XXV, September/October 2019

"His face was like the face of an angel" (Acts 6:15)

Dear Brothers in the Priesthood!

The apostles elected candidates for the diaconate and ordained them for the daily practical needs of the faithful. They received the special grace which God grants through the sacrament of holy order, namely "to serve the whole body" (CCC 1543) of Christ. In their lives became true what our Lord foretold the apostles and his future followers. Jesus said: "When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say. You will be given at that moment what you are to say. For it will not be you who speak but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you" (Mt 10:19-20).

This we can see when "certain members of the so-called Synagogue of Freedmen, Cyrenians, and Alexandrians, and people from Cilicia and Asia, came forward and debated with Stephen," (Acts 6:9) one of the seven deacons on whom the apostles laid hands on and prayed (cf. Acts 6:6). Scripture says: "They could not withstand the wisdom and the spirit with which he spoke. Then they instigated some men to say, 'We have heard him speaking blasphemous words against Moses and God.'" And just as earlier "the entire Sanhedrin kept trying to obtain false testimony against Jesus in order to put him to death," (Mt 26:59) here, these people from the Synagogue "stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes, accosted him, seized him, and brought him before the Sanhedrin. They presented false witnesses who testified, 'This man never stops saying things against (this) holy place and the law. For we have heard him claim that this Jesus the Nazorean will destroy this place and change the customs that Moses handed down to us.' All those who sat in the Sanhedrin looked intently at him and saw that his face was like the face of an angel." (Acts 6:11-15)

The presence of the angels in the life of the Chosen People

It seems that they were very familiar with the angels, probably much more than we today. In fact, in its history the Chosen People was constantly accompanied by angelic help and intervention. They were present in paradise (cf. Gen 3:24), had important role to fulfill in the life of the patriarchs (cf. Gen 22, 28 and 32) so that Jacob spoke to his sons of the angel who had delivered him from all harm (cf. Ge 48:16). One of the angels served at the call of Moses and other prophets (cf. Ex 3:2; Is 6:1ff). Therefore, even if some in the Sanhedrin might have denied these heavenly helpers, at least they had read about the angelic role of mediation between God and men, besides the monotheistic faith in Israel. St. Stephen knew about this and so, he could point out to such interventions in his defense: "It was he [Moses] who, in the assembly in the desert, was with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai and with our ancestors, and he received living utterances to hand on to us." (Acts 7:38)

Then, even before his discourse, they saw St. Stephen as "a man filled with faith and the holy Spirit." (Acts 6:5) He, "filled with grace and power, was working great wonders and signs among the people," so that those who "debated with Stephen … could not withstand the wisdom and the spirit with which he spoke" (Acts 6:8).

Then both motives, the familiarity with the active presence of the angels in life and this extraordinary wisdom of Stephen, may explain that "all those who sat in the Sanhedrin looked intently at him and saw that his face was like the face of an angel" (Acts 6:15).

The approach of man to the angels until a certain "likeness".

What might be the reason that they compared St. Stephens face with that of an angel? They did not see an angel. They, very probably, knew that an angel has no body, and hence no face. The Divine Word offers an image of angels that suggests such comparison.

First, the Angels were known as those who give testimony of the greatness and glory of God. They understood the name "Micha-El" as the exclamation "Who is like God!" (cf. Ap 12:7) which calls present God in His majesty and surpassing splendor, as well as it opposes to the prideful aspiration of the fallen angels who wanted to make themselves equal to God (cf. Ap 13:4). They knew St. Raphael who identified himself as one who serves "before the Glory of God"; he asked Tobit and Tobias to turn to God: "Thank God now and forever, … thank him every day; praise him with song" (Tob 12:15,17-18). To the understanding of the angels contributed also St. Gabriel who accompanied the prophet Daniel (e.g. Dan 9:21): although his powerful defense of the Will of God towards Zacharias, the father of St. John the Baptist, and the apparition to Our Lady may not yet have been known generally; he insisted twice that "nothing will be impossible for God" (Lk 1:19-20 and 37). Therefore, we can say: the idea of the angels among the Chosen People may explain why a man whose "wisdom and spirit" people could not withstand may cause these men think to have in Stephen before themselves someone like them, or who is "like an angel".

Second, St. Stephens enthusiasm may point out to these heavenly lovers. For the angels are "flaming torches, … the seven spirits of God" (Ap 4:5) as St. John will, though, later testify. They are countless in number (cf. Dan 7:10) and cry out "in a loud voice: 'Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches, wisdom and strength, honor and glory and blessing'." (Ap 5:11-12)

Third, the holy angels are united with God, "in heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly Father" (Mt 18:10) are filled with divine wisdom. Thus this may shine through St. Stephens intelligence and remind on the heavenly angels. Fourth, St. Stephen himself points to that similarity when he stands now before the Sanhedrin like the former prophets, and not just like them, but being rejected even that what the angels brought from God:

"You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always oppose the holy Spirit; you are just like your ancestors. Which of the prophets did your ancestors not persecute? They put to death those who foretold the coming of the righteous one, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become. You received the law as transmitted by angels, but you did not observe it." (Acts 7:51-53)

However, here he stands, like David before Goliath, with fearless readiness which also gives testimony to the angelic army of God. Shortly after the condemnation of St. Stephen, the people of Jerusalem will assist a strike from heaven which just an angel could perform: "The angel of the Lord struck Herod down because he did not ascribe the honor to God." (Acts 12:23)

The real presence of the angels in the life of the Chosen People caused (and still will cause) the approach of man to the angels until a certain "likeness". Such effect of the work of the angels we can see in the life of the Saints.

These friends of God are guided, directly or indirectly by their heavenly companion, their Guardian Angel beyond human capacities. To verify this, the Church requests the testimony of "heroic virtues" in their lives.

St. Stephen, filled with grace and power" (Acts 6:8), was well aware before whom he stood, namely false accusers. With the help of the Holy Spirit's gift of wisdom and knowledge he explained the Sacred Scripture to them; he spoke up couragesly, well aware that they may not accept his reasons, but act with him as they did with His Lord Jesus. This happened:

"When they heard this, they were infuriated, and they ground their teeth at him. But he, filled with the holy Spirit, said, 'Behold, I see the heavens opened… But they cried out in a loud voice, covered their ears, and rushed upon him together. They threw him out of the city, and began to stone him. As they were stoning Stephen, he called out' – similar to Jesus on the cross – 'Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.' And 'Lord, do not hold this sin against them'." (Acts 7:54-60)

For sure, here the Holy Spirit assisted him with the gift of fortitude.

With Saint John Paul II we can emphasize the witness of the Saints as work of God. We have to see and present them as our heroes, the champions of our faith! We should and need to be proud of them. They are true guides to God. They are proofs of the existence of heaven; they are revelations of God's love, windows and gates into the heavenly city, just as the angels. Through their union with God and the holy angels, they are like stars in the night. And just like every angel reflects an attribute of God (cf. St. John Paul II, Catechesis, … 1986; Bento XVI, homily 29-09-2007), so allowed every Saint God to work out in him his call, his name (cf. Ap 2:17), his specific virtue, as the "fruit" of the work of the Holy Spirit (cf. Gal 5:22) as it were.

How actual, then, is what Card. Ratzinger said: "The only really effective apologia for Christianity comes down to two arguments, namely the saints the Church has produced and the art which has grown in her womb." (In J. Saward, The Beauty of Holiness and the Holiness of Beauty, Ignatius, San Francisco 1997, p. 8) The example of St. Stephen allows us to say: The Saints are transparent towards the holy angels, and thus, with their help, assistance, support, guidance, encouragement and strength, the life of our Saints shows them like fruits of an angelic work. In this sense too, St. Stephens "face was like the face of an angel" (Acts 6:15).

Dear Brothers in the Priesthood!

The example of St. Stephen tells us: We are more than the "world" understands. Let us therefore keep up and be faithful to the Lord in holy fear, and "take refuge in him": "Nothing is lacking to those who fear him" and "the angel of the LORD, who encamps with them, delivers all who fear God" (Ps 34:8-12).

Fr. Titus Kieninger, ORC

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