It may sound rather morbid to think or talk about death.
But we know it is the final reality that we have to face.
And we certainly wish we would have a peaceful and happy death.
No one would ever want to think about or be prepared for a violent and unprepared death.
St. Stephen would also like to have a peaceful and happy death.
And he certainly wasn’t prepared for the violence he faced with when he proclaimed Jesus.
And neither would he have thought that his life would come to an end under a pile of stones.
Although his violent death was something St. Stephen was not prepared for, he died a peaceful and happy death.
He forgave his enemies and he put his life into the hands of his Lord and Saviour Jesus.
To think about death just a day after Christmas seems so jarring and out of place.
But birth and death are like the cycles of life.
In preparing for death, we are also preparing for life in eternity.
We do this preparation by forgiving those who wronged us, and also by praying like St. Stephen – Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.