Saint Stephen
The First Martyr
Feast day – December 26
The Jewish origin of Saint Stephen is universally
acknowledged; he is known and loved everywhere as the first follower of Christ
to give to his martyred God love for love, blood for blood. It is not certain
whether he was among the seventy-two disciples of Jesus; some believe he was of
the Greek tongue and not a native of Palestine. He studied with Saint Paul and
Saint Barnabas under the famous Doctor of the Law, Gamaliel, who, being a
member of the Sanhedrin, attempted to stop the persecution of the Apostles. (Acts
of the Apostles 5:34-40) What is certain, however, is that he distinguished
himself among his brethren as an admirable Christian, replete with the gifts of
the Holy Spirit. To his great beauty and angelic chastity were joined humility,
patience, gentleness and charity, so perfect that they drew from all the
faithful great admiration and esteem for him.
He was head of the seven disciples whom the Apostles named
as deacons, to execute the works of charity which their mandate to preach did
not permit them to carry out. Stephen manifested all the qualities one could
wish for in a minister of charity and of the Gospel. He knew Scripture to
perfection and was steeped in its divine spirit; he was endowed with invincible
force because he feared nothing in the service of God. Everywhere in Jerusalem,
he was proving Jesus of Nazareth to be the Messiah, and working great prodigies
to confirm the truths he taught. Some believe he was the cousin of Saul, later
Saint Paul; in any case, the latter, still a fire-breathing Pharisee, took
offense at his boldness and presided at the scene of his martyrdom by stoning.
The fervent deacon, insensible to his own fate, defended Christ before the
Jerusalem tribunal with a perfection which enraged the proud authorities of Jerusalem,
unwilling to recognize a humble carpenter of Nazareth for their Saviour. He
boldly upbraided the chief priests with their hard-hearted resistance to the
Holy Spirit. And when he accused them of putting to death, just as their
forebears had treated the prophets who foretold Him, the long-awaited Just One
announced by Moses, they stoned him without further delay. (Acts of the
Apostles, chapter 7)
Saint Stephen died, beholding his Lord standing at the right
hand of God. He imitated Him in death; crying out, “Lord Jesus, receive my
spirit!” He concluded on his knees, “Lord, do not impute to them this sin!” And
then he fell asleep, the narrative says.
His mortal remains were left outdoors to be devoured by
beasts, but were protected by God; and Gamaliel, the Doctor of the Law, took
the body of the martyr to his own country home, a few leagues from the city,
where he buried him. His tomb was discovered miraculously in the fifth century, by the intervention of Gamaliel
himself in a priest’s dream. The greater part of his relics are still conserved
in the Basilica of Saint Lawrence and Saint Stephen in Rome. His death was the
signal for a great persecution of the Christians in Jerusalem, spurred on by
Saul, who had approved his death. But Saint John Chrysostom remarks that
because Stephen prayed, we have Saint Paul, whose conversion miraculously came
about soon afterwards.
Sources for this article were taken from: http://magnificat.ca
Prayer
Loving God, Saint Stephen was one of the first deacons in
the Church. The Apostles ordained him with six others because they needed
ministers who would oversee the needs of the poor and the widowed. His holiness
was so evident that when he preached to his enemies, his face glowed brightly
like an angel's. I ask him to pray for those who have been called to a life of
service as ordained deacons. O Lord, help them to be a sign of Your love in
their parishes and in the world where they live and work. Bless them with a
vision of their ministry that stirs them to passion and tireless effort. Amen.
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