December 26 commemerates the first martyr of the Church, the Apostle St Stephen. The following is an excerpt from my novel: Daybreak from on High.
This was to be a carefree day, and I felt lighthearted as we left my dwelling. We needed a respite to enjoy each other’s company. Walking toward the Sheep Gate, we passed the Bethesda bathes, where many unfortunate souls still awaited the stirring of waters, hoping for a cure.
We heard shouting and commotion and saw a crowd rushing toward the gate. It appeared an angry mob approached from within the city walls and emerged through the Sheep Gate. First came two men grasping a young man between them and shoving him some yards ahead. We stopped, watching as the rest followed and surrounded him.
“Blasphemer! Heretic! You are a disgrace to Moses and all Jews,” they chanted one after the other.
The mob included scribes and others known to be members of the Synagogue of Freedmen, as well as Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and foreigners from Asia. We were familiar with the features and garb of each group. The level of anger reached a peak and suddenly the people began picking up stones.
Josephus said, “I know that man. He’s Stephen, a disciple of Peter. He has spoken in the Portico, a man filled with faith. They are about to kill him.”
We stood there frozen as the stones flew at Stephen. He did not wail or try to escape, but looked up to the heavens. When the blows struck, we heard his voice above the angry screams of his accusers.
“Lord… receive my spirit” (Acts 7:59 NAB)! The stones kept crushing his body. He crumbled in a bloody heap, falling to the ground. As he fell, he pleaded, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them” (Acts 7:60 NAB).
Those who took part in his murder continued to scream insults. Stephen lay motionless, no longer in this world, for his soul had escaped the fury of men.
“They cannot harm him, Jon. He lives in a totally safe place now,” Josephus said, staring at the crushed body.
I heard another voice in my head: “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34 NAB). An echo from Golgotha from the person Stephen died for.
Josephus took me by the arm and whispered, “We must leave here without notice. The Evil One has grasped onto the hearts of the persecutors. You and I could be their next victims.”
DJ Pasternak, Author 