Saint of the Day December 26, 2002
St. Stephen
All we know of Stephen is found in Acts of the
Apostles, chapters six and seven. It is enough to tell
us what kind of man he was:
At that time, as the number of disciples continued to
grow, the Hellenist (Greek-speaking) Christians
complained about the Hebrew-speaking Christians,
saying that their widows were being neglected in the
daily distribution. So the Twelve called together the
community of the disciples and said, �It is not right
for us to neglect the word of God to serve at table.
Brothers, select from among you seven reputable men,
filled with the Spirit and wisdom, whom we shall
appoint to this task, whereas we shall devote
ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.�
The proposal was acceptable to the whole community, so
they chose Stephen, a man filled with faith and the
Holy Spirit.... (Acts 6:1�5)
Acts says that Stephen was a man filled with grace and
power, who worked great wonders among the people.
Certain Jews, members of the Synagogue of Roman
Freedmen, debated with Stephen but proved no match for
the wisdom and spirit with which he spoke. They
persuaded others to make the charge of blasphemy
against him. He was seized and carried before the
Sanhedrin.
In his speech, Stephen recalled God�s guidance through
Israel�s history, as well as Israel�s idolatry and
disobedience. He then claimed that his persecutors
were showing this same spirit. �[Y]ou always oppose
the holy Spirit; you are just like your ancestors�
(Acts 7:51b).
His speech brought anger from the crowd. �But
[Stephen], 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....� They threw him
out of the city, and began to stone him....As they
were stoning Stephen, he called out, �Lord Jesus,
receive my spirit....Lord, do not hold this sin
against them�� (Acts 7:55�56, 58a, 59, 60b).
love + prayers,
Joseachayan / Jeddah
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