Saint Stephen, the first martyr, was one of the original seven deacons appointed by the Apostles, known for his powerful preaching and ultimately for being the first to die for his faith, demonstrating profound forgiveness towards his persecutors.
Saint Stephen, often called the Protomartyr, holds a significant place in the early community of believers as one of the seven men chosen by the Apostles to serve the community, particularly in distributing alms and attending to the needs of the faithful. He was filled with grace and power, performing great wonders and signs among the people, and his eloquent preaching, especially his defense before the Sanhedrin, challenged the religious authorities of his time. His unwavering testimony to his beliefs led to his stoning, making him the first to suffer martyrdom; notably, he prayed for his executioners even as he died, setting a powerful example of forgiveness and steadfastness in faith for all subsequent generations.
The nascent Christian community in Jerusalem, flourishing after the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, soon faced administrative challenges as its numbers rapidly swelled. A significant issue arose concerning the daily distribution of food and aid, particularly to the widows among the HellenistsâGreek-speaking Jewish convertsâwho felt they were being overlooked in favor of the Hebrew-speaking Jewish Christians. Recognizing the urgency of this matter, and wishing to dedicate themselves primarily to prayer and the ministry of the word, the Apostles convened the disciples and proposed a solution: select seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and wisdom, to oversee these practical charitable duties. This pivotal moment marked the formal establishment of the diaconate, a new order of service within the nascent Church, aimed at ensuring the equitable care of all believers and allowing the Apostles to focus on their spiritual mission.
The air in the great hall of the Sanhedrin crackled with animosity. Stephen, one of the seven deacons chosen by the Apostles, stood accused, his face radiant, like that of an angel. He had been performing great wonders and signs among the people, and his powerful, Spirit-filled wisdom had confounded those who debated him. Now, faced with false witnesses and enraged religious leaders, he began to speak, not in defense of himself, but in a sweeping recounting of salvation history, from Abraham to Moses, culminating in a stark indictment of their persistent rejection of God's prophets, and now, the Righteous One Himself.
His words, sharp as a two-edged sword, cut deep into the hearts of his listeners. They gnashed their teeth, filled with fury, their faces contorted with rage. But Stephen, undeterred, fixed his gaze upwards, his eyes alight with a vision beyond the confines of the earthly court. "Behold!" he cried, his voice ringing with divine authority, "I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!"
A collective roar erupted from the assembly. They covered their ears, not wanting to hear what they deemed blasphemy, and rushed at him with one accord. Dragging him out of the city, they prepared to stone him, casting off their cloaks at the feet of a young man named Saul. Stones began to fly, striking Stephen, yet his composure remained unbroken. His eyes, though fixed on the heavens, were filled with a profound peace.
With his last breaths, as the rocks pummeled his body, Stephen knelt, mirroring the very posture of his Lord on the cross. His voice, though weakening, rose in a final, fervent prayer, not of anger or despair, but of profound forgiveness. "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!" he first implored, surrendering himself wholly to his Savior. Then, with an act of boundless charity that would forever define his legacy, he cried out in a loud voice, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them!" And having said this, he 'fell asleep' in the Lord, becoming the first to shed his blood for Christ, a testament to unwavering faith and Christ-like love in the face of ultimate persecution.
Circa 34 AD
Then the high priest asked, "Is this so?" And he replied: "My brothers and fathers, listen. The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he settled in Haran, and said to him, 'Leave your country and your relatives and go to the land that I will show you.' Then he left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. From there, after his father died, God made him move to this land where you now live. He gave him no inheritance in it, not even a foot of ground, but he promised to give it to him and his descendants as a possession, even though he had no child. And God spoke to him in this way: 'Your descendants will be aliens in a foreign land, and they will be enslaved and mistreated for four hundred years. But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve,' said God, 'and after that they will come out and worship me in this place.' Then he gave him the covenant of circumcision, and so he became the father of Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day, and Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob of the twelve patriarchs. And the patriarchs, jealous of Joseph, sold him into slavery in Egypt; but God was with him and rescued him from all his afflictions, and granted him favor and wisdom before Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, who made him ruler over Egypt and all his household. Then a famine came upon all Egypt and Canaan, and great affliction, and our ancestors could find no food. But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our ancestors there a first time; and a second time, Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and Joseph's family became known to Pharaoh. Then Joseph sent and invited his father Jacob and all his relatives, seventy-five persons in all, and Jacob went down to Egypt. And he and our ancestors died there and were carried back to Shechem and laid in the tomb that Abraham had bought for a sum of money from the sons of Hamor in Shechem. When the time drew near for the fulfillment of the promise that God had made to Abraham, our people increased and multiplied in Egypt until another king arose who knew nothing of Joseph. He dealt shrewdly with our race and mistreated our ancestors by forcing them to expose their infants, so that they would not survive. At this time Moses was born, and he was beautiful in God's eyes. He was nurtured for three months in his father's house; and when he was exposed, Pharaoh's daughter adopted him and brought him up as her own son. So Moses was instructed in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in his words and deeds. When he was forty years old, it occurred to him to visit his kinsfolk, the Israelites. When he saw one of them being mistreated, he went to his defense and avenged the oppressed man by striking down the Egyptian. He supposed that his kinsfolk would understand that God was granting them deliverance through him, but they did not understand. The next day, when he saw two of them fighting, he tried to reconcile them, saying, 'Men, you are brothers. Why are you mistreating each other?' But the one who was mistreating his neighbor pushed him away, saying, 'Who made you ruler and judge over us? Do you intend to kill me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?' When Moses heard this, he fled and became an alien in the land of Midian, where he became the father of two sons. Forty years later, an angel appeared to him in the desert near Mount Sinai, in the flame of a burning bush. When Moses saw it, he was amazed at the sight. As he drew near to look, the voice of the Lord came, 'I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.' Then Moses trembled and did not dare to look. But the Lord said to him, 'Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground. I have seen the affliction of my people in Egypt and have heard their groaning, and I have come down to rescue them. Come now, I will send you to Egypt.' This Moses, whom they had rejected with the words, 'Who made you ruler and judge?' God sent as ruler and deliverer through the angel who appeared to him in the bush. He led them out, performing wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, at the Red Sea, and in the desert for forty years. This is the Moses who said to the Israelites, 'God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own kinsfolk.' This is the one who was in the assembly in the desert with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai and with our ancestors, and he received living oracles to give to us. Our ancestors were unwilling to obey him; instead, they pushed him aside and in their hearts turned back to Egypt, saying to Aaron, 'Make us gods who will go before us; as for this Moses who led us out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has happened to him.' So they made a calf in those days, offered sacrifice to the idol, and reveled in the works of their hands. Then God turned and handed them over to worship the host of heaven, as it is written in the book of the prophets: 'Did you offer me slaughtered animals and sacrifices for forty years in the desert, O house of Israel? No, you took up the tent of Moloch and the star of the god Rephan, the images that you made to worship. So I will exile you beyond Babylon.' Our ancestors had the tent of testimony in the desert, just as the one who spoke to Moses directed him to make it according to the pattern that he had seen. Our ancestors in turn received it and brought it in with Joshua when they dispossessed the nations that God drove out before our ancestors. So it was until the time of David, who found favor in the sight of God and asked that he might find a dwelling place for the house of Jacob. But Solomon built a house for him. Yet the Most High does not dwell in houses made by human hands. As the prophet says: 'The heavens are my throne, the earth is my footstool. What kind of house can you build for me?' says the Lord, 'or what is to be my resting place? Did not my hand make all these things?' "You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always oppose the Holy Spirit; you are just like your ancestors. Which of the prophets did your ancestors not persecute? They killed those who foretold the coming of the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become. You received the law as transmitted by angels, but you did not observe it." 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 together upon him. 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." Then he fell on his knees and cried out in a loud voice, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." And when he had said this, he fell asleep in the Lord.
Early 5th Century (c. 410-430 AD)
Today we celebrate the birthday of the blessed Stephen, the first martyr. What does 'birthday' mean? It is the day of his birth into eternal life. For those who believe, there is no real death, but only a change of dwelling. For if the soul is immortal, it is not extinguished by death, but rather departs to a better life. So it is with the martyrs: they are not dead but have passed over into glory. This is why we call the day of their martyrdom their birthday: it is the day they are born into Christ's eternal kingdom.
Yesterday we celebrated the birth of our King, today we celebrate the triumphant passion of our soldier. Yesterday our King put on the garment of our flesh, today his soldier laid aside the garment of the flesh. Our King came, girt with truth, and His soldier was clothed with righteousness. Our King descended to us, so that He might raise us up; His soldier was lifted up from the earth, so that he might receive his crown. Our King was hidden in a stable; His soldier shone forth in the city. Our King was wrapped in swaddling clothes; His soldier was clothed in the purple of martyrdom. Our King lay in a manger; His soldier triumphed on the scaffold. Our King suffered for us without sin; His soldier suffered for His King, being free from sin in that he imitated his Master.
Stephen means 'crown'. And Stephen truly received a crown, not of earthly flowers, but of eternal glory. He was crowned not by men, but by God. He was the first among the deacons, the first to shed his blood for Christ. He was filled with the Holy Spirit, full of grace and power, doing great wonders and signs among the people. His face shone like that of an angel as he spoke, because he was speaking the truth, because he was filled with divine wisdom.
What was it that made Stephen so strong in his suffering? It was charity. He bore the stones of his persecutors with patience because he had charity. He prayed for them as they stoned him: 'Lord, do not hold this sin against them.' He did not merely endure; he loved. He did not merely forgive; he interceded. This is the mark of true charity, to love one's enemies, to pray for those who persecute you, to desire their salvation even in the midst of your own agony. This is the perfection of Christian life, to imitate Christ not only in His suffering but in His boundless love and forgiveness.
Stephen saw the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God. This vision strengthened him, gave him courage, and filled him with joy in his final moments. He saw what awaited him, the glory of Christ, and this vision made him fearless in the face of death. He was a witness not only in word but in deed, a witness even unto blood. His witness, his martyrdom, was a seed for the Church, inspiring many others to follow Christ, even the one who stood by and watched, Saul, who later became Paul. Stephen's prayer for his persecutors was not in vain, for among them was the future Apostle to the Gentiles.
Let us, therefore, celebrate this holy martyr with joy and devotion. Let us learn from his example of faith, courage, and charity. Let us pray that we, too, may be filled with the Holy Spirit, that we may speak the truth with boldness, and that we may bear our own trials with patience and love, always forgiving those who wrong us, just as Saint Stephen forgave his persecutors. May his intercession help us to run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, so that we too may one day receive the imperishable crown of glory.
Observance of Boxing Day, which historically involved opening church alms boxes and distributing the contents to the poor, reflecting the spirit of charity and service.
Saint Stephen was one of the first deacons, specifically chosen by the Apostles to oversee the distribution of alms and care for the needy within the early Christian community, making his feast day a fitting occasion for acts of charity.
The 'Hunting of the Wren' or Wren Day, where groups parade with a wren (or an effigy of one), singing and collecting money, often for charitable causes.
This ancient folk tradition is observed on December 26th, Saint Stephen's Day. While its specific origins are debated, it is believed to be a pre-Christian custom that became associated with the feast day, perhaps symbolizing the triumph of good over evil or linked to a legend of a wren betraying early Christians.
Blessing of horses and livestock, often involving parades or gatherings at churches for the blessing ritual.
The precise reason for this association is not definitively documented but is thought to be a Christianization of ancient pagan winter solstice customs related to animal welfare, or possibly linked to local legends connecting Saint Stephen with horses.
Meals prepared from the remnants of Christmas Day's feast, typically including roasted meats (such as turkey or ham), stuffing, potatoes, and various trimmings.
Saint Stephen's Day immediately follows Christmas Day, making it a traditional day for families to continue their holiday celebrations by enjoying the remaining food from the main Christmas feast, often served cold or repurposed into new dishes.
Traditional roasted poultry, such as goose or duck, commonly served as part of extended Christmas holiday celebrations.
While often the main dish for Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, the prolonged holiday period means that these rich, celebratory meats continue to be central to meals on Saint Stephen's Day in many Central European countries, reflecting the ongoing festive spirit rather than a direct link to the saint.