Editor’s note: This saint series will feature a saint and how he or she is a meaningful example for us today.

St. Stephen one who helps ‘faithful’

Pope Francis wrote that “the saints help all the faithful” for “their lives are concrete proof that it is possible to put the Gospel into practice.” St. Stephen is an example of giving witness to the truth of Jesus even amidst persecution.

St. Stephen was one of the first deacons of the Church. He was appointed deacon with six others as found in chapter six of the Acts of the Apostles. Following the resurrection of Jesus, the Church began to grow, and the Apostles needed assistance in serving the needs of the people.

In the Acts of the Apostles, St. Stephen is described as “a man filled with faith and the holy spirit” and one who after being appointed as a deacon “was working great wonders and signs among the people” (Acts 6:5-8). However, differing groups took offense to what Stephen was preaching and teaching. They took Stephen before the Sanhedrin, which was a group of elders, scribes, and other elite men, that acted as a judicial body.

False witnesses testified against Stephen. During the trial, Stephen’s “face was like the face of an angel” in his appearance (Acts 6:15). During the interrogation, Stephen gave a discourse in which he recalled God’s interaction with His people from Abraham to Moses. To conclude his discourse, Stephen shared that the members of the Sanhedrin had opposed the Holy Spirit just as their ancestors had in persecuting the prophets who spoke of the righteous one to come. According to the Acts of the Apostles, those who heard Stephen say this became “infuriated, and they ground their teeth at him” (Acts 7:54).

Stephen was taken out of the city and was brutally stoned to death. In Stephen’s final moment he said, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them” and then he died (Acts 7:60).

St. Stephen is the first Christian martyr. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “martyrdom is the supreme witness given to the truth of the faith: it means bearing witness even unto death” (CCC 2473). Another component of being a martyr is that of bearing “witness to the truth of the faith and of Christian doctrine” which Stephen did (CCC 2473).

Chapter 7 of the Acts of the Apostles recounts St. Stephen’s martyrdom. This account is one of many collected records of martyrdom in Christian history. The Catechism of the Catholic Church describes these recorded accounts of martyrdom as “the archives of truth written in letters of blood” (CCC 2474).

An important note in the martyrdom of Stephen is that of a young man in attendance who supported the persecution of Stephen named Saul (Acts 7:58). Shortly after, this person called Saul would encounter the risen Jesus on his way to Damascus and become known later as Paul: the former persecutor who converted to become a great evangelizer to the Gentiles.

An Early Church Father, named Tertullian, wrote that “the blood of martyrs is the seed of the Church.” St. Paul would go on to evangelize far and wide, spreading the good news of Jesus to all who would listen.

In Rome, St. Paul was martyred in his witness for the truth of Jesus. Paul, who had initially approved of the persecution of St. Stephen, followed in Stephen’s saintly footsteps and ultimately in the footsteps of Jesus.

Pope Francis wrote that “the saints help all the faithful” for “their lives are concrete proof that it is possible to put the Gospel into practice.” St. Stephen, and St. Paul, are examples for us today that standing up for the truth of Jesus is needed in every era and culture.

Luke Daghir is a deacon for the Diocese of Erie. He was ordained on April 15 by Bishop Persico. He is with St. Joseph and St. Luke Parishes in Warren County for his parish mission. His favorite saints are St. Andrew, St. Ignatius, St. Hubert, and Pope St. John Paul II.