St Stephen was the first Christian martyr. In the earliest days of the Church only those who, like St Stephen, suffered a martyr's death were recognized as saints. The reason was that sanctity is conformity to Christ, and one who died as Christ did, a witness to the truth, was seen to be truly holy. When the period of persecution ended and martyrdom became rare, the Church reflected more on her understanding of sanctity. She recognized that being like Christ is the correct criterion of sanctity but she realised that physical martyrdom was not the only sign of such conformity.

Today we recognize a very large number of people as saints who underwent a natural death. Each of these saints manifested some special characteristics of Christ since no one saint can completely reflect the sanctity of Jesus Himself.

Each one of us is called to be a saint. We may never be canonized by the Church, but our basic vocation in life is to live as Jesus did. We must draw upon the most important source for becoming like Jesus, and that is the Holy Eucharist. Jesus in the Gospel today proclaims, "I am the bread of life". He wishes to give us a share in His own life, and that is what sanctity is all about.