Saint Stephen was the church’s first martyr—“witness”—the first of those to “wash their robes,” in the words of the Book of Revelation, to die because they held to their faith in the face of hostility.

On Mother’s Day, we’re reminded to “say it with flowers.” The IT we’re supposed to be saying is I love you, but apparently that’s too intimidating for most of us to come out with.

Raising his eyes in prayer, Jesus said: “I’m praying not only for them But also for those who will believe in me Because of them and their witness about me.

I never truly understood what it meant to bear witness until I stood in a room with 250 refugees staring at me. I thought I had a better grasp of it.

Like you, O Lord, your first martyr Saint Stephen called on God to forgive his persecutors. Today we pray for that same forgiveness.

Amen! Come, Lord Jesus! Many if not most of the prayers of the liturgy are antiphonal: They follow a pattern of call and response.

I gave as an offering my all to him who had won me and saved me, my property, my fame, my health, my very words. . . . In considering all these things, I preferred Christ.  —Saint Gregory of Nazianzus (c. 329-390)