From Serving to Suffering!

Friday, December 26, 2025

Feast of St. Stephen, First Martyr

Acts 6:8-10, 7: 54-59; Mt 10:17-22

St. Stephen’s martyrdom highlights the significance of becoming the witnesses of Christ. 

As the word ‘martyr’ means ‘witness or testimony,’ St. Stephen lived up to the meaning of the word by his sacrifice for Christ. St. Stephen, the first martyr of the Church, is known by the unique title ‘protomartyr.’ 

St. Stephen’s life offers inspiring lessons that call for imitation. 

As we may know, St. Stephen was one of the ‘seven reputable men, filled with the Spirit and wisdom’ (Acts 6:3) to oversee the daily distribution of food as the apostles busied themselves with the teaching of the Word. Some ancient traditions identify Stephen as the eldest and the leader of others, making him the ‘Archdeacon’ of the group of seven. However, he did not confine himself only to serving at the table but gave witness to his faith through his life. Thus, the leader in faith also became a leader in martyrdom.

Secondly, for St. Stephen, discipleship means a closer imitation of the Lord. We see many parallels between him and Christ, showing that he faithfully imitated his Master unto death. Before being dragged to the place of his martyrdom, he looked up to heaven and prayed, ‘Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God’ (Acts 7:56). Once the angry crowd began stoning him, he prayed and forgave his enemies, following the example of the Lord: ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit’ and ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them’ (Acts 7:59-60). If we may recall, Jesus cried out to the Father from the cross, ‘Father, forgive them’ (Lk 23:34) and ‘Father, into your hands I commend my spirit’ (Lk 23:46). St. Stephen’s life is a loud reminder that imitating Christ is not mere tokenism but making a testimony with one’s very life.

Thirdly, St. Stephen teaches that having faith means inspiring others to believe in the Lord. It would be no exaggeration to claim that St. Stephen’s unbreakable spirit and witnessing inspired the conversion of Saul into becoming St. Paul, who we know as the Apostle of the Gentiles. St. Stephen’s faith was such that Saul probably began to ask himself, ‘Who is that Christ for whom somebody would die with his face shining as bright as an angel’s?’ (Acts 6:15). St. Stephen did not terrify or deter others from becoming witnesses to Christ. But with his readiness to die for Christ, he inspired many to follow in his footsteps.

In sum, St. Stephen’s life became a model of faith and discipleship. His life and death showed what it meant to stay loyal to Christ unto death. 

Let us pray for the gift of unshakable faith that does not fall apart under suffering.

Fr. Dhinakaran Savariyar