St. Stephen, Proclaimer of the Word
As I noted in last week’s column, St. Stephen was ordained as a deacon along with six others to provide for the widows of the early Church. His only prerequisite for ordination was fullness of the Holy Spirit and wisdom in order to fulfill this ministry. Yet shortly thereafter, we read, “Now Stephen, filled with grace and power, was working great wonders and signs among the people” (Acts 6:8). Fine, so in the midst of his charitable activities he was performing miracles? That’s not unlike Peter and John saying to the crippled beggar at the door of the Temple, “I have neither silver nor gold, but what I have I give you; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” Yet even more strangely, we read that Jews from many different nations gathered in Jerusalem began to debate Stephen on his faith and were outsmarted by his wisdom. This seems like a strange way to fulfill the ministry of charity he was entrusted, right?
There are many well-meaning Catholics who will quote me the (falsely attributed) saying of St. Francis of Assisi: “Preach the gospel at all times; when necessary, use words.” This phrase seems to suggest that the example of our life makes proclaiming the gospel explicitly rarely (if ever) necessary. We aren’t theologians or scholars, we don’t have the correct formulations, or perhaps we’re not even sure if we believe all the truths the Church proposes. Therefore, we just have to try to love one another and that will be enough. What this perspective misses is the extent to which St. Francis, himself a deacon like Stephen, preached the gospel with his deeds and his words. His radical life caught the attention of many, but they needed to hear him proclaim Jesus Christ as the Lord in order to come to deeper faith. So with Stephen, and so with us. St. Stephen, though he was no biblical scholar, did not shy away from proclaiming the truth about Jesus Christ: his identity as the Jewish Messiah, his atoning Death and his salvific Resurrection, and his return in glory as the King of the Universe. As we’ll see, this message will encounter opposition, just like the preaching of Jesus himself.
One beautiful opportunity to proclaim the gospel by your words and deeds is what I mentioned last week: Emmaus 90. This 90-day journey from New Year’s to Easter will build up your faith and link you more strongly with your brothers and sisters here at St. Stephen. You can join the large group on Thursday nights, or we have small groups that are meeting at convenient times throughout the week (contact us for details).