Saint of the Day: St. Stephen

Proto-Martyr and Deacon (d. ca. 34)

His life

+ Stephen was chosen to be one of the first seven deacons, was a man “full of grace and fortitude” who worked great wonders and signs among the people.

+ Accused of blasphemy against Moses and God, he was condemned to death by the Sanhedrin.

+ Thrown out of Jerusalem, he was stoned to death. Kneeling before his murderers, including Saul of Tarsus, Stephen cried out with a loud voice, “Behold, I see heaven thrown open, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God” (Acts 7:56).

+ Saint Stephen died around the year 34 and his supposed relics were discovered in 415. He is honored as a patron of stonemason and carvers.

For prayer and reflection

“The Feast of Saint Stephen reminds us also of the many believers in various parts of the world who, because of their faith, are subjected to trials and suffering. While we entrust them to his heavenly protection, let us strive to sustain them with prayer and never to fall short of our Christian vocation, always placing at the center of our life Jesus Christ, whom in these days we contemplate in the simplicity and humility of the manger.”—Pope Benedict XVI

Spiritual bonus

On this day, we the priest and martyr Blessed Lek Sirdani. A priest of the archdiocese of Shkodrë-Pult, Albania, Blessed Lek served as a pastor of several remote village churches. Following the Communist takeover of Albania, he was arrested, tortured, and he was dumped into a sewage pit in Koplek, Albania, where he died from exposure and his injuries on December 26, 1948. He was beatified with other Albanian martyrs in 2016.

Prayer

Grant, Lord, we pray,
that we may imitate what we worship,
and so learn to love even our enemies,
for we celebrate the heavenly birthday
of a man who knew how to pray even for his persecutors.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever. Amen.

(Prayer from The Roman Missal)
Saint profiles prepared by Brother Silas Henderson, S.D.S.