Devotional for the Second Day of Christmas

     This mosaic is from the shrine of

Pope St Pius IX in the Basilica of
San Lorenzo Fuori le Mura in Rome.

December 26th – Second Day of Christmas

On December 26th the Church remembers St. Stephen, the first Christian martyr.

Eia, Martyr Stephane
Pray for us, we pray to thee. 
Eia, Martyr Stephane

To this martyr praise be given,
Qui triumphavit hodie,

And did gain the bliss of heaven,
Dono coelestis gratiae.

Stoned he was with stones great,
Fervore gentis impiae.

Then saw he Christ for thine enemies,
O martyr invictissime!

Then pray for us that high Justice
Ut nos purget a crimine. Amen.


Words: English, 15th Century – Source: Edith Rickert, Ancient English Christmas Carols: 1400-1700 (London: Chatto & Windus, 1914), p. 122.