Saint Stephen, the First Martyr

Stephen was one of the seven men chosen by the church in Jerusalem to care for the widows of the Greek-speaking believers (Acts 6); the Book of Acts calls him “full of faith and of the Holy Spirit”. Members of a Greek-speaking synagogue disputed with him and brought him before the Sanhedrin, where he gave a long speech retelling the history of Israel. At its end, Acts says, he cried out that he saw the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God; they dragged him out of the city and stoned him, while a young man named Saul looked after their cloaks. As he died he prayed, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” He is remembered as the first martyr, the day after Christmas.