MEMORIAL OF SAINT STEPHEN, FIRST MARTYR – FEAST DAY ~ DECEMBER 26TH: Today, we celebrate the Feast of Saint Stephen, First Martyr.
SAINT STEPHEN, FIRST MARTYR: St. Stephen (1st. c.) was the first martyr, traditionally regarded as the Protomartyr or the very first Martyr of the Church. This means that St. Stephen the first one to die for his faith in God, in giving his life for the sake of the glory of God and in the midst of his mission. We may wonder why just immediately right after the most joyful celebration of Christmas Day we suddenly enter into this sombre occasion of the memory of the martyrdom of St. Stephen, but in truth, this celebration of St. Stephen and his martyrdom is an important reminder for all of us what Christmas is truly all about. St. Stephen reminds us all that Christmas is about celebrating the coming of Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, Who brought into our midst the truth about the love of God for each one of us, and which truth is the reason why St. Stephen died courageously in defending that truth and Good News from those who tried to silence him and the Church.
St. Stephen is one of the Church’s first deacons in Jerusalem and an eloquent preacher of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. St. Stephen’s name comes from the Greek word meaning ‘crown,’ fitting as he was the first Christian to earn the martyr’s crown. St. Stephen was a Jew, a disciple of Christ, chosen after the Ascension as one of the seven deacons. According to Sacred Scripture he was “a man full of faith, and of the Holy Ghost” and “full of grace and fortitude, was working great wonders and signs among the people” (Acts 6:8). St. Stephen’s reputation for holiness led the Apostles to choose him, along with six other men, to assist them in an official and unique way as this dispute arose. Through the sacramental power given to them by Christ, the Apostles ordained the seven men as deacons, and set them to work helping the widows. As a deacon, Stephen also preached about Christ as the fulfillment of the Old Testament law and prophets.
The account of his martyrdom is recorded in the Acts of the Apostles. Many rose up against him, but they were not able to withstand the wisdom that spoke. After boldly preaching against the Jewish leaders for their rejection of the promised Messiah, unable to refute his message, some members of local synagogues accused him of blasphemy against Moses and against God. St. Stephen was brought before the Sanhedrin, their religious authorities, charging him with seeking to destroy their traditions. St. Stephen responded with a discourse recorded in the seventh chapter of the Acts of the Apostles. He described Israel’s resistance to God’s grace in the past, and accused the present religious authorities of “opposing the Holy Spirit” and rejecting the Messiah. He was condemned to be cast out of the city and stoned to death. Before he was put to death by stoning by the angry mob St. Stephen had a vision of Christ in glory. “Look,” he told the court, “I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!” The council, however, dragged the deacon away and stoned him to death. “While they were stoning Stephen, he prayed, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit,’” records St. Luke in Acts 7. “Then he knelt down before his murderers and cried out in a loud voice, ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them.’(Acts 7:60). And when he had said this he fell asleep in the Lord, 35 A.D. The man who would later become St. Paul the Apostle, while he was persecuting the Church before his conversion, was among the mob as an approving witness. St. Stephen is the Patron Saint of Stonemason, Altar Servers, casket makers, deacons, headaches, horses, masons, Italy.
PRAYER: God, grant that we may imitate the Saint we honor and learn to love our enemies. For today we celebrate the feast of St. Stephen who knew how to pray even for his persecutors. Amen 🙏