Meskerem 15 — September 25

Finding Saint Stephen

Today we remember Saint Stephen the archdeacon. A deacon is a helper in church, and an archdeacon is the chief helper of them all. Stephen was the very first person ever to stay faithful to Jesus all the way to the end, even to giving his life, so we call him the protomartyr, which simply means "the first one."

Stephen had been resting in heaven with God for a very, very long time — even longer than three hundred years. His body lay buried in a quiet garden near the city of Jerusalem, and no one remembered where. But God did not forget His friend Stephen.

One night a kind man named Lucianus had a special dream. In it Saint Stephen came to him and said gently, "I am Stephen," and showed him exactly where his body was hidden. Lucianus hurried to tell the bishop of Jerusalem, the leader who watched over the churches there. The bishop was so happy that he gathered other church leaders and went straight to the garden to dig.

What happened next took everyone's breath away. The ground gently shook, and there was Stephen's resting place. A sweet smell floated up into the air, and everyone heard angels singing.

Glory to God in the heavens, and peace upon earth, His good pleasure to men.— the angels' song

The Coffin That Sang

The church leaders carried Saint Stephen with songs, hymns, and many bright shining lamps to a holy place called Zion. Later a man named Alexander built a beautiful church just for Stephen and placed him there.

Now, here is a surprising part. Years later, Alexander's wife wanted to move her husband's body to the faraway city of Constantinople. But Alexander's coffin looked almost exactly like Saint Stephen's. By God's plan, she picked up the wrong one. She was really carrying Saint Stephen!

She put the coffin on a ship and sailed across the sea. As the waves rocked the ship, she heard singing and praises coming from inside the coffin! She looked closer and realized she was carrying holy Stephen. She understood that God wanted Stephen to make this journey, and she thanked Him.

When she reached Constantinople, the emperor, the church leaders, and crowds of happy people came out to meet Saint Stephen. They carried him with joy and singing. They laid him on a cart pulled by two oxen, and the oxen suddenly stopped and would not move. Then God let one of the oxen speak out loud, telling everyone the right spot to lay Stephen — just like long ago when God once made a donkey speak! There they built a beautiful church, and laid Stephen inside like a treasure more precious than a pearl.

It is meet for them to deposit the body of Saint Stephen in this place.— the ox that God allowed to speak

Abba Peter of Taraw, the Desert Friend of God

We also remember a holy father named Abba Peter, who came from a town called Taraw. God blessed him even before he was born, and as he grew up he had a good and gentle heart.

Abba Peter loved God so much that he went to live in the quiet desert to pray. (To pray means to talk with God.) He prayed and prayed, day and night, never stopping. Instead of eating regular food, he ate only a little grass that grew in the desert. He lived so simply and so close to God that people said he was like the angels.

His favorite thing of all was to say the name of our Lord Jesus over and over, like a happy little song in his heart that never stopped. He worked very hard for God for his whole life. And God loved Abba Peter and took good care of him, and healed him. Abba Peter teaches us that we can talk to God anytime, anywhere — even in the quietest, emptiest place, God is always near.