33. December 26, St Stephen, First Martyr

Meditations no. 556 (unofficial computer-aided translation)

St Stephen’s martyrdom, recalled by the Church today, invites us to bear witness to the Truth.

Stephen, full of grace and power, did great wonders and signs among the people. The number of those who believed in Christ’s teaching was growing steadily. But many, whether out of ignorance or bad will, still refused to accept that Jesus was the Saviour. Moved by the Holy Spirit, Stephen proclaimed the truth fearlessly. And they disputed with Stephen. But they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he spoke. Then they secretly instigated men, who said, ‘We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.’

St Stephen was the first Christian martyr. Filled with the Holy Spirit, he died praying for those stoning him. Yesterday Christ was wrapped in swaddling clothes for us; today He clothes Stephen in immortality. Yesterday the Christ-child lay in a small stable; today the immense expanse of heaven receives Stephen in triumph. God lowered himself to raise many on high; our King humbled himself to exalt his soldiers.

We too, soldiers of Christ like Stephen, have been called to spread and defend the truth whenever necessary and in an appropriate way, without hypocrisy or fear. Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul, our Lord says. Although we will encounter difficulties along our way, and at times may even have to suffer persecution on account of Christ’s name, our response, with God’s help, has to be unwavering, remaining firm in the faith. We must bear witness to the truth, even though the truth may mean your death, our Father wrote. Even though the whole world comes crashing down, and all looks lost, and everything falls to pieces, we remain firm. If we are faithful, we will have the fortitude of a person who is humble, because he lives identified with Christ. My children, we are what is lasting; everything else is passing away. It doesn’t matter!

Father, and if they shoot me? What a holy thing! That is not our path, but we would accept the grace of martyrdom as a caress from God. Not for us, but for our family, Opus Dei, so that pride won’t overcome us even in this. We will not lack this favour, but it won’t happen very often because it is not our way.

Understanding with those in error; intransigence with error.

They set up false witnesses who said, ‘This man never ceases to speak words against this holy place and the law.’ How often Christian doctrine is distorted through bad faith! We have the duty to live the truth and to defend it in all its purity, without compromises. But since we are eager to win over those in error, our firmness must be clothed in warmth and understanding.

Let us walk in truth and charity, our founder urges. Our loyal fidelity to the deposit of faith, to the Church’s magisterium, will make us bearers of the truth, veritatem facientes in caritate (Eph4: 15), teaching the doctrine of the Gospel with Christ’s charity.

When it is impossible to yield, our intransigence should be holy. Therefore we will be unyielding with respect to doctrine, but not with people. Otherwise we wouldn’t be able to lead them to God, or even deal with them as brothers, which our Christian faith demands. We cannot yield in matters of faith. But let us not forget that, in order to speak the truth, there is no need to ill-treat anyone.

St Stephen faced death in defence of Christ’s truth, filled with love for those stoning him. He followed perfectly the example of his Lord, who prayed on the Cross for those who crucified him. St Fulgence says, in one of the readings from today’s Divine Office: Our king, despite his exalted majesty, came in humility for our sake; yet he did not come empty-handed. He brought his soldiers a great gift that not only enriched them but also made them unconquerable in battle, for it was the gift of love, which was to bring men to share in his divinity. He gave of his bounty, yet without any loss to himself. In a marvellous way he changed into wealth the poverty of his faithful followers while remaining in full possession of his own inexhaustible riches.

And so the love that brought Christ from heaven to earth raised Stephen from earth to heaven; shown first in the king, it later shone forth in his soldier.

Christ’s apostle has a special love for the ignorant and erring, because he himself also is beset with weakness. We are no different from those around us, and nothing that affects them can be foreign to us. But the same charity that leads us to be understanding towards the errors of others obliges us to be intransigent towards erroneous doctrine. If ever by exception we must state the truth forcefully because of someone’s bold-faced arrogance, we have to be careful not to wound the person by our words: irascimini et nolite peccare! (Ps 4: 5; Eph 4: 26). Therefore, although we may speak harshly, we can’t let ourselves be carried away by passion. We have to immediately pour on the wounds the balm of charity; we must cure and heal, explaining why, at that moment, we had to act as we did.

The apostolate of doctrine: charity and fortitude.

This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent, our Lord said. To obtain salvation, one has to acknowledge Christ as the Messiah and Son of God and accept his teaching. The liturgy urges us on this feast: O that today you would hearken to his voice! Harden not your hearts, as Christ’s enemies did with Stephen. They stopped their ears and rushed together upon him. Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him.

What does it matter if some do not want to worship and bow down, to kneel before the Lord, our Maker! We aren’t seeking the applause of men. Our way is to drown evil in an abundance of good. Our own prudence and our directors’ indications will help us to find the most suitable means in each case, acting always out of love. The defence of the truth can never lead us to fail in charity. For whatever is true leads to God, who is love; and the truth of all that exists shows forth God’s love.

Love was Stephen’s weapon by which he gained every battle. His love for God kept him from yielding to the ferocious mob; his love for his neighbour made him pray for those stoning him. Love inspired him to reprove those who erred, to make them amend; love led him to pray for those who stoned him, to save them from punishment. Strengthened by the power of charity, he overcame the cruelty of Saul and won his persecutor on earth as his companion in heaven.

Love makes us ready to live together with all men, whatever their beliefs or ideas. But the same love makes us eager to lead all men and women to the knowledge of the truth. If we should ever have to pay the same price as Stephen, we would remember our Lord’s promise: everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge him before my Father in heaven.

Let us turn our thoughts to our apostolic work. Couldn’t we be more courageous in that specific situation? Couldn’t we show much more daring in that apostolic assignment?

Let us have recourse to holy Mary. She will give us all that we ask for; and whenever we need it, she will obtain for us the grace and fortitude of the first martyr.