By Leon Bent –
St. Stephen, feast day December 26, Christian deacon in Jerusalem and the first Christian martyr, whose apology before the Sanhedrin (Acts of the Apostles 7) points to a distinct strand of belief in early Christianity. His defence of his faith before the rabbinic court enraged his Jewish audience, and he was taken out of the city and stoned to death. His final words, a prayer of forgiveness for his attackers (Acts of the Apostles 7:60), echo those of Jesus on the Cross (Luke 23:34)! Stephen is the patron saint of deacons and stonemasons.
They threw him out of the city, and began to stone him. The witnesses laid down their cloaks at the feet of a young man named Saul. As they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit” (Acts 7:58-59).
When Stephen was seized and taken before an angry council to defend himself and all his teachings, “his face was like the face of an angel” (Acts 6:15). This is incredible! Stephen gives us a profound example of what it means to live the words of Scripture: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23).
What a shocking contrast! Yesterday, our Church celebrated the joyous birth of the Saviour of the world. Today we honour the first Christian martyr, St. Stephen. Perhaps there are many reasons to include the feast of the first Christian Martyr in the Church’s calendar on the second day of the Octave of Christmas. One such reason is to immediately remind us of the consequences of giving our lives to Him who was born an infant in Bethlehem. The consequences? We must give Him everything, holding nothing back, even if it means persecution and death.
At first, this could appear to strip away our Christmas joy. It could appear to put a damper on this festive season. But with the eyes of faith, this feast day only adds to the glorious solemnity of this Christmas celebration.
It reminds us that the birth of Christ requires everything from us. We must be ready and willing to give our lives to Him completely and without reserve. The birth of the Saviour of the world means we must reprioritize our lives, and commit to choosing Him above all else, even above our own lives. It means we must be ready and willing to sacrifice everything for Jesus, living selflessly and faithfully to His most holy will.
“Jesus is the reason for the season,” we often hear. This is true. He is the reason for life and the reason to give our lives without reserve.
Stephen, who became the best known of the seven deacons, was recognized as a man with special gifts as an evangelist. He engaged in religious discussions among the adherents of synagogues of Diaspora Jews in the capital. Growth in the number of Jewish converts, including “many of the priests,” provoked a reaction. He was summoned before the Sanhedrin, the supreme rabbinic court in Jerusalem, and charged with speaking against “this holy place and the law.”
Now, this gold nugget! Lord, as we continue the glorious celebration of Your birth, help me to understand the effect that Your coming among us must have on my life. Help me to clearly perceive Your invitation to give myself completely to Your glorious will. May Your birth instill in me a willingness to be born anew into a life of selfless and sacrificial giving. May I learn to imitate the love that St. Stephen had for You and to live that radical love in my life.
The last word! St. Stephen was one of the most popular saints of the Mediaeval era, especially on the continent of Europe.
This beautiful Prayer and the reason for it! It has never been easy to be a Christian, and being a Christian has always been counter-cultural. If lived authentically, it is lived in defiance against the fallen powers of the world.
This means that like our Saviour we have to be ready. We have to learn the strategy that he used to defeat the fallen powers of this world and how he claimed victory when it seemed that these fallen powers could not be defeated. We must learn his strategy- enacted in the witness of Saint Stephen and all the Church’s martyrs, past and present- lest in our opposition to the powers of this world, we become just like them. St. Stephen became the Word on Fire! PRAYER: Grant, Lord we pray, that we may imitate what we worship, and, so learn to love even our enemies, for we celebrate the heavenly birthday of Saint Stephen, who knew how to pray for his persecutors. Through our Lord Jesus Christ your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.
Leon Bent is an ex-Seminarian and studied the Liberal Arts and Humanities, and Philosophy, from St. Pius X College, Mumbai. He holds Masters Degree in English Literature and Aesthetics. He has published three Books and have 20 on the anvil. He has two extensively “Researched” Volumes to his name: Hail Full of Grace and Matrimony: The Thousand Faces of Love. He won The Examiner, Silver Pen Award, 2000 for writing on Social Issues, the clincher being a Researched Article on Gypsies in India, published in an issue of the (worldwide circulation) Vidyajyoti Journal of Theological Reflection, New Delhi. On April, 28, 2018, Leon received the Cardinal Ivan Dias Award for a research paper in Mariology.
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