Christian Art | Saint Stephen | Our First Martyr | Love Revealed By Jesus Christ
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
‘The armour of love.’
See also:
Daily Bible Verses | The Feast Of Saint Stephen | King James Audio Bible KJV |
Advent And Christmas
A Reading Of The Martyrdom Of Saint Stephen | King James Audio Bible KJV | Acts Of The Apostles
Saint Fulgentius sets the martyrdom of Stephen directly alongside the birth of Christ. The two events are linked, not by time, but by meaning. Christ enters the world in humility; Stephen leaves it in witness. What Christ gives in his incarnation is shown at work in Stephen’s death.
The central theme of the sermon is love as a gift given by Christ. This love is not presented as an emotion or disposition, but as a power that makes believers capable of sharing in Christ’s own life. Fulgentius describes love as something Christ brings with him, enriching his followers without diminishing himself. The gift of love enables Christians to participate in the life of God while remaining fully human.
Stephen’s martyrdom is interpreted through this gift. Love is described as Stephen’s armour and weapon. It governs his actions: his refusal to retaliate, his prayer for those who kill him, and his concern for their salvation. Stephen’s final prayer echoes Christ’s words on the cross, showing that martyrdom is not imitation by effort alone, but the fruit of Christ’s life at work in the believer.
The sermon also makes a theological claim about the communion of saints. Stephen’s prayer for Saul is shown as effective beyond Stephen’s death. Paul’s later conversion is presented not as separate from Stephen’s martyrdom, but as connected to it. Love overcomes violence, time and guilt, drawing both men into the same glory.
Finally, Fulgentius widens the focus to all Christians. Love is described as protection, guidance and the path to heaven. It is not optional or abstract, but the means by which Christians remain faithful and move towards God together. The sermon ends with a call to practise love concretely, as the shared way by which the Church advances.
Saint Stephen, Our First Martyr | A Reading From A Sermon By Saint Fulgentius Of Rome | The Armour Of Love
Yesterday we celebrated the birth in time of our eternal King. Today we celebrate the triumphant suffering of his soldier.
Yesterday our king, clothed in his robe of flesh, left his place in the virgin’s womb and graciously visited the world. Today his soldier leaves the tabernacle of his body and goes triumphantly to heaven.
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. Love was Stephen’s weapon by which he gained every battle, and so won the crown signified by his name. His love of God kept him from yielding to the ferocious mob; his love for his neighbour made him pray for those who were 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 his love, he overcame the raging cruelty of Saul and won his persecutor on earth as his companion in heaven. In his holy and tireless love he longed to gain by prayer those whom he could not convert by admonition.
Now at last, Paul rejoices with Stephen, with Stephen he delights in the glory of Christ, with Stephen he exults, with Stephen he reigns. Stephen went first, slain by the stones thrown by Paul, but Paul followed after, helped by the prayer of Stephen. This, surely, is the true life, my brothers, a life in which Paul feels no shame because of Stephen’s death, and Stephen delights in Paul’s companionship, for love fills them both with joy. It was Stephen’s love that prevailed over the cruelty of the mob, and it was Paul’s love that covered the multitude of his sins; it was love that won for both of them the kingdom of heaven.
Love, indeed, is the source of all good things; it is an impregnable defence, and the way that leads to heaven. He who walks in love can neither go astray nor be afraid: love guides him, protects him, and brings him to his journey’s end.
My brothers, Christ made love the stairway that would enable all Christians to climb to heaven. Hold fast to it, therefore, in all sincerity, give one another practical proof of it, and by your progress in it, make your ascent together.
Christian Prayer With Jesus
Lord Jesus Christ,
you came into the world in humility
and gave your people the gift of love.
Strengthen us by that same love,
so that we may remain faithful in difficulty,
patient with others,
and steadfast in hope.
Teach us to pray for those who wrong us
and to seek the good of our neighbour,
so that we may walk the path that leads to you.
May your love guard us, guide us,
and bring us together to our journey’s end.
Amen.
Glossary Of Christian Terms
Communion of saints | The spiritual union of all believers, living and dead, in Christ, sharing in his life and interceding for one another.
Incarnation | The taking of human nature by the Son of God in the womb of the Virgin Mary.
Love | In this sermon, the gift given by Christ that enables believers to share in God’s life and to act according to Christ’s example.
Martyr | A Christian who bears witness to Christ through suffering and death.
Saul / Paul | Saul, later called Paul, who took part in Stephen’s death and later became an apostle after his conversion.
Stephen | The first Christian martyr, whose death is described in the Acts of the Apostles.
Sharing in divinity | Participation in the life of God by grace, made possible through Christ.
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