If you’re like me, you probably never paid much attention to the lyrics of Good King Wenceslas. Oddly enough, the classic Christmas carol says nothing about Christmas. It does, however, mention the “feast of Stephen,” which falls on December 26.
Let’s face it – Christmas is a tough act to follow. But St. Stephen deserves our attention. Not only was he the first Christian martyr – stoned to death at the approval of the not-yet-converted St. Paul – he was also one of the Church’s first deacons. His task: to provide support to orphans and widows.
Two thousand years later, hunger, homelessness and abject poverty are still a reality, and the responsibility to care for widows and orphans remains crucial to our identity as followers of Christ.