“… filled with the Holy Spirit, [Stephen] looked up intently to Heaven and … said, ‘Behold, I see the Heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the Right Hand of God.’ … they … began to stone him. … As they were stoning Stephen, he called out ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”
Mass Readings 12.26.14 — ACTS 6:8-10; 7:54-59 — PS 31:3CD-4, 6 AND 8AB, 16BC AND 17 — MT 10:17-22
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FIRST READING: Acts of the Apostles 6:8-10; 7:54-59
Saint Stephen sheds his blood for Christ, as the Church’s first martyr.
Stephen, filled with grace and power, was working great wonders and signs among the people. Certain [anti-Christian adversaries] came forward and debated with Stephen, but they could not withstand the wisdom and the spirit with which he spoke.
… filled with the Holy Spirit, [Stephen] looked up intently to Heaven and saw the Glory of God and Jesus standing at the Right Hand of God … he said, ‘Behold, I see the Heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the Right Hand of God.’ … they … rushed upon him … 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.’
We see Stephen echo Christ on the Cross.
When Jesus laid down His Life on the Cross, among His Last Words were to God the Father, saying “Father, into Your Hands I commend My Spirit.” Here, we see Stephen addressing Christ with similar words, saying “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”
Outside the scope of this passage, Stephen also echoes Jesus by asking God to forgive his murderers, even as he was being killed.
Stephen became one of the first Deacons, engaging in concrete action to help widows. We see here that Stephen presents a rich dynamic of gifts and experiences, such as:
- grace and power
- working signs and wonders
- wisdom and spirit in debate (in bearing witness to Christ and Christian teachings) that anti-Christian adversaries cannot withstand
- mystical vision, including having a vision of God’s Throne in Heaven, with Jesus at the Right Hand of the Father
- persevering to the end, shedding his blood for Christ as a Martyr
- forgiving his enemies, praying for his murderers even as they killed him
Saul (Paul), at this point, is violently anti-Christian, and stands by consenting to Stephen’s stoning. Saul later undergoes dramatic conversion and becomes a staunch Christian
Saintly commentary and Homilists observe that, when , one Grace from Stephen’s Martyrdrom is Paul’s conversion. Indeed, we see Stephen praying for those killing him, and his prayers bear fruit in Paul’s ultimate conversion.
PSALM 31:3CD-4, 6 AND 8AB, 16BC AND 17
Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.
Jesus cautions us that His Followers will face persecution for His Sake. Persecution offers an opportunity to bear witness to Christ.
‘Jesus said to His Disciples: ‘Beware of men, for they will hand you over to courts and scourge you in their synagogues … you will be led before governors and kings for My Sake as a witness before them and the pagans.’
Jesus promises that the Holy Spirit will inspire a response more than one’s own intellect.
‘When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak … You will be given at that moment what you are to say. … it will not be you who speak but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. ‘
Jesus cautions that even earthly familial ties will not prevent the divisions resulting when some follow Christ and others reject Christ and attack His Followers:
‘Brother will hand over brother to death, and the father his child; children will rise up against parents and have them put to death.’
God is Love, and out of Love God invites us to Eternal Life, an invitation to give up the empty lure of sin. Yet those who embrace sin and evil will hate those who choose the God of Love. Those who persevere in Christ will be Saved.
‘You will be hated by all because of My Name, but whoever endures to the end will be Saved.’
