Do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say, for you will be given at that moment what to say. It might appear rather odd that a day after the celebration of the great solemnity of Christ’s nativity, we celebrate the feast of St. Stephen, the first follower of his to be martyred. And while the sequence of the two celebrations might be purely coincidental, it sheds some light to the mysteries that we celebrate these days of Christmas. For the mysteries that Christmas celebrates are only brought to full fruition on the events commemorated during Easter.
Stephen was one of the seven deacons elected by in the early Church to help the apostles in ministry, specifically that of the reaching out to the needy members of the community (cf. Acts 6:1-6). Because of Stephen’s courage and steadfastness in witnessing to the Christ (cf. Acts 6:5, 8), he willingly gave his life for the faith. That Stephen was a man filled with the Holy Spirit (cf. Acts 6:5) can be seen in the courage with which he stood up to those who were out to discredit the Christian faith. It was a courage that, as we have heard in our Gospel reading, was from on high.
One would be forgiven to think that it was the life of Stephen that Matthew was describing as he was writing to his community who were facing persecutions and hostilities. In an effort to give them encouragement, Matthew reminds his fellow believers of the words of the Lord. From how he had been treated, Jesus knew that it would take some time before the new way is fully accepted and planted. Moreover, and most importantly, Jesus wanted his followers to know that it was going to take the sacrifice of men and women for that to happen. And although it would seem an uphill task, they should never waver for he was going to be with them at all times. When Stephen embarked on this journey of following Jesus, he was aware of these words of his master. He was not afraid of professing his faith even in the face of threats and persecution. Even as he was being stoned to death, he took comfort in the knowledge that Jesus was there with him, not only to give him the rights words to speak, but also to receive his soul.