members of the Church Triumphant, is thus regulated by a safe standard. St. Stephen led the way to Martyrdom; his example inaugurated that sublime witnessing by the shedding one's own blood, which is the very strength of the Church, ratifies the truths she teaches to the world, and confirms the hopes of eternal reward promised by those truths. Glory, then, and honour to the Prince of Martyrs ! As long as time shall last, so long shall the Church, on earth, celebrate the name of Stephen, who was the first to shed his blood for the God who died on Calvary! We have already noticed St. Stephen's imitating Jesus, by praying for and forgiving his enemies; it is the circumstance, which the Church continually alludes to in her Office of his Feast. But there is another very important incident in the martyrdom of our Saint, which we must, for a moment, dwell upon. One of the accomplices in the murder, which was being committed under the walls of Jerusalem, was a young man of the name of Saul. He made himself exceedingly active, for he was of an ardent temperament, and, as the Fathers observe, he helped every man who stoned the holy Deacon, because he took care of the murderers' garments whilst they committed the crime. Not long after, this same Saul, whilst travelling to Damascus, was converted into an Apostle of that Jesus, whom he had heard Stephen confess as the Son of God. He was the fruit of Stephen's dying prayer. The blood of Stephen cried to heaven for mercy—and heaven sent to the Gentiles the Apostle, who would bring them to the knowledge and love of Jesus. "What an ad"mirable scene!" cries out St. Augustine. "Here is Stephen being stoned, and Saul taking care of the garments of them that stone him. But this Saul "is now Paul, the Apostle of Jesus Christ, and Stephen is the servant of Jesus Christ. * * O "Saul! thou hast been prostrated, and raised up "again: prostrated a Persecutor, raised up a Preacher. Everywhere are thy Epistles read; everywhere "art thou bringing to Christ them that are his enemies; everywhere art thou the good Shepherd, "surrounded by a numerous flock. Thou art now "reigning with Christ, in company with him thou didst once stone. Both of you are looking upon us; 'both of you now hear what I am saying; do both 66 of you pray, also, for us. He who crowned you both, will hear both. Stephen was a lamb; "Saul was a wolf; now, both are lambs, and both "will acknowledge us as of the flock of Christ, and (( will pray for us, that the Church of their Master may be blessed with a peaceful and tranquil life.”1 Stephen and Paul, both visit us during this grand season of Christmas; for we shall keep the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul on the 25th of January; and thus, Stephen leads his spiritual conquest to the Crib of their common Lord and Master. Catholic piety has chosen St. Stephen as one of the Patrons of a Happy Death. This choice was suggested by the death of the holy Martyr-a death so tranquil that the Scripture calls it a Sleep, in spite of the cruel torture to which his executioners put him. Let us, therefore, beg the intercession of St. Stephen for that awful hour of our death, when we must return to our Creator these Souls of ours; nay, let us ask him to pray, that we may be habitually in such a disposition of mind, as to be ever ready to make the total sacrifice of the life which God has given to us: it was a sacred deposit he entrusted to our keeping, and which we were to hold in readiness for him, whensoever he might demand it at our hands. 1 Sermon 316: The Third for the Feast of St. Stephen. The Mass is given above, page 255, except the Collect, which we give at the bottom of this page. We will now select from the ancient Liturgies a few additional pieces in honour of our Saint. We begin with two Responsories, and the proper Collect for this Octave-Day, as given in the Roman Breviary. RESPONSORIES. R. Stephen, the servant of God, whom the Jews stoned, saw the heavens opened; he saw and entered: Blessed man, to whom the heavens were opened. W. While, therefore, the loud pelting of the storm of stones was beating against him, a divine brightness shone upon him from the ethereal recesses of the heavenly court. * Blessed man. R. The gates of heaven were thrown open to Stephen, the blessed Martyr of Christ, who was the first among the Martyrs. And he, therefore, triumphs in heaven, with his Crown upon him. V. For he was the first to pay back to the Saviour the Death our Saviour deigned to suffer for us. * And he. R. Stephanus, servus Dei, quem lapidabant Judæi, vidit cœlos apertos: vidit et introivit: Beatus homo, cui cœli patebant. V. Cum igitur saxorum crepitantium turbine quateretur, inter æthereos aulæ coelestis sinus divina ei claritas fulsit. * Beatus homo. R. Patefactæ sunt januæ coeli Christi Martyri beato Stephano, qui in numero Martyrum inventus est primus: * Et ideo triumphat in cœlis coronatus. V. Mortem enim, quam Salvator noster dignatus est pro nobis pati, hanc ille primus reddidit Salvatori. * Et ideo. COLLECT. O Almighty and eternal God, who didst consecrate the firstfruits of Martyrdom in the blood of blessed Stephen the Levite; grant, we beseech thee, that he may intercede for Omnipotens sempiterne Deus, qui primitias Martyrum in beati Levitæ Stephani sanguine dedicasti : tribue quæsumus ut pro nobis intercessor existat, qui pro suis etiam persecutoribus exoravit Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum, Filium tuum. us, who begged mercy, even for his persecutors, of our Lord Jesus Christ, thy Son. The Church of Milan, in its Ambrosian Missal, consecrates this Preface to the praise of the Prince of Martyrs. PREFACE. Vere dignum et justum est, æquum et salutare, nos tibi semper et ubique gratias agere, æterne Deus: qui Levitarum præconem Vocasti Stephanum. Hic tibi primus dedicavit Martyrii nomen hic tibi inchoavit primus effundere sanguinem hic meruit videre cœlos apertos, et Filium stantem ad dexteram Patris. In terris hominem adorabat, et in cœlo Filium Patris esse clamabat. Hic Magistri verba referebat; quia, quod Christus dixit in cruce, hoc Stephanus docuit in sanguinis sui morte. Christus in cruce indulgentiam seminabat et Stephanus pro suis lapidatoribus Dominum supplicabat. It is truly meet and just, right and available to salvation, that we should always, and in all places, give thanks to thee, O Eternal God, who didst call Stephen to be the first of Deacons. He was the first, that dedicated unto thee the offering of Martyrdom : he was the first to shed his blood for thee: he it was that merited to see the heavens opened, and the Son standing at the right hand of the Father. He adored Jesus the ManGod on earth, and he proclaimed him to be the Son of the Father in heaven. He repeated the words of his Master; for, what Christ said on the cross, that did Stephen teach when shedding his blood in death. Christ, on the Cross, sowed the seed of his pardon: so did Stephen beseech his Lord to have mercy on them that stoned him. The same Liturgy has the following Collect for St. Stephen's Feast: COLLECT. Ministrantium tibi, Deus eruditor et rector, qui Ecclesiæ tuæ primordia beati O God, the teacher and ruler of them that are thy ministers, who didst adorn the early days of thy Church by the ministry and precious_blood of blessed Stephen the Levite; grant, we beseech thee, that meeting with pardon at the hour of our death, we may deserve to follow his example, and be aided by his intercession. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Levitæ Stephani ministerio, et pretioso martyrii sanguine decorasti, da, quæsumus: ut in excessu nostro veniam consequentes, mereamur exemplis ejus imbui, et intercessionibus adjuvari. Per Dominum Jesum Christum. The Gothic Liturgy of Spain gives us, in its Mozarabic Missal, the following admirable Prayer to St. Stephen. CAPITULUM. Most blessed Protomartyr Stephen! thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord hath named: for that thou, who didst suffer death for him, didst, by him, receive a Crown for thy name, and a Crown for thy virtue. Thou wast the first in Martyrdom, and first in its reward; first Martyr in the world, and the first in the courts of heaven. Here, stoned for Christ; there, exulting in the Crown he gave thee. Here, thou didst suffer, for his sake, the most cruel torments; there, thou didst receive the most precious Crown. Thou, therefore, that wast the first flower of the Church, be now her untiring patron; that so, by thy prayers, that Jesus, for whose sake thou wast a glorious Martyr, may be merciful unto us. Beatissime Stephane, Protomartyr, vocabitur tibi nomen novum, quod os Domini nominavit: ut qui mortem pro illo sumeres, coronam per illum et nomine et virtute susciperes: primus in Martyrio, primus in præmio; primus in aula mundi, primus in aula coli: ut hic pro Christo lapidatus, illic ab ipso coronatus, exsultes; ut pro quo hic crudelissimam sustinuisti pœnam, illic pretiosissimam susciperes coronam: ergo qui extitisti Ecclesiæ primitivus, nunc esto patronus assiduus: ut sit Christus nobis, te precante, propitius, pro quo Martyr extitisti mirificus. The following Hymn, remarkable for its unction and simplicity of style, is to be found in most of the ancient Roman-French Breviaries. |