Lord Jesus, Receive My Spirit
St. Augustine on the Martyrdom of Stephen
I have been deeply moved by the account of Stephen’s martyrdom in the book of Acts. His excellent sermon, the grace beaming out of his face, his service as a deacon, the miracles he worked in the name of Jesus, and his glorious direct prayer to the Son: “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit,” are all worthy of meditation and imitation. I commend this short sermon to you from Augustine of Hippo on the subject. It was preached in 425 A.D., likely at a memorial shrine of St. Stephen in the city of Hippo Regius (modern day Algeria).
It will be of interest for the devotional reader, the student of homiletics, and the inquirer into the patristic perspectives on the intercession of the saints.
St. Augustine: On the Feast of the Martyr Stephen
Sermon 3161, 425 A.D.
1: The miracles worked by Stephen were performed, not in his own name, but in the Name of Christ
The most blessed and glorious martyr in Christ, Stephen, has now given us our fill with his sermon; but after that satisfying meal, I am setting before you, with the sermon my ministry requires of me, a kind of dessert. And what more delicious sweet can I find to provide for it, than Christ and the martyr himself? The One, you see, is the Lord, the other the servant; but Stephen, from being a servant, became a friend. We for our part are undoubtedly servants; may Christ grant that we also may be friends. Still, what sort of servants should we be? Such as can sing with unblushing conscience, But for me, Lord, your friends have been highly honored (Ps 139: 17, LXX).
Before Saint Stephen was killed openly and crowned in secret, you heard how he had been chosen by the apostles. He was named the first among those deacons, just as Peter was among the apostles. So when he had been ordained by the apostles, in a short while he preceded his ordainers to martyrdom; he was ordained by them, but crowned before them. So what did you hear, when his passion was being read? But Stephen, full of grace and the Holy Spirit, was performing wonders and great signs among the people through the name of the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 6:8). Be quite clear about Whom, and in Whose Name. Those of you who know how to love Stephen, love him in Christ. That, after all, is his wish, that is what pleases him; he rejoices at that, he finds it entirely acceptable. I mean, he had no desire to vaunt his own name with those who stoned him to death. Notice Whom he was confessing while he was being stoned; Whom he was confessing on earth, Whom he could see in heaven; for Whom he was handing over his flesh, to Whom he was entrusting his soul.
Have we ever read, after all, or can we possibly read anywhere in sound teaching, that Jesus ever performed, or still performs, signs by the name of Stephen? Stephen performed them, but by the name of Christ. This is what he is doing even now; whatever you see done by the memory of Stephen, is done in the name of Christ; so that Christ may be drawn to the world's attention, Christ may be worshiped, Christ expected as Judge of the living and the dead, and a stand be taken on the right by those who love Him. When He comes, you see, people will stand on the right, stand on the left; blessed will be those on the right, wretched those on the left.
2: How Stephen provoked the Jews
However, let the blessed Stephen imitate his Lord. In a wonderful way he endured, amid the stones, the hard men hurling—what, if not what they were themselves? To show you that he was enduring hard men, this is what he said to them: Stiff-necked and uncircumcised of heart and ears, you people have always resisted the Holy Spirit. You wish to die, clearly, you are in a hurry to be stoned, you're eager to be crowned. You people have always resisted the Holy Spirit. While he was saying such things, they raged at him and gnashed their teeth (Acts 7:51.54). Add something, Stephen, add something they won't put up with, add something they cannot stand; add something they can stone you for, so that we can find something to celebrate.
The heavens were opened, the martyr saw the Chief of Martyrs; he saw Jesus standing at the Father's right hand; he saw, so that he wouldn't keep quiet. As for them, they couldn't see, but they could be envious; and the reason they didn't see was that they were envious. As for him, he didn't keep quiet about what he saw, in order to reach the One Whom he saw. Behold, he said, I can see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of Majesty (Acts 7:55). Straightaway they covered their ears, as against a blasphemy. You can recognize them in the psalm: Like the deaf adder, it says, which blocks its ears, in order not to hear the voice of the charmer, and the spell cast by the wise one (Ps 58:4-5). Just as adders, you see, to avoid bursting out and leaving their dens when they are being charmed, are said to press one ear to the ground and block the other with their tails—and yet the charmer brings them out; so too these people were still hissing in their dens, while seething in their hearts. They weren't yet bursting out; they blocked their ears. Let them burst out now, let them show what they really are; let them rush for the stones. They rushed, they stoned him.
3: Stephen, dying, imitates his Lord in two respects
What did Stephen do? What did he do? First take a look at the one whom this good friend was imitating. While the Lord Jesus Christ was hanging on the cross, He said, Father, into your hands I commend my spirit (Lk 23:46). This as Man, as one crucified, as one born of woman, as one clothed with flesh; as one about to die for us, as one about to be in the tomb, as one about to rise again on the third day, as one about to ascend into heaven. All these things, you see, happened to the Man. So, as Man, Father, into your hands I commend my spirit. He, though, said, Father, Stephen said, Lord Jesus. What else did he also say? Receive my spirit (Acts 7:58). You spoke to the Father, I to you. I recognize the Mediator; You came to lift up the fallen; You hadn't fallen with me. Receive, he said, my spirit. That was his prayer for himself; something else came into his mind, in which he might imitate his Lord. Recall the words of the One hanging on the cross, and mark the words of the one who was being stoned for confessing Him. What did the former say? Father, forgive them, because they do not know what they are doing (Lk 23:34). Possibly, Stephen was at that time among those who did not know what they were doing. Many of them, you see, afterward came to believe.
And we are not certain which group the blessed Stephen came from, whether he was one of those who had previously believed in Christ, like Nicodemus who came to Him at night (Jn 3:2), who was found worthy to be buried where this one was too, because it was through him that this one was discovered. So it's uncertain whether he was one of those, or perhaps one of the others who were cut to the heart after the Lord's ascension and the coming of the Holy Spirit, when the disciples were filled and started speaking with the tongues of all nations, and who said to the apostles, Men and brothers, what shall we do? Show us. And Peter said to them, Repent, and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and your sins will be forgiven you (Acts 2:37-38).
All their sins, do you suppose? What sin would still remain when even that sin was being forgiven by which the Forgiver of sins was killed? What sin could be worse than killing Christ? This was wiped out. So what's the position, then? Perhaps Stephen was one of those. If he was, then that prayer also availed for him, Father, forgive them, because they do not know what they are doing. And yet Saul too was one of those. When Stephen the lamb was being stoned, [Saul] was still a wolf, still thirsting for blood, still thinking his own hands were not enough to stone him with, and therefore keeping the coats of those who were doing the stoning. So Stephen recalled what had been said for him—if he was one of those about whom the Lord was speaking when he said, Father, forgive them, because they do not know what they are doing; so to imitate his Lord even in this respect, in order to be His friend, [Stephen] too said, Lord, do not hold this sin against them (Acts 7:59). But in what posture did he say it? Kneeling on the ground. He entrusted himself to the Lord standing up; when he prayed for his enemies, he knelt down. Why did he entrust himself to the Lord standing up? Because he was entrusting a just man to Him. Why did he kneel down for them? Because he was praying for vicious men. Lord, do not hold this sin against them.
4: Saul the wolf changed into a sheep by Stephen's prayer
Do you suppose Saul heard these words? He heard all right, but he jeered; and yet he was included in Stephen's prayer. He was still rampaging around, and already Stephen was being heard on his behalf. I mean, you already know, if I may say something about this man who was Saul, and later Paul; of course you know; it's written in the same book how Paul came to believe. When Stephen was slain, the Church in Jerusalem suffered a most grievous persecution. The brothers and sisters who were there were put to flight; only the apostles remained, the rest were put to flight. But like burning firebrands, wherever they came, they set the place alight. The foolish Jews, when they drove them in flight from Jerusalem, were scattering coals of fire in a forest.
As for the man who was still Saul, for whom it was not enough for Stephen to have been killed, which is something we gladly recollect, because we already venerate him, what did he do? He received letters from the priests and scribes, so that wherever he might find men of this way, that is Christians, he should bring them back bound to face the sort of punishment Stephen had received. And off went Saul in his wrath, off went the wolf to the sheepfolds, to the flocks of the Lord; like a rabid wolf he was thirsting for blood, breathing out slaughter, off he went on the road. And Christ from above: Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? (Acts 9: 1-4). Wolf, wolf, why are you persecuting the Lamb? I, [Jesus,] when I was killed, slew the lion. Why are you persecuting me? Rid yourself of the wolf; from wolf become sheep, from sheep become shepherd.
5: The beauty of the picture which shows the stoning of Stephen and the conversion of Saul together
Such a lovely picture this is, where you can see Saint Stephen being stoned, can see Saul keeping the coats of those doing the stoning. This man is Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus (1 Cor 1:1), this man is Paul, the servant of Christ Jesus (Rom 1:1). Yes, you listened very well to the voice saying Why are you persecuting me? (Acts 9:4). You were laid low, you were raised up; laid low as a persecutor, raised up as a preacher. Tell us, let us hear it: Paul, the servant of Christ Jesus by the will of God (2 Cor 1:1). Certainly not by your will, was it, dear Saul? We know, we have seen your fruits that came by your will; Stephen was slain by your will. We can see your fruits that came by the will of God: you are read everywhere, chanted everywhere, everywhere you are converting to Christ the hearts that oppose him, everywhere as a good shepherd you are gathering huge flocks. You are reigning with the one [Stephen] that you stoned, [and] reigning with Christ.
There you can both see each other, can both now hear my sermon; both of you please pray for us. He will listen to you both, the One who crowned you, one first, the other later on, one who suffered persecution, the other who did the persecuting. The first was a lamb then, the other was a wolf; now, though, both are lambs. May the lambs acknowledge us, and see us in the flock of Christ. May they commend us to Him in their prayers, so as to obtain a quiet and tranquil life for the Church of their Lord.
If you enjoyed this, you may like these other posts from Power & Glory:
A Consideration on Our Sins, on a meditation from St. Anselm of Canterbury.
A Sword in the Devil's Heart, on a Halloween sermon by St. Gregory Thaumaturgus.
Face the Darkness, and Spit, on spiritual battle and an early baptismal custom.
Translation, with my minor clarifying adjustments, is from the Augustinian Heritage Institute’s The Works of Saint Augustine Volume 9: Sermons 306-340A. Translation and notes by Edmund Hill, O.P. edited by John E. Rotelle, O.S.A.