St. Luke deliberately patterns the death of St. Stephen, the first martyr (protomartyr), after the death of Jesus. Stephen, like Jesus, forgave his enemies: “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” Forgiveness is hard. Once when I was talking with a group of those who had been abused someone said, “Don’t ask us to forgive.” We must never tell anyone what they should feel. How easy is it for an outsider to say, “Why are you still grieving? Get over it.” “Why are you still angry? Get over it.” People feel what they feel. While we all hope to get to that place of Steven — and Jesus — and forgive those who harm us, it is a process that has its own time for everyone.
