Feast of St. Stephen, the First Martyr, an Invitation to Suffer with Christ

The day after Christmas the Church gives us a graphic reminder that embracing and living the faith isn't just cuddling a baby, but requires walking in darkness and suffering. St. Stephen, the first martyr, was a deacon chosen to help with the distribution of food to widows and the poor. While exercising that duty he performed signs and wonders that amazed the community.

His actions inflamed the Jewish people who dragged him before the Sanhedrin accusing him falsely of blasphemy. How did he respond? He delivered a passionate review of God's covenant with His chosen people from the time of Abraham.

Reflecting on Family Trees and St. Stephen

A priest friend once told me, "There's no one deader than a dead priest." They have no descendants to pray for them and are soon forgotten. But the reality is that we are all "soon forgotten." I remember my grandparents on my dad's side, but I never knew my mom's adoptive parents and no one in our family knows anything at all about my mom's birth parents. My mom didn't even know she was adopted until after she was married. 

Feast of St. Stephen, the First Martyr

 Holy Mother Church, in her wisdom, doesn't let us spend too much time with Baby Jesus and the angels singing around the crib. The very next day after welcoming Jesus, she reminds us that the spiritual life is more than a precious smiling baby. She gives us St. Stephen, stoned to death for his fidelity to our crucified Lord. 

You can read all about him in Chapters 6 and 7 of Acts of the Apostles. 

After giving the Sanhedrin a history lesson about Moses, he accuses them with these words:

On the Day after Rejoicing, the Church Celebrates the First Martyr!

The joy of Christmas transitions to grief today over the death of the first martyr, the holy deacon St. Stephen. What wisdom! Holy Mother Church reminds us that we are in the Church Militant, not at the church picnic despite our Christmas day joy. Remember, at the birth of the holy babe, Herod sits on the throne and will soon see the news of a "newborn king" (brought unwittingly by the three wise men to this diabolical ruler) as a threat to his own rule. And so he plots believing that, in his worldly power, he can thwart the will of God. Stupid man!

Are You and I Willing to Die for the Faith? St. Stephen, Pray for Us.

For some reason, I got it into my head this morning that today is the feast of St. Stephen. I must have been suffering a senior moment. (Is that a symptom of COVID 19)? I know it's not the feast of St. Stephen, so where did that come from? (His feast is actually December 26th.) 

On the Feast of St. Stephen, Be Brave! Make a Decision to be a Warrior against the Culture of Death.

But be prepared for the persecution! You may lose your job; you probably won't lose your life. Be a man like the seven sons in Maccabees and a woman like their courageous mother. Let us fight for the faith and for the culture, walking in the footsteps of St. Stephen!

Fr. Tom Collins sent me this email the other day:

The video link below dramatically shows how courageously confronting the secularist “social justice” agenda can be quite effective. Sadly, this agenda still guides many powerful officials in the Vatican and the USCCB, as they become incrementally more adept at adapting to and adopting the secularist Culture of Desecration of Death.

St. Stephen, Pray for Us!

The first reading at Mass this morning was the stoning of St. Stephen, the first Christian martyr.

The last thing he said before he died was "Lord, don't hold this sin against them." Can you imagine loving your murderers so much that you beg the judge for mercy while they are in the act of committing the murder? Wow!

Every morning I say the acts of faith hope and charity. The act of charity says, "O my Jesus, I love you with all my mind, heart, and strength and my neighbor as myself for love of you. I forgive all those who have sinned against me and ask pardon of all those whom I have sinned against through Christ our Lord. Amen."

Ah...how I wish I could be sure I really have forgiven those who have sinned against me since my own salvation depends on it. ("Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us....")  But I know how often past hurts come to mind and stir up anger in my heart once again. Part of that is the natural result of being a choleric/melancholic temperament. But, oh, how I wish I would see others through the eyes of Jesus and Mary and desire nothing more than their salvation no matter how much they may have hurt me.

Solomon asked for an understanding heart. Perhaps if I pray every day for an understanding heart it will change the way I see all those who touch my life whether with kindness or with cruelty. Lord Jesus, make me more like St. Stephen through Christ our Lord.

Hostility to the Truth: The More Things Change...

There's an old saying -- "The more things change, the more they remain the same." I thought of that this morning at Mass. The first reading was from Acts of the Apostles, the stoning of St. Stephen, the first martyr. The elders and the scribes ruthlessly killed him. Why? Because he proclaimed a hard truth they didn't want to hear and because so many people, including "many priests," were embracing Christ's teachings. Stephen was among the most articulate of the disciples and worked many signs and wonders in the community. Members of the synagogue who debated him "proved no match for the wisdom and spirit with which he spoke." And so the enemies of the truth determined to shut him up.

Well, there's more than one way to get your will, so, unable to best him in debate, they followed the same tactic used to crucify Jesus. They accused Stephen of blasphemy. (We have our own modern day "blasphemy" against the spirit of the world. If you oppose homosexual behavior or contraception and abortion, you must be accused and browbeaten into silence!)

The Sanhedrin listened to Stephen's discourse in hostility. He gave a history lesson of the chosen people that is instructive to our own era. "A new king came to power in Egypt...[who] forced our fathers to abandon their infants to exposure so that the people would not survive." Ah, yes, like our own "king" who not only champions the killing of babies in the womb but supports letting newborns die of "exposure" by denying them medical care. But he is just the latest in a long string of murdering tyrants beginning with the five men in black who decided Roe v. Wade. The fact that the killing targets the poor and minorities is covered up by those who use them as election fodder. No, things haven't changed much in 2000 years.

Stephen reminded the Sanhedrin of the chosen people's 40-year infidelity to God in the desert after they left Egypt. "You took along the tent of Moloch and the star of the god Rephan." In our day too the truths of the Holy Spirit have been abandoned for an earth worship, pleasure-centered cult that considers killing people a virtue to save Holy Mother Earth or guarantee the right to be happy unhindered by unwanted responsibility. So kill the babies by abortin and shunt Granny off to a nursing home and deprive her of food and water when you want her out of the way.

The words that stung Stephen's listeners to the heart could well be used against us:

You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you are always opposing the Holy Spirit just as your fathers did before you. Was there ever any prophet whom your fathers did not persecute? In their day, they put to death those who foretold the coming of the Just One; now you in your turn have become his betrayers and murderers. You who received the law through the ministry of angels have not observed it.

And then they killed him. Is our culture any different than theirs? The truth has been given and many have cast it off preferring the lie.  Our own scribes and elders shout and cover their ears against the truth. They drag their opponents into the market place labeling them hatemongers, judgmental and intolerant. If they can, they kill reputations and job opportunities and even strive to criminalize their opponents' speech and throw them in jail. And they are as relentless as Stephen's persecutors.

No doubt, as Stephen died, his enemies felt victorious. But it was Stephen who experienced a vision of Jesus standing at the right hand of God. It was Stephen who died forgiving his murderers. It was Stephen who received the reward of a martyr and a prophet.

Imitate Stephen today: proclaim the truth without fear of consequence, forgive your enemies who hate and malign you in comments on blogs and Facebook or verbally outside abortion mills. Stand unflinchingly for the truth with the spirit of St. Stephen, confident that, by your faithfulness, the truth will be preserved. Fr. John Hardon often said that the Catholic Church will survive only were "there are Catholics who are living martyrs." Things haven't changed much in 2000 years. But, by the grace of God, we can remain faithful to the truth like St. Stephen before us.

St. Stephen the Martyr: A Reminder that it's not all About the Feast

The Christmas season is filled with joy and celebration, but the Church in her wisdom also gives us a sober reminder. Today is the feast of St. Stephen, the first Christian martyr. What is particularly interesting to me about its placement on the day after Christmas is the fact that St. Stephen suffered death as he experienced a vision of heaven, "the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God." (Acts 7:55)

So even as Stephen suffered a painful death by stoning, he was on the threshhold of the greatest party mankind will ever experience, the banquet of the Lamb. And it may very well have been Stephen's prayers and sacrifice that led to the conversion of St. Paul who "was consenting to his death." (Acts 7:59)

While we enjoy all the delights of the twelve days of Christmas, visiting with family and friends, reminiscing about Christmases past and looking forward to a new year with hope, let's remember the thorn upon the rose. This life will never be without suffering even in the midst of celebration. What a blessing if we all accept that suffering as Stephen did, particularly when it involves persecution, and call on Jesus saying, "Lord, lay not this sin to their charge."

St. Stephen's Day

Holy Mother Church in her wisdom follows the joyful celebration of the Messiah's birth with the feast of the first Christian martyr, St. Stephen, a deacon. Members of the synagogue challenged Stephen to a debate, but were unhappy with his arguments and accused him of blasphemy. They dragged him outside the city of Jerusalem to stone him to death. As they were murdering him, he had a vision of heaven with Jesus sitting at the right hand of God. As he died he imitated the Lord caying, "Lord, lay not this sin to their charge."

The Church gives us this reminder that the Christian life is not just the joy of Christmas morning, but the challenge of suffering throughout the day. We rejoice over the salvation freely offered by the babe in the manger, but the reality is He calls us to "pick up your cross" and follow. Christianity is not a soft religion filled with a prosperity gospel that promises sweetness and light. It is the invitation to become soldiers for Christ, spreading the gospel, not by a physical sword, but the sword of prayer and sacrifice.

St. Stephen, help us to imitate your courage and widsom and your spirit of forgiveness of your enemies. May we be willing to lay down our lives for Jesus.

In the Shadow of the Christmas Star

Today Catholics celebrate the feast of St. Stephen, the first martyr. In her wisdom the Church follows the joyful celebration of Christ's birth with the solemn reminder that following the Lord means to "pick up your cross" and follow Him. We must be ready to carry it wherever the Savior leads - even to a bloody martyr's death. Stephen dies under a hail of rocks thrown by a mob. With a vision before his eyes he prays for forgiveness of his murderers. In that screaming mob stands Saul, the future St. Paul, whose misguided zeal leads him to endorse the killing. Think of zealous Muslem terrorists invoking Allah to justify their evil acts and you won't be too far off from the future saint who will hear Jesus call, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?"

When I was confirmed, made a "soldier of Christ," the bishop ended the sacrament with a tap on the cheek, a reminder that following Christ means being ready to suffer. Unfortunately, that meaningful symbol has disappeared from the rite. Too bad. It sent a graphic message that the Christian life isn't for sissies and wimps. It takes strength, courage, fortitude, and a lifetime commitment.

It's easy to follow the star to the stable, a sanitized stable without the smell of manure and urine. Following Christ on the dangerous road to Egypt in the dead of night or up the rocky hill to Calvary is another story, one many would rather not live out.

Christmas Day and St. Stephen's feast day are the mini-series of the Christian life with only the ending shrouded in darkness, our personal ending. Will we see the vision of beatitude and hear the words "well done, good and faithful servant?" If we are willing to follow in the footsteps of St. Stephen and accept and turn to good the small, everyday sufferings and persecutions of life, we need not fear.