Stephen. Servant and witness

Cardinal Martini approaches the figure of Stephen, the first martyr, based on what is described in chapters 6-8 of the Acts of the Apostles, “an impressive document of a man’s retrospective view, now facing death, of himself, of salvation history, of what Christ has meant to him, and of the future to which he is called.” Reflecting on the figure of Stephen is important for the entire community of believers: through Stephen, in fact, “the Church becomes aware of the seriousness of being a witness and servant: it understands that abandoning oneself to God does not save one from death, but enables one to pass through death while contemplating the glory of God; it recognizes what God saves and frees us from, what he does not free us from, and what he prepares us for.” The richness of these meditations lies entirely here: in the experience of a man who, drawing near to the revelation of the nearness of a God who is transcendent and immanent at the same time, reaches “the culmination of his mission as a witness and servant,” living in his own body the mystery he proclaims, contemplates, and adores.