"Lord, do not hold this sin against them." The dying words of Stephen echo the words of Jesus on the Cross: "Father, forgive them, they do not know what they are doing" (Luke 23:34). Jesus died as a martyr, a witness to the truth. Stephen was persecuted and killed for bearing witness to Jesus. Only the life and death of Jesus can give meaning to the death of Stephen or of any Christian martyr, for it was the passion and death of Jesus which brought the grace of the resurrection.

Stephen's prayer for himself as he was being stoned is a model for all Christians facing any serious trouble or illness, and especially when facing death: "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." This again is an echo of Jesus' prayer on the Cross: "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit" (Lk 23:46).

For the early Church, the death of the martyrs most clearly manifested and vindicated Christian hope. However, the early Christians also understood that a holy life, even without a martyr's death, was a significant witness to the truth of Jesus and so they honoured other saints besides the martyrs, to provide us with many models of holiness.