Thursday, May 25, 2006
St. Stephen: You can read about Stephen, deacon and martyr, in Acts 6:5-7:60, although the speech in chapter 7 is a rehearsal of the history of the Jewish people from Abraham to the prophets. Life in the gathered people who followed Jesus was not as rosy as we sometimes believe. There were arguments, some of the folks felt that they were not getting their share of the common food and goods. The community chose men to handle an equitable distribution. These were the first deacons. Stephen was one of them. He was also a good speaker and used verbal argument to try to bring more Jews to see Jesus as the one promised. This led to his arrest and trial before a temple court. He was condemned and stoned; the first martyr to the Christian faith.
# posted by Father Bob+ @ 8:12 PM 
