“O ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears…” (Acts 7:51)
A Meditation on Acts 6:8–10; 7:54–59 and Matthew 23:34–39 in the Light of the Church Fathers
On the day after Christmas, Holy Church draws our gaze from the Crib to the Cross—not the Cross of Christ directly, but that of His first witness, St. Stephen the Protomartyr. This juxtaposition is no accident: in the light of the Infant King, the martyr’s crown gleams brighter. As the ancient hymn declares: “Yesterday was Christ born upon the earth, that Stephen might be born into heaven.”
In today’s lections—Acts 6:8–10; 7:54–59 and Matthew 23:34–39—we are shown the prophetic and sacrificial spirit of Stephen, whose blood, like that of Abel and Zechariah, cries out to God (cf. Matt 23:35). His speech before the Sanhedrin is no mere defense; it is the echo of Christ’s own lament over Jerusalem, that city which “killeth the prophets and stoneth them that are sent unto her” (Matt 23:37).
Stephen: A Mirror of the Master
St. Stephen’s martyrdom is not only the first but also the most Christ-like among the Acts of the Apostles. As St. Augustine remarks:
“He followed his Lord in both suffering and forgiving; for he too said, ‘Lord, lay not this sin to their charge’” (Sermo 314).
This echo of Our Lord’s words from the Cross (Luke 23:34) shows that Stephen did not only die for Christ but in Christ. He was filled with the Holy Ghost (Acts 7:55), and so he could gaze into heaven and behold “Jesus standing on the right hand of God.” The Fathers often remark on this unusual image—Christ standing, not sitting—as one who rises to receive His servant.
St. Gregory of Nyssa writes:
“He saw Him standing, as one who rises to assist His athlete in the hour of combat, encouraging him with His own presence.” (De Beatitudinibus 7)
This reveals to us the intimacy between Christ and His martyrs: He does not remain enthroned in passive glory, but becomes a participant in their suffering, a sharer in their triumph.
A Prophet Without Honor
In the Gospel, Our Lord foretells exactly what Stephen would suffer:
“Behold I send unto you prophets… and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some shall ye scourge…and persecute them from city to city.” (Matt 23:34)
Stephen is one such prophet, sent not merely to accuse but to call to repentance. As with the prophets before him, his words are met with fury. The people “were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth” (Acts 7:54). Tertullian, writing in the second century, saw in this reaction the mark of divine truth:
“The truth provokes hatred. Therefore, when the truth is preached and men gnash their teeth, it is proof that the Holy Spirit speaks.” (Apologeticum 7)
Christ wept over Jerusalem, knowing it would not receive the message of peace. Stephen, too, bears witness with tears, though his are inward, poured out with the prayer for his murderers. Their sin is not only against Stephen but against Christ Himself, whose messengers they reject.
The Church Born of Martyrs
The blood of Stephen did not fall in vain. As the Fathers love to point out, among those consenting to his death stood Saul—who would become Paul, Apostle to the Gentiles. St. Fulgentius of Ruspe preaches:
“If Stephen had not prayed, the Church would not have Paul.” (Sermo 3 in Nat. S. Stephani)
Here is a profound mystery: the death of the martyr becomes the seed of the Church. As Christ’s own death bore fruit in the redemption of the world, so Stephen’s in the conversion of the Apostle. This is why the Church sings in the Office today: “The stones of the cruel persecutors struck the preacher of God; but he who had Christ in his heart knew not how to be conquered.”
Application for the Faithful
In Stephen, the Church proposes to us not merely a martyr, but a model of Christian witness (martyria). We are not all called to shed our blood, but all are called to speak the truth, even when it cuts to the heart.
As St. John Chrysostom teaches:
“You cannot say, ‘I am not able to imitate the martyrs.’ Do you not have the same Spirit? The crown may differ, but the battle is one.” (Homilia in S. Stephanum)
In these days following the Nativity, when the world seems to romanticize the peace of Christ while rejecting His truth, we must remember that peace and truth are inseparable. Stephen stood for truth—and paid with his life. Yet he died with joy, seeing Christ, the Prince of Peace, welcoming him home.
Let us then, like Stephen, fix our gaze on heaven, speak the truth in love, and pray for our enemies. For in the face of hatred, forgiveness is our greatest weapon.
Collect for St. Stephen the Protomartyr
Grant us, we beseech Thee, O Lord, to imitate what we revere, that we may learn to love even our enemies: for we celebrate the birth to life everlasting of him who knew how to pray even for his persecutors to our Lord Jesus Christ Thy Son… (Missale Romanum)
St. Stephen, Protomartyr, pray for us.
Sancta Dei Genetrix, Regina Martyrum, ora pro nobis.