Today is the Feast of Saint Stephen, the first martyr. There are many things that could be said about this deacon and his life. One thing fascinates me. It is the fact that the transfiguration of the body by the Holy Spirit is a very real thing in Scripture.

After Stephen was brought before the council,

all who sat in the council looked intently at him, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel. (Acts 6:15)

They saw very clearly where his heart was, for that treasure had made its way into the very look of his face. He had a face that belonged to the Church of Heaven; he had the face of an angel. It was not merely human. It belonged to the world that, in the depths of his soul, he possessed in germ already, by love of God and suffering things divine.

Related posts:

• Saint Stephen in Today’s Reading
• The Trace of Transfiguration from Francis de Sales to Alphonsus Liguori
• “Your Eyes are Good”