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| By Mariotto di Nardo [Public domain] |
“Receive
My Spirit” by Melanie Rigney
As they were stoning Stephen, he called out, "Lord
Jesus, receive my spirit." Then he fell to his knees and cried out in a
loud voice, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them"; and when he
said this, he fell asleep. (Acts
7:59-60)
Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit. (Psalm 31:6a)
Jesus
said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger,
and whoever believes in me will never thirst.” (John 6:35)
Piety
Lord, arm me with the faith and courage to evangelize amid persecution.
Study
Martyr.
Etymologists
will tell you the original Greek, martus,
means testifying to a fact about which the testifier has personal
knowledge, in short, a witness.
And indeed, a
martyr Stephen was, traditionally recognized as the first Christian martyr. But
if you think about the word’s origin, his martyrdom began well before the first
stone was thrown.
The seed was
planted perhaps in his conversion. It flowered as he became a deacon, with
other passages in Acts commenting on his faith, fortitude, logic, wisdom, and
oratorical power. It came to full bloom in the lengthy discourse he gave in
response to the high priest’s three-word question, “Is this so?” regarding the
charges of blasphemy against him. Stephen spoke the truth in a style the
leaders would understand, detailing the history of the Israelites. But he also
pointed to occasions in which prophets had been rejected, and said the same
thing was happening again. “You received the law as transmitted by angels, but
you did not observe it.” (Acts 7:53)
The Church’s
history is full of people who died agonizing, perverted, incomprehensible
deaths rather than renounce their faith, and we rightly honor them. But think
back to the origins of the word. Few of us will be called to be stoned, shot,
kept standing in a suspended cage for days, guillotined, or crucified. However,
we all are called to put to death our personal fears of embarrassment,
rejection, and ridicule and testify to the fact that we know better than any
other: that Jesus Christ died for our sins and was resurrected and ascended
into heaven, and offers us the same hope of eternal life.
Be a witness.
Be a martyr. Do it today.
Action
Share the
Good News today with someone who has rejected it. Read Stephen’s discourse
beforehand for your spiritual armor.
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