chosen to manage the daily distribution of food to Hellenist widows, resolving a complaint of neglect (Acts 6:1–6). The apostles laid hands on him. Stephen is described as 'full of grace and power' who 'did great wonders and signs among the people' (6:8).
Stephen's preaching attracted opposition from members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen. Unable to withstand his wisdom, they suborned false witnesses who accused him of blasphemy against Moses and the Temple (6:9–14). Brought before the Sanhedrin, Stephen delivered a speech retracing Israel's history from Abraham through Solomon, arguing that God's presence was never confined to any building and that Israel had repeatedly rejected its prophets — as now it had rejected 'the Righteous One' (7:2–53).
The assembly 'ground their teeth at him,' but Stephen, 'full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God' (7:54–56). He was dragged out of the city and stoned. His final words — 'Lord Jesus, receive my spirit' and 'Lord, do not hold this sin against them' — explicitly parallel Jesus's words from the cross. The witnesses laid their garments at the feet of 'a young man named Saul' (7:58–8:1).
Traditionally, Stephen's relics were discovered in 415 near Jerusalem by a priest named Lucian, who reported receiving their location in a dream. The discovery (inventio) was widely publicized and relics were distributed throughout the Mediterranean world, generating extensive miracle reports documented by Augustine among others.
Thomas Becket was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1162 until his murder in the cathedral on 29 December 1170. Born in London to a family of Norman merchants, he served Henry II as Lord Chancellor before his consecration, then broke with the king over the crown's claim to jurisdiction over the clergy and spent six years in exile. Four of the king's knights killed him at vespers. Alexander III canonized him on 21 February 1173, two years and two months after his death.
Thomas Becket was born in London to a merchant family and educated in canon law. He rose through royal service, becoming chaplain to Archbishop Theobald and then Chancellor under King Henry II (1155–1162). In this role, he earned the king's personal affection and proved an able administrator of royal business. When the archiepiscopal see became vacant in 1162, King Henry expected his loyal friend would be appointed and would serve royal interests. Instead, Thomas underwent a dramatic spiritual conversion, adopted ascetic practice, and began defending ecclesiastical independence vigorously against royal encroachment. This created one of medieval Europe's most famous Church-State conflicts. The primary dispute concerned the king's attempt to subordinate ecclesiastical courts to royal authority, particularly regarding the trial and punishment of clergy. Becket resisted with unwavering principle, arguing that the Church's liberty was sacrosanct. Exiled for six years (1164–1170), during which his cause gained international papal support and sympathy, Thomas lived in France. After apparent reconciliation with Henry, he returned to Canterbury in December 1170. On December 29, 1170, during Vespers, four knights—reportedly acting on Henry's frustrated comment, 'Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest?'—murdered him before the altar in his cathedral. Eyewitnesses recorded that Thomas maintained his composure and prayer even as he was struck down, with his arms crossed in the form of a cross. His last reported words were a prayer commending his soul to God. His tomb became immediately a pilgrimage site; miracles were reported within weeks. He was canonized in 1173, making him one of the most rapidly canonized English saints and initiating a centuries-long pilgrimage tradition (later immortalized in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales).
Thomas's cult developed with remarkable speed. Miracles were reported at his tomb within weeks of his death. William of Canterbury and Benedict of Peterborough compiled contemporary miracle accounts including healings, exorcisms, and other extraordinary events. The rapid canonization (1173, only three years after death) reflects the massive popular devotion that developed immediately. Canterbury became one of medieval Europe's major pilgrimage sites, with Thomas's shrine attracting hundreds of thousands of pilgrims over the centuries. The pilgrimage tradition crystallized in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales (14th century), which preserves the cultural memory of Becket's sanctity centuries after his death.