Feast of Saint Stephen, first martyr

Lectionary: 696

Brother will hand over brother to death,

and the father his child;

children will rise up against parents and have them put to death.
You will be hated by all because of my name,
but whoever endures to the end will be saved."

When I was ordained, forty-some years ago, many people regarded martyrdom as an unfortunate legacy of the past. It seemed totally unwarranted. One priest told me nothing was worth the price of his life; one well-known religious author “proved” by her study of ancient texts that patriarchal church leaders had celebrated the virgin martyrs to enhance their own authority. Martyrdom, in the age of Individualism, was an anachronism.

There was tension in the United States in those early years after we pulled out of Vietnam and drove President Nixon out of office. But the general trend was toward somnolence. “Our long national nightmare is over!” said President Ford.  Let the Cold War play itself out in Afghanistan; let Communism collapse under its own criminality; let the Baby Boomers settle into the ticky-tack consumerism they had pretended to despise; let’s just get along with each other.

The times have changed. Oddly, it was an unorthodox sect of Islam that revived the word martyr. In defiance of the Koran and Muslim traditions, followers of Osama Ben Laden kill defenseless bystanders with suicide bombers and call the murderers “martyrs.” That was and remains a usage utterly alien to Christian doctrine and tradition. Martyrs die defenselessly; some, because they refuse to participate in warfare.

The feast of Saint Stephen, following hard upon Christmas, recalls the original meaning of martyrdom. It is about freedom; it is not about a way of life; it is about love; but not about the defense of one’s family or tribe; it is about personal integrity which is grounded in the Love of God rather than passing allegiances. Martyrdom is an unsought privilege given only to a few.

The word, from its Greek origin, means witness, and reminds believers that we are necessarily witnesses. Whether we are clergy or laity, contemplative monks or active religious, martyrs emphatically remind us of Saint Augustine’s teaching, “It always takes courage to tell the truth.”

It especially takes courage to speak and hear the truth in our polarized age. As tensions mount and voices sound louder and louder, the courageous witness ponders the deep truths of our faith. It is not enough to oppose abortion; we must reconsider consumerism, which is at the heart of many controversial issues. Conservatives and liberals agree more than they disagree: “I have the right to get what I want.” Pro-abortion and pro-gun factions want to purchase as much of what they want when they want it regardless of the consequences to anyone else. Abusers of alcohol, illegal drugs and prescription medicines sign onto the same creed. Even if a South American nation is overwhelmed by drug cartels, I must have my stuff!

Christian Witness begins with self-restraint. We don’t buy just because we want. Our life is anchored in God’s benevolence and not in any privileged or fictitious right.  With the Lord who might have commanded twelve legions of angels, we prefer weakness to power.

That is Saint Stephen's challenge to us during this Christmas Season. He encourages us to speak, live and be the truth by our presence and our absence, by our words and our silence. The world might not love us for it, but we knew that already.