Stones flew, but the loudest sound was mercy. We unpack Stephen’s fierce clarity before the Sanhedrin, his sweeping retelling of salvation history, and the charge of being “stiff‑necked” that still lands today. As a deacon formed in daily service, Stephen learned to die to himself long before he faced a hail of stones, which is why he could answer violence with forgiveness and truth with tenderness. That union of conviction and charity—rooted in the Eucharist—turns a courtroom into a pulpit a...