***Becoming a Better Man: Inspiration Drawn from St. Stephen Martyr***

Today, there's a lot of discussion in our culture about the lack of solid male role models for men and boys. From observing our modern culture, representing fathers in family law cases, and having represented some men at the endpoint of at least one cultural spectrum–those men who were serving time in prison for criminal offenses–I have seen the grave harm that lack of fathers and other positive male role models have had on men in today's world.

To put it simply, we need more of those male role models, and we need to pay a lot more attention to the importance of the ones we already have.

Indeed, I continue to seek such models for myself. I have been blessed with a number of them in my life, including my grandfathers, my dad, my uncle, my brother, male bosses and other leaders, and the solid friends who have helped me become the man I am today.

As much as I admire all those men, my search for exemplary men does not end with my contemporaries. Looking back in history about two millennia provides yet another strong example of a good male role model whose life I wish to imitate.

Today, December 26, is the feast of Stephen the Martyr. This day is a traditional observance in the Christian church, celebrated one day after we commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ. Stephen was the first martyr for the Christian faith. An account of Stephen's service to the early church, his powerful preaching, and his martyrdom appears in Acts, chapters 6 and 7.

This day is always a special one for me because I'm named for St. Stephen. My parents (may they rest in peace) specifically chose Stephen Martyr as my name-saint because of the numerous virtues that he displayed during his life. I consider it a great honor to be named after him.

Each year, on December 26, I spend part of the day reading the account of his work, preaching, and death. On the surface, and without Christian belief, Stephen's story ends sadly. Nevertheless, his story inspires me. I am enlivened by recalling that man's great faith and seeing how strongly he lived it. He was willing to take it even to the point of death by stoning.

That's a serious commitment. I find that inspiring, and a challenge to my own life to fully live honestly those things that I believe in, trust in, and fully experience in many meaningful ways. So on this day, I am honoring my patron saint, thanking him for his sacrifice and martyrdom, and for having the courage and conviction to stand up to those individuals who wanted to harm him and wanted to harm the nascent Christian faith.

Even more, I honor and praise the God who made both St. Stephen and me, and who came into the world as the Son of God and the Son of Man. I thank that Son, Jesus Christ, for providing this man, this human model of courage, belief, a vibrantly alive faith, and selflessness. Those are some powerful qualities that we can learn from today, and use to improve our lives and the lives of those around us.

Therefore, I wish you all a very happy Saint Stephen's Day. I also invite you to explore this great saint's life more and find out what qualities of his you would like to emulate in your own life. I think it's worth taking a further step: identifying a few concrete steps you can use to implement those qualities.

I continue working on many of the virtues that Saint Stephen displayed. Of course, my improvement of those virtues is really the work of a lifetime. I have a long distance to travel and huge room for improvement in all of those attributes. That work of growth is not something that I can accomplish in one year, one decade, or even one quarter century.

I will need a considerable amount of work and the steady assistance of the Holy Spirit to progress in those virtues. The effort will be worthwhile. Cultivating those virtues will make me a stronger and better man.

They will also help me be a man much more ready to serve his family, friends, other loved ones, and humanity and creation at large. I am honored to face those challenges, and I embrace them with a lot of enthusiasm. God bless you all.

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