In his martyrdom, St Stephen faced the same confrontation between good and evil, hatred and forgiveness, meekness and violence which culminated in his death, as did his Divine Master. From whence came his 'grace and power?' From the Holy Spirit Who was his animator and teacher. His whole life was a perfect imitation of Christ - in obedience to His will and conformed to His love and in His suffering. Love inspired him to be a passionate and fearless preacher. Concerned with saving souls, he debated the truths of the faith with charity and reproved those who erred. Those whom he did not convert by admonition he did through prayers. He overcame the raging cruelty of the ferocious mob by forgiving and pardoning his executioners unreservedly, mirroring Jesus' words to His Father on the cross.

Many of us carry wounds caused by deeply distressing or painful experiences which can impede healing in our refusal to forgive. But when we do, we allow God to penetrate our hardened hearts, breaking the cycle of anger and bitterness. The fruit of this is inner freedom and conversion; both for us and our perpetrators. St Stephen's martyrdom offers us a profound reflection in this regard. In his final moments, his prayer became the catalyst in the conversion of Saul, the zealous persecutor of Christians, who later became St Paul, the greatest evangeliser-missionary in Christendom.