Daily Catholic Lectio
Fri, 26 December ‘25
St. Stephen, First Martyr – Feast
Acts 6:8–10; 7:54–60. Matthew 10:17–22
The Shadow of Jesus
The Church places before us today a striking contrast. Yesterday, we celebrated the birth of the Child in the manger; today, we honour Stephen, the first to die for that Child. Joy and blood stand side by side. Christmas is immediately followed by martyrdom. This is not accidental. It tells us something essential about Jesus and about those who truly belong to Him.
Stephen is presented in the Acts of the Apostles as the shadow of Jesus. A shadow does not have a life of its own; it takes the shape of the one who stands in the light. Stephen’s life and death take the shape of Christ.
Let us briefly compare Jesus and Stephen in five clear ways.
First, both are filled with the Spirit and power. Jesus begins His ministry anointed by the Spirit; Stephen is described as “full of grace and power.” What happens in Stephen is not heroism of flesh and blood, but the life of Christ continuing in him.
Second, both speak with a wisdom their opponents cannot resist. Jesus’ words silence His accusers; Stephen’s wisdom cannot be refuted by those who dispute with him. Truth does not need violence; it carries its own authority.
Third, both face false accusations and hostile assemblies. Jesus stands before the Sanhedrin; Stephen is dragged before the same council. The path of truth often leads through misunderstanding and rejection.
Fourth, both entrust their spirit to God at the moment of death. Jesus prays, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” Stephen echoes Him: “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” The disciple dies as the Master died.
Fifth, both forgive their executioners. Jesus prays, “Father, forgive them.” Stephen cries, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.”
The shadow perfectly mirrors the light. Stephen truly lives in the shadow of Jesus. What does his life teach us?
First, the suffering of the innocent. Stephen is not punished for wrongdoing. Like Job, like Jesus, he suffers because he is faithful. This remains a mystery. Innocent suffering unsettles our logic, but it reveals a deeper truth: fidelity to God does not guarantee a painless life; it guarantees a meaningful one.
Second, the courage to face suffering. Stephen does not run away from his calling when suffering comes. Jesus, too, does not turn back from the Incarnation when it leads to the Cross. As the Gospel reminds us today, “Whoever endures to the end will be saved.” Christian courage is not the absence of fear, but faith that remains firm even when fear is present.
Third, a life of witnessing. Stephen uses his gifts—his wisdom, his eloquence, his Spirit-filled vision—not for self-preservation, but for testimony. His death itself becomes proclamation. The word martyr means witness. Stephen’s life and death point beyond himself to Christ.
The Feast of St. Stephen reminds us that the Cross begins at Bethlehem. The Child wrapped in swaddling clothes will one day be wrapped in a burial cloth. To welcome Christ is also to accept the cost of following Him.
Stephen teaches us that discipleship is not about walking ahead of Jesus, but about walking behind Him, even if it means walking into suffering. To live in the shadow of Jesus is not to lose oneself, but to be shaped by His light.
May St. Stephen pray for us, that our lives too may become faithful shadows of Christ—bearing witness in courage, in forgiveness, and in love, even when the cost is high.
Fr. Yesu Karunanidhi
Archdiocese of Madurai
Missionary of Mercy
Yesu Karunanidhi 
Leave a comment