The Traditional Catholic Daily Devotional is delivered each day, around 4am Eastern Time (US). It contains a meditation, a reflection on the saint or feast, news from the Church, and other information to help you begin your day in the mind of the Catholic Church!

Have feedback or questions about the DD or our other shows? [email protected]
Sources Used Today:
“Can Courts Compel the Reinstatement of a Former Nun to Her Cell?” (FSSPX.news)https://fsspx.news/en/news/can-courts-compel-reinstatement-former-nun-her-cell-56080

“The Childlike Wonder of St Francis de Sales at Christmas” (SSPX Sermons)
https://youtu.be/D4WvwbkAuHw https://sspxpodcast.com/faq/#subscribe



The Spiritual Life – Archbishop Lefebvre (Angelus Press)
https://angeluspress.org/products/spiritual-life-archbishop


Saint Stephen stands at the very beginning of the Church’s long line of martyrs, a man whose witness shows how quickly joy and suffering can meet when the Gospel is taken seriously. He appears in the Acts of the Apostles not as one of the Twelve, but as one of the first deacons, chosen to serve the practical needs of the growing Christian community. Yet Stephen’s service was never merely administrative. Scripture describes him as “full of grace and power,” a man whose faith overflowed into preaching, teaching, and fearless witness.
Stephen’s preaching quickly drew opposition. He spoke openly about Christ as the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets, and his words unsettled those who believed the old order was being threatened. Brought before the Sanhedrin, Stephen did not defend himself with caution. Instead, he gave a sweeping account of Israel’s history, showing how God had always been faithful even when His people resisted Him. His speech was not an attack but a mirror, and it provoked rage rather than repentance. As the crowd dragged him outside the city to stone him, Stephen prayed aloud, asking God not to hold the sin against them. His final words echoed Christ Himself, as he commended his spirit to the Lord.
One detail often overlooked makes Stephen’s martyrdom especially poignant. Among those who approved of his death was a young man named Saul, who guarded the cloaks of the executioners. The Church has long seen Stephen’s prayer as the first seed of Saul’s conversion. The blood of the first martyr fell into the soil where the greatest missionary would later rise. Stephen’s death was not an ending, but a beginning.
Stephen is called the Protomartyr, the first to die for Christ after the Resurrection. His feast on December 26 is placed deliberately right after Christmas Day, reminding the Church that the joy of the Incarnation is inseparable from the cost of discipleship. The Child born in Bethlehem is the same Lord for whom Stephen gave his life.
Traditionally, Stephen became the patron of deacons, stone masons, and those falsely accused. In medieval Europe, his feast was associated with acts of charity, especially almsgiving to the poor and care for servants and workers. In some regions, animals were blessed on his day, recalling...

Ver todos los episodios