St Stephen

St Stephen –archdeacon

The Martyrdom of St. Stephen the Archdeacon

This day marks the martyrdom of St. Stephen, the Archdeacon and the first martyr (protomartyr). St. Luke testified about him in the Acts of the Apostles saying, “Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and signs among the people” (Acts 6:8). The Jews envied him and seized him and brought him to the Council. They also set up false witnesses who said, “This man does not cease to speak blasphemous words against this holy place and the law; for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs which Moses delivered to us” (Acts 6:12-13). And all who sat in the Council, looking steadfastly at him, saw his face as the face of an angel (Acts 6:13).

Then the high priest said, “Are these things so?” St. Stephen answered with convincing words and told them the history from Abraham to Moses. The coming out of Abraham from Haran, the birth and the circumcision of Isaac, Jacob and his sons and their selling of Joseph, and how Joseph revealed himself to his brothers. St. Stephen continued to narrate to them all the events until the building of the temple. He concluded by saying, “You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you. Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, of Whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers; who have received the law by the direction of angels and have not kept it” (Acts 7:51-53).

When they heard these things they were cut to their hearts, and they gnashed at him with their teeth. But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, and said, “Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!”

Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran toward him with one accord; and they cast him out of the city and stoned him.

They stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, “Lord Jesus receive my Spirit.” Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” And when he said this, he fell asleep (Acts 7:51-60). Devout men carried St. Stephen to his burial and made great lamentation over him.

May his prayers be with us. Amen.

(Coptic Synaxarion)

As they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he fell to his knees and cried out in a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them”; and when he said this, he fell asleep.
~ Acts of the Apostles 7: 59-60

St Stephen

The Second Day of Christmas gives us a rather unique liturgical memorial: the death of the first martyr, Saint Stephen. Today’s saint is renown for his singular devotion to the Lord through adoration and service; he believed the unity of truth of the Good News given by Jesus; Stephen is recalled by the Church as being a deacon (see the Acts).

What is revealed to us in sacred Scripture is that Stephen became the first Christian to be killed for his faith in Jesus Christ. A predicted outcome by the Lord. Persecution was received as a consequence to living the intensity life and holiness proposed the Lord Jesus. The Church recognized that persecution as a clear sign that one is on the right path: if you follow in Jesus’ footsteps, you will meet the same fate He did. Saint Stephen gave his witness to Jesus and the Truth of the Gospel, but Stephen’s executions didn’t accept his testimony.

The Acts of the Apostles reveals that they “stopped their ears and rushed upon him” (7:57). What does stopped their ears mean? They would not listen to the reasonableness of the Good News. Convicted by truth, Stephen didn’t compromise and thus fulfilled the prophetic utterance that we read about in today’s Gospel. Historically, it was Saul as a young man, full of zeal for something other than holiness; Saul, later Paul, helped the executioners stone Stephen to death. Remarkably, Stephen died praying for his murderers.

Are we convicted by the Truth of the Incarnation? Can we follow and do what Saint Stephen did?

Saint Stephen

A Deacon’s Prayer

Come to my assistance my Lord and my God, that I may do for You all that you ask. Strengthen me in adversity and do not let me succumb to my feelings of worthlessness. Help me to feel in my heart all that You speak to me, and help me to understand. May I be to others what they need: a body to work when others cannot; a heart to love those who are forgotten; a shoulder to console those whose soul is in need; a smile to brighten the most somber of Your children; a mouth to proclaim Your love. Let me be to You, as a brush is to a painter, worthless without You, but capable of transforming the human heart by the power of Your mercy. Send me, my Lord if you need me, to touch others as You would touch them, to hold them as You would, to love them as only You can. Make my heart like Yours, that I may forgive everything and love beyond my own human frailty. Come live within me, that I may die to myself so You may fill my very being. Let me serve others as You would serve them, that in doing so I may serve You. Do not let me fail, oh Lord, or lead Your people astray. Allow me to live in Your presence today, that tomorrow I may die in Your hands and may You raise me one day that I may touch your face and live in Your glory.

Saint Stephen, pray for us!

The prayer was written by Deacon Lazaro J. Ulloa

Saint Stephen

Saint Peter Damian thus begins his Sermon for this Feast: “We are holding in our arms the Son of the Virgin, and are honoring, with our caresses, this our Infant God. The holy Virgin has led us to the dear Crib. The most beautiful of the Daughters of men has brought us to the most beautiful among the Sons of men, [Ps. xliv. 3.] and the Blessed among women to Him that is Blessed above all. She tell us … that now the veils of prophecy are drawn aside, and the counsel of God is accomplished. … Is there anything capable of distracting us from this sweet Birth? On what else shall we fix our eyes? … Lo! whilst Jesus is permitting us thus to caress him; whilst he is overwhelming us with the greatness of these mysteries, and our hearts are riveted in admiration – there comes before us Stephen full of grace and fortitude, doing great wonders and signs among the people. [Acts, vi. 8.] Is it right, that we turn from our King, to look on Stephen, his soldier? No – unless the King himself bid us do so. This our King, who is Son of the King, rises … to assist at the glorious combat of his servant. … Let us go with him, and contemplate this standard-bearer of the Martyrs.”

Quoted by Dom Prosper Gueranger

Saint Stephen

Come, let us worship the new-born Christ; today he has crowned Saint Stephen.

Saint Stephen is known as the first Martyr. After such a brilliant, holy and happy day as the Nativity of the Lord, we are given the sobering liturgical memorial of one of the early deacons.

Stephen was elected by the 12 Apostles to care for the temporal needs of the poor through the distribution of food and clothing (Cf. Acts). He is the first almoner of the Church. Stephen performed many miracles and confounded the religious authorities in theological disputation while facing false charges. At his trial, Stephen preached the risen Jesus as the Christ to his detractors. He was stoned to death. He prayed for his persecutors as he was dying. One of those who conspired against Stephen was Saul of Tarsus, who later converted and became the great missionary, Saint Paul; he faced death, too, because his belief in Jesus as Messiah.

Saint Stephen, pray for us!

Saint Stephen

The gates of heaven were opened for blessed Stephen, who was found to be first among the number of the Martyrs and therefore is crowned triumphant in heaven. (Entrance Antiphon)

There’s nothing sentimental about the Christmas season, at least, liturgically speaking, with the day after the feast of the Incarnation being dedicated to the first martyr, Saint Stephen. The antiphon for Mass (above) tells us what the Church believes. The Stational Mass in Rome for today is the Church of Saint Stephen on the Coelian Hill.

Stephen is clearly one of the earliest followers of Jesus, a convert to the way of living proposed by Jesus. Stephen is known to be the first to lay down his life for Christ.

What comes to mind for Saint Stephen’s intercession is help is all those Christians around the world who live in fear of persecution, and those who live in an atmosphere of being misunderstood –falsely accused. Today is also a day to pray for our deacons since Saint Stephen was among the first 7 deacons of our Church.

“Yesterday the Lord of the universe welcomed us whereas today it is the imitator [Stephen] of the Lord,” Saint Gregory of Nyssa preached.

Stephen was stoned in Jerusalem two years after the Lord was crucified. The Church’s Liturgy echoes the teaching of the Fathers of the Church and what was experienced by Stephen himself: imitate the Lord by teaching truth, praying for those who harm you, forgiving those who falsely accuse you, and offer your life completely, even unto death. Persecuted Christians give good evidence of this assessment.

What connection must we make between the beauty of the birth of the Son of God and the death Stephen? The Child born humbly in poverty will humbly die on the cross, the swaddling clothes at the birth will become the burial shroud; the cave of the birth later becomes the cave of death.

Among the things Saint Stephen is the patron of, are deacons, persecuted Christians, coffin makers, and against headaches.

With the Church we pray,

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 a man who knew how to pray even for his persecutors.

Saint Stephen

You are the chief in the choir of Martyrs, like unto an angel; who pleaded with God for those that stoned him. O blessed Stephen, intercede for us with the Lord.

(A Sarum text)

Grant, Lord, we pray, that we may imitate what we worship, and a learn to love even our enemies, for we celebrate the heavenly birthday of a man who knew how to pray even for his persecutors.

Saint Stephen, the first killed for Christ

In the blood of the holy Levite Stephen “the Church dedicates the first-fruits of martyrdom” to the King of martyrs.

The day following Christmas, December 26, is observed liturgically by the Church as Saint Stephen’s Day. Saint Stephen’s feast is located so close to Christmas because of his very close connection with the Lord. Stephen is the first martyr –the protomartyr– of the New Testament (See Acts 6-7).

Today in 2010, the liturgical observance of Sunday is maintained as the Lord’s Day and is not trumped by a saint’s feast. The overlaying of the Holy Family feast today –observed on the Sunday following Christmas– doesn’t replace the Sunday observance nor the Scripture readings but today is the feast of the Holy Family and it is a rich feast nonetheless. But we don’t forget Saint Stephen!

The Polish children would imitate the stoning of Stephen by throwing walnuts at each other. In agricultural countries horses and horse food (hay and oats, and salt) are blessed. In the UK, Saint Stephen’s day is also known as “boxing day” because priests in medieval times they gave alms collected in Church to the poor. All shared in the Lord’s blessings. This charitable gesture of the priests was adopted by the laity who also gave alms to the poor. What you see here is the beauty of the gospel preached by Jesus and the Apostles realized in concrete ways. Money is counted and given freely, hence the breaking of the alms boxes became known as “boxing day” because it was an invitation to be mindful of the less fortunate. German children had piggy banks made of clay taking on the same sensibility as the British children knew. The Germans sometimes call today the “pig’s feast” because the clay pig bank was broken to gain access to the monetary savings to be given to others in need.

Since the saints always and unreservedly point to Christ, theologically we’d say that the Christ Child, the Divine Child, gave His blessings. Latin Americans would call the infant Jesus as “el Niño Jesús” or the Germanic peoples would call Him the “Christkind” or the diminutive “Christkindel” (and you see the origins of the word Kris Kringle and Santa Claus).

Whether the customs of the UK or Germanic countries prevail, the connection to Saint Stephen is maintained: as a deacon of the nascent Church, Stephen cared for the widow, the orphan, the outcast –the needy. Indeed, deacons looked after the temporal needs of all people, and he preached Jesus’ Good News of Salvation. The gesture of giving is form of witness to the abundant blessings of God, it is also a sermon not in words, but in concrete actions. The diakonia of Saint Stephen is recognized in the medium of giving away what one has received for the well-being of another. So, today is traditional days to honor those ordained to the Order of Deacon.

Saint Stephen

Stephen saw the heavens opened; he saw and entered; blessed is the man for whom the heavens were opened.

We beseech Thee, O Lord, grant us to imitate what we revere, so that we may learn to love also our enemies; for we celebrate the birth to immortality of him who interceded even for his persecutors with Thy So our Lord Jesus Christ.

Saint Stephen is known as a deacon and the Protomartyr (the first among all martyrs who witness to Christ). Chapters 6 and 7 of the Acts of the Apostles give us an understanding of Stephen. Saint Stephen is the patron of deacons, permanent and transitional, bricklayers and of Hungary.

A news item from the Pope on Saint Stephen and those those suffer for their faith.