"That day followed a bitter persecution" rings a familiar chord in all believing Christian communities. Persecution pushes Christianity beyond comfort zones - out into the peripheries. Far from driving believers into hiding, they brought their faith to new lands. In the 1980s, Vietnamese fled in leaky boats across the South China Sea with their families and found themselves resettled in their host countries. They lived by their faith, started thriving Catholic communities and invigorated the life of the communities, producing missionaries of priests and religious. They are today's St. Philip.

St. Stephen's martyrdom was the catalyst. Saul's deadly intent to destroy the nascent believing community was akin to wild animals ravaging the innocent lambs (cf. Acts 8: 2). Subsequently, Saul was visited by the Lord, and he became the protagonist for the Lord.

What drives today's Stephen, Philip and Paul to be witnesses of faith? The answer is found in Jesus, the Bread of Life (John 6: 35-59). The believers took Jesus seriously. Jesus asserted "I am the Bread of Life". He invites people to come to Him, to believe in Him for salvation. His invitation is not empty. God, the Father, is in it. Then He invites them to "chew and gnaw" the Eucharist (John 6:54) for life-giving nourishment. In believing, we recognise the eternal Christ in the Eucharist. In eating, we are nourished deeply. United with Sts Stephen, Philip and Paul, we cry out in joy, "How tremendous are Your deeds O Lord!" (Psalm 66:1).