Christian Art | King James Audio Bible KJV | Martyrdom Of Saint Stephen
From Acts Of The Apostles – The Word Aloud Recording Of The New Testament KJV
See also:
Daily Bible Verses | The Feast Of Saint Stephen | King James Audio Bible KJV |
Advent And Christmas
Office Of Readings | Christmas 26 December | Saint Stephen, Our First Martyr | A Reading From A Sermon By Saint Fulgentius Of Rome | The Armour Of Love
O glorious Saint Stephen,
Deacon and Martyr of the Church,
full of faith and of the Holy Spirit,
you who gazed steadfastly into heaven
and beheld the glory of God and Jesus standing at the Father’s right hand,
pray for us.
Strengthened by divine grace,
you bore fearless witness to the truth of the Gospel,
and in the hour of your martyrdom
you forgave your persecutors
and commended your spirit to the Lord.
Teach us, by your example,
to love even our enemies,
to remain faithful in trial,
and to trust wholly in Christ.
O holy Saint Stephen,
servant of charity and herald of truth,
intercede for us in our needs and struggles.
Obtain for us courage when we are afraid,
steadfastness when we are tested,
and hearts made merciful through forgiveness.
May we, like you, be filled with the Holy Spirit
and live as faithful witnesses to Christ in word and deed.
Through your prayers,
reconcile us always to our God,
preserve us from the loss of our souls,
and lead us, after this life,
to behold with you the glory of heaven,
where we may praise the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit
with all the saints forever.
Amen
About Saint Stephen
- Saint Stephen was a Christian saint and martyr who is venerated as the protomartyr, or first martyr, of Christianity. He is mentioned in the New Testament as one of the seven deacons appointed by the early Christian community in Jerusalem to serve the poor and distribute food and other necessities. According to the Acts of the Apostles, Stephen was a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and he was known for his powerful preaching and miraculous deeds.
- Stephen was arrested and brought before the Sanhedrin, the Jewish council, on charges of blasphemy and spreading false teachings about Jesus. During his trial, Stephen defended his beliefs with eloquence and conviction, and his defense infuriated the council members, who eventually stoned him to death.
- Stephen is remembered as a hero of the faith, and his martyrdom is seen as a key event in the early history of Christianity. He is honored as a saint by the Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant churches, and his feast day is celebrated on December 26.
- According to tradition, Stephen was a native of Jerusalem and a member of the Jewish diaspora. He was likely well-educated and fluent in both Hebrew and Greek.
- The Acts of the Apostles describes Stephen as a man “full of faith and the Holy Spirit,” and it tells of his powerful preaching and miraculous deeds. Many people were converted to Christianity as a result of his ministry, and he became a leading figure in the early Christian community.
- Stephen’s preaching and teachings were seen as a threat to the religious authorities, who were deeply opposed to the spread of Christianity. They arrested Stephen and brought him before the Sanhedrin, the Jewish council, on charges of blasphemy and spreading false teachings about Jesus.
- During his trial, Stephen delivered a long and impassioned defense of his beliefs, in which he outlined the history of Israel and the coming of Jesus as the Messiah. His defense infuriated the council members, who eventually voted to have him stoned to death.
- Stephen’s martyrdom is seen as a key event in the early history of Christianity. He is remembered as a hero of the faith and an example of courage and devotion to the cause of Christ. His feast day is celebrated on December 26 by the Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant churches.
Lord Jesus, Son of God, Pray for me a sinner – The Jesus Prayer
Jesus’ journey has taken him to Bethany, the village where Lazarus, Martha and Mary live. There is clearly a feast happening. So often we find Jesus’ ministry associated with great banqueting, on what must have been quite a lavish scale, considering the milieu, the poverty suffered by many in the Holy Land. The story that follows has a similar shape to one of Jesus’ parables, but this is a real event in the life of our Lord. There is a certain contrast between the doings of Martha and Mary, which have symbolic significance, in ways which might seem initially counter-intuitive [ … ]
To cause scandal is to drive other people away from the path of faith, to cause another person to sin, to withdraw from a life of grace, to cease to believe in redemption in Jesus Christ. This is a terrible sin, and we know that it does not stop there. The evil spreads, and soon it is common practice to denigrate Christianity. We think of the millions upon millions of little ones – and this in ‘Christian countries’ – who have never been introduced to Jesus, and of all the attendant troubles they experience because their spiritual lives have not been fostered. The signs of this spiritual neglect are endemic, while when many people speak against Christianity they do not even know what it is that they are objecting to; they have become in so little time so far removed from what could have been their inheritance, the living faith [ … ]
In this poem, George Herbert reflects on the Bible, addressing it as a source of spiritual richness, healing, and profound wisdom. The poem opens with a direct address, calling the Bible an ‘infinite sweetness’ that nourishes the heart, suggesting that its contents offer a spiritual sustenance likened to honey, a substance both soothing and medicinal. Herbert compares the Bible’s words to a form of healing that reaches into any grief or pain one may experience, with the power to bring comfort and relief to the soul [ … ]
