Feast of Saint Stephen, first martyr

When they heard this, they were infuriated, and they ground their teeth at him. But he, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked up intently to heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, and he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” But they cried out in a loud voice, covered their ears, and rushed upon him together. They threw him out of the city, 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.”

Martyrdom was constantly a reality for the early believers in Jesus. It is a less constant now, but there are areas in the world where Christians are being killed for their faith on a daily basis. Recently, there have even been terrorist threats against our places of worship. We might not appreciate how close to martyrdom we are just by choosing to follow Christ. Our persecution might not be as overt as that of the early Christians, but it is ever present. We might not be martyred in body, like St. Stephen, but our thoughts, words, and works might cause us problems and even put our lives and livelihoods in danger.

Do we appreciate the dangers that we face as Christians? Are we lending support to those Christians who are suffering for their faith? Are we willing to proclaim the Good News even if it causes us trouble?

O Lord, receive our spirits.

Amen.