My middle name is Stephen, so naturally I have an interest in my namesake whose feast we celebrate today. Growing up, the only thing I really knew about St. Stephen was that he was the first martyr for the Catholic faith. Sure, there had been Prophets and Jewish warriors of the Old Testament who had died in God’s service, but Stephen was the first martyr to accept Jesus and die for Him.
For most of my life, that was the extent of my knowledge of Stephen. I was aware that his death was from stoning which sounds horrendous. I also knew that Saul (who would eventually become St. Paul) played a major role in his execution. But the lack of details known about St. Stephen was disappointing to me. I wanted Stephen to be relatable.
As I entered high school, I learned that Stephen was one of the first deacons. In Stephen’s day, the diaconate looked different than it does today. The Apostles called forth deacons as a response to the problem of service. Some Greek speaking widows who were Christian, were not getting the amount of support that a Hebrew widow would get from the Christian community. The Apostles needed to preach the Gospel to all nations and did not have time to make sure material goods were distributed properly in the community. So they laid their hands on seven wise men (one being Stephen) to perform this service to the Church.
As I got older and dug into scripture, I read that being filled with the Spirit, Stephen also debated with his fellow Greek-speaking Jews about the person of Jesus, and why He was the Messiah. Stephen could not be out witted, not because of his own wisdom, but because of the wisdom that the Holy Spirit gave him. This would eventually lead to his death, as those whom he debated accused him of blasphemy. While on trial, Stephen gave a Kyrigmatic dissertation that ended with God granting him a vision of heaven. The Jews, enraged, led him outside the city and stoned him. As he died, he forgave his killers.
Reflecting on what we know of Stephen’s life, it has occurred to me that Stephen knew Jesus. We are unsure if he knew Jesus physically or saw him preach prior to His crucifixion, but he certainly knew Jesus in His word and Spirit. We see this reflected in Stephen’s actions. He physically served the poor, and he preached the good news, which led to his death. Stephen lived in Jesus, and Jesus lived through Stephen. As a result, Stephen entered into Jesus’ death and was rewarded with Jesus’ resurrection.
In a world that tries to find relatable saints, St. Stephen can be a hard role model at a glance. Very little is known about his personality, his interests, and his day to day activities. Yet, that is the beauty of the hidden life of a saint. It shows us that all of us, regardless of our personal interests, can become a great saint if we just have a simple love for Jesus and His people. And in that sense, St. Stephen is as relatable as they come.
