A Day for Saints, Stephen and Paul

 

The Martyrdom of Saint Stephen, 1944 - José Clemente Orozco

When they heard these things, they became enraged and ground their teeth at Stephen.  But filled with the Holy Spirit, he gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. “Look,” he said, “I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!” But they covered their ears, and with a loud shout all rushed together against him. 

Then they dragged him out of the city and began to stone him, and the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul. While they were stoning Stephen, he prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he knelt down and cried out in a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he died

Acts 7:54-60 NRSVue

Good King Wenceslas looked out On the Feast of Stephen
When the snow lay round about Deep and crisp and even
Brightly shone the moon that night Though the frost was cruel
When a poor man came in sight Gathering winter fuel

Are you aware that this is St. Stephen's Day, as in the Stephen who was the first Christian martyr? And the Stephen of the feast day memorialized in the Good King Wencelas carol. The book of the Acts of the Apostles tells us that Stephen was a wonder-working convert who ended up on trial for blasphemy with false witnesses lined up against him. When Stephen drew on scripture to bear witness to Jesus as the Christ it so incensed his accusers that they decided to put him to death. It couldn't have helped that he called them "stiff-necked people. They executed him by stoning and while there really isn't any nice form of capital punishment, this form seems more brutal in my thinking. Beware of hyper-pious people who believe that their convictions justify any action. 

There was a bystander for this murder, the person who held the cloaks of the others. Why, so they didn't get their clothing stained with Stephen's blood? This was Saul, who became Paul after his "road to Damascus" experience. In the painting above Paul "looms large" as the monumental figure in the foreground. Did Paul recall this participation in wickedness for the rest of his life? How could he ever forget. 

This can be a day to honour Stephen and all those who have risked reputation and safety to stay true to the Good News of Jesus Christ. Most of us who claim to follow Jesus have never been in a position where faith is a matter of life and death. There are lots of Christians who whine that they are persecuted when it's really a matter of seeing their entitlement diminished. Maybe they need to read the story of Stephen again. 

It's also a reminder that "people are more than the worst thing they have done in their lives", to quote Sister Helen Prejean, the nun who has worked on behalf of death row inmates for decades. 

Paul was eventually executed himself because he would not deny his allegiance to Jesus. Witnessing the faithfulness of Stephen to Christ and his plea that his murderers be forgiven must have been a turning point for the man who became a tireless evangelist for the gospel.