Old Lutheran Quote of the Day

Reverent hearts, it is an old, laudable custom to commemorate St. Stephen on the second day of Christmas. For just as the innocent children were the first martyrs after Christ's birth, so also St. Stephen was the first after Christ's ascension to praise our glorious King Jesus with his blood. Our predecessors used to say, Heri natus est Christus in munda ut hodie Stephanus nasceretur in coelo. "Yesterday Christ was born in the world, so that today Stephen could be born in heaven." This is speaking rightly and truly of the fruit of Jesus Christ's birth. -- Valerius Herberger, *Treasury of Daily Prayer* p. 1057