The first official account, though, we commemorate as a community is found in the Book of Acts. It is, of course, the testimony, witness and death of St. Stephen. It is this famous passage that brings us to the true meaning of what of being a martyr really means. And in truth, that is the real essence of martyrdom. Martyrdom does not imply or mean just giving one s life for a cause.
People do that all the time.
All we have to do is think about the wars of the world, the Crusades or the suicide-bombings that take place. Martyrdom, dear sisters and brothers, carries another important characteristic - that is for the Church and for us. It is the witness and message found in the Book of Acts. In the witness of the St. Stephen, the Proto-martyr, there is a confession of truth, an act of expressing one s faith, a declaration and testimony to believing in holiness. There isn t an expression of fanaticism or desire to kill others.