Saintly Saturday - St. Stephen

 


"At that time, as the number of disciples continued to grow, the Hellenists complained against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. So the Twelve called together the community of disciples and said, 'It is not right for us to neglect the word of God to serve at table. Brothers, select from among you seven reputable men filled with the Spirit and wisdom, whom we shall appoint to this task, whereas we shall devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.' 

The proposal was acceptable to the whole community, so they chose Stephen, a man filled with faith and the Holy Spirit, also Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicholas of Antioch, a convert to Judaism. They presented these men to the apostles who prayed and laid hands on them."
(Acts of the Apostles 6:1-6)

***************

On December 26, the Catholic Church celebrates the feast of St. Stephen. As you can see above, St. Stephen lived in the first century, shortly after Christ's Crucifixion & Resurrection. He & the six men listed in the passage above from Acts were chosen as deacons to tend to the widows & assist the apostles in their duties. Because Stephen was the oldest, he was given the title of archdeacon, chief among those seven men chosen. 

Acts 6:8 states that he was a man "...filled with grace and power, was working great wonders and signs among the people." He was a great preacher & worked many miracles. Some of the Jews didn't like what he was preaching about God's great works throughout Israel's history & stating that the Israelites had become disobedient towards God's great mercy & goodness. They brought forth witnesses to testify that he was a blasphemer, preaching against Mosaic law.

Despite all his wisdom from God & knowledge of history, they convicted him & stoned him to death. St. Stephen became the first martyr of the Catholic Faith. He is the patron saint of deacons, altar servers, bricklayers, stone masons, & casket makers.

St. Stephen, Pray for Us!  


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Gospel Reflection - 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Image
Genesis 2:18-24 & Mark 10:2-16 Both the first reading and the Gospel speak to the sanctity of the bonds of marriage and family.  In the first reading, we hear about God creating Eve to be a suitable partner for Adam.  The two become one flesh, man and woman joined together to not only keep one another company, but to procreate and tend to the land.  In the Gospel, once again those Pharisees are trying to trip up Jesus.  His reply is an admonishment to their hardened hearts, reaffirming that marriage is for one man and one woman and that no human can separate what God has joined.   Unfortunately, we have become a throwaway society.  We overbuy food that ends up spoiled and tossed.  Clothing and furniture tears or breaks and rather than repairing them, we throw them out.  We get rid of things in good condition when the newest model is released (game systems, cell phone).  The same applies even to marriages and friendships.  I have...
Read more

10th National Eucharistic Congress Highlights

Image
On May 17, 2024, four pilgrimage routes began in Mississippi, Connecticut, Wisconsin, & California. The purpose was to cross our nation, presenting Jesus to the people of America, & meeting in Indianapolis for the 10th National Eucharistic Congress July 17. Along the way, with Jesus present in the monstrance, the perpetual pilgrims made stops at parishes, schools, & prisons. You can read more about the pilgrimage HERE . About 60,000 people gathered at The National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis, July 17-21, to adore our Lord in the Most Blessed Sacrament, attend Mass daily, pray together, & listen to great speakers.  Fr. Mike Schmitz, Monsignor James Shea, Bishop Robert Barron, Jonathan Roumie, Sr. Bethany Madonna, Chris Stefanik, & more shared their great love of our Lord & how much of an impact the Eucharist has had in their lives.  Unfortunately , I couldn't make it to Indiana, but I was able to watch many of the speakers live & on YouTube....
Read more

Fourth Sunday of Advent

Image
Well, here we are already...the 4th Sunday of Advent has arrived!  Have you finished your Christmas shopping & wrapped all the presents, baked your holiday delectables, mailed your Christmas greeting cards, decorated your home to rival any display of Martha Stewart's? If you're like most people, you probably answered that you're nowhere near being finished. But you know what? That's perfectly fine because none of those items are important in the grand scheme of things.  The bigger & most important question to be answered is, "Have you prepared your heart to receive Jesus on Christmas Day?" After all, without Jesus' humble birth in a stable over 2000 years ago, none of the other things above would have any significant meaning! Today's Gospel tells us that Mary, upon being told that she would bring our Savior into the world, set off in haste to her cousin, Elizabeth. Advanced in age, Elizabeth was experiencing a miraculous pregnancy, foretold by...
Read more