December 26

Feast: St Stephen, First Christian Martyr

1st Reading: Acts 6:8-10; 7:54-59

Stephen's Arrest
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[8] And Stephen, full of grace and power, did great wonders and signs
among the people. [9] Then some of those who belonged to the syna-
gogue of the Freedmen (as it was called), and of the Cyrenians, and
of the Alexandrians, and of those from Cilicia and Asia, arose and dis-
puted with Stephen. [10] But they could not withstand the wisdom and
the Spirit with which he spoke.

The Martyrdom of Stephen
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[54] Now when they heard these things they were enraged, and they
ground their teeth against him. [55] But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed
into Heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right
hand of God; [56] and he said, "Behold, I see the heavens opened, and
the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God." [57] But they cried
out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together upon
him. [58] Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him; and the
witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named
Saul. [59] And as they were stoning Stephen, he prayed, "Lord Jesus,
receive my spirit."

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Commentary:

8-14. From the text it would appear that Stephen preached mainly a-
mong Hellenist Jews; this was his own background. Reference is made
to synagogues of Jews of the Dispersion (Diaspora). These synagogues
were used for worship and as meeting places. The very fact that these
Hellenist Jews were living in the Holy City shows what devotion they
had to the Law of their forebears.

No longer is it only the Sanhedrin who are opposed to the Gospel; other
Jews have been affected by misunderstanding and by misrepresentation
of the Christian message.

The charge of blasphemy--also made against our Lord--was the most
serious that could be made against a Jew. As happened in Jesus' case,
the accusers here resort to producing false witnesses, who twist
Stephen's words and accuse him of a crime the penalty for which is
death.

55-56. "It is clear", St. Ephraem comments, "that those who suffer for
Christ enjoy the glory of the whole Trinity. Stephen saw the Father
and Jesus at His side, because Jesus appears only to his own, as was
the case with the Apostles after the Resurrection. While the champion
of the faith stood there helpless in the midst of those who had killed
the Lord, just at the point when the first martyr was to be crowned, he
saw the Lord, holding a crown in His right hand, as if to encourage him
to conquer death and to show that he inwardly helps those who are about
to die on his account. He therefore reveals what he sees, that is, the
heavens opened, which were closed to Adam and only opened to Christ
at the Jordan, but open now after the Cross to all who share Christ's
sufferings, and in the first instance open to this man. See how Stephen
reveals why his face was lit up: it was because he was on the point of
contemplating this wondrous mission. That is why he took on the ap-
pearance of an angel--so that his testimony might be more reliable"
("Armenian Commentary, ad loc.").

57-59. The cursory trial of Stephen ends without any formal sentence of
death: this Jewish tribunal was unable to pass such sentences because
the Romans restricted its competence. In any event no sentence proves
necessary: the crowd becomes a lynching party: it takes over and
proceeds to stone Stephen, with the tacit approval of the Sanhedrin.

Tradition regards Stephen as the first Christian martyr, an example of
fortitude and suffering for love of Christ. "Could you keep all God's
commandments," St. Cyprian asks, "were it not for the strength of
patience? That was what enabled Stephen to hold out: in spite of being
stoned he did not call down vengeance on his executioners, but rather
forgiveness.... How fitting it was for him to be Christ's first martyr, so
that by being, through his glorious death, the model of all the martyrs
that would come after him, he should not only be a preacher of the
Lord's Passion, but should also imitate it in his meekness and im-
mense patience" ("De Bono Patientiae", 16).

Martyrdom is a supreme act of bravery and of true prudence, but to
the world it makes no sense. It is also an __expression of humility,
because a martyr does not act out of bravado or overweening self-
confidence; he is a weak man like anyone else, but God's grace gives
him the strength he needs. Although martyrdom is something which
happens rarely, it does show Christians what human nature can rise
to if God gives it strength, and it establishes a standard, both real and
symbolic, for the behavior of every disciple of Christ.

"Since all the virtues and the perfection of all righteousness are born
of love of God and one's neighbor," St. Leo says, "in no one is this
love more worthily found than in the blessed martyrs, who are nearest
to our Lord in terms of imitation of both His charity and His Passion.

"The martyrs have been of great help to others, because the Lord has
availed of the very strength as He granted them to ensure that the pain
of death and the cruelty of the Cross do not frighten any of His own,
but are seen as things in which man can imitate Him....

"No example is more useful for the instruction of the people of God
than that of the martyrs. Eloquence is effective for entreating, argu-
ment for convincing; but examples are worth more than words, and it
is better to teach by deeds than by speech" ("Hom. on the Feast of
St. Laurence").

The Second Vatican Council has reminded us of the excellence of the
martyrdom as a form of witness to the faith. Although there are heroic
ways of imitating and following our Lord which do not involve the drama
of bloodshed and death, all Christians should realize that confession
of the faith in this way is not a thing of the past and is sometimes
necessary.

"Since Jesus, the Son of God, showed His love by laying down His life
for us, no one has greater love than he who lays down his life for Him
and for his brothers (cf. 1 John 3:16; John 15:13). Some Christians
have been called from the beginning, and will always be called, to give
this greatest testimony of love to all, especially to persecutors. Martyr-
dom makes the disciple like his Master. [...] Therefore, the Church
considers it the highest gift and supreme test of love. And although
it is given to few, all must be prepared to confess Christ before men
and to follow him along the way of the Cross amidst the persecutions
which the Church never lacks.

"Likewise the Church's holiness is fostered [...] by the manifold
counsels which the Lord proposes to His disciples in the Gospel"
(Vatican II, "Lumen Gentium", 42).

The Liturgy of the Church sums up the asceticism and theology of mar-
tyrdom in the preface for Christian martyrs: "Your holy martyr followed
the example of Christ, and gave his life for the glory of Your name. His
death reveals Your power shining through our human weakness. You
choose the weak and make them strong in bearing witness to You."

Like Jesus, Stephen dies commending his soul to God and praying for
his persecutors. At this point St. Luke brings in Saul who cooperates
in the proceedings by watching the executioners' clothes; Saul will soon
experience the benefits of Stephen's intercession. "If Stephen had not
prayed to God, the Church would not have had Paul" (St. Augustine,
"Sermons", 315, 7).

Stephen has died, but his example and teaching continue to speak
across the world.

Gospel Reading: Matthew 10:17-22

Jesus' Instructions to the Apostles
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(Jesus said to His disciples,) [17] Beware of men; for they will deliver you up to
councils, and flog you in their synagogues, [18] and you will be dragged before
governors and kings for My sake, to bear testimonybefore them and the Gentiles.
[19] When they deliver you up, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what
you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour; [20] for
it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. [21]
Brother will deliver up brother to death, and the father his child, and children will
rise against parents and have them put to death; [22] and you will be hated by all
for My name's sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved."

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Commentary:

16-23. The instructions and warnings Jesus gives here apply right through the
history of the Church. It is difficult for the world to understand the way of God. 
Sometimes there will be persecutions, sometimes indifference to the Gospel or
failure to understand. Genuine commitment to Jesus always involves effort--which
is not surprising, because Jesus Himself was a sign of contradiction; indeed, if
that were not the experience of a Christian, he would have to ask himself whether
he was not in fact a worldly person. There are certain worldly things a Christian
cannot compromise about, no matter how much they are in fashion. Therefore,
Christian life inevitably involves noncon- formity with anything that goes against
faith and morals (cf. Romans 12:2). It is not surprising that a Christian's life
often involves choosing between heroism and treachery. Difficulties of this sort
should not make us afraid: we are not alone, we can count on the powerful help
of our Father God to give us strength and daring.

20. Here Jesus teaches the completely supernatural character of the witness
He asks His disciples to bear. The documented accounts of a host of Christian
martyrs prove that He has kept this promise: they bear eloquent witness to the
serenity and wisdom of often uneducated people, some of them scarcely more
than children.

The teaching contained in this verse provides the basis for the fortitude and
confidence a Christian should have whenever he has to profess his faith in
difficult situations. He will not be alone, for the Holy Spirit will give him words
of divine wisdom.


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Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States. We encourage readers to purchase
The Navarre Bible for personal study. See Scepter Publishers for details.

[참고: 이 파일은 저서명 "가톨릭 교회의 말씀 전례에 따른 성경공부 해설서"(엮은이: 소순태, 출판사: 가톨릭출판사)의 각주의 연장으로 마련되었습니다].