St. Stephen the Younger (28 November): Butler's Lives of the Saints

About this sermon

Discover the powerful and inspiring story of St. Stephen the Younger, one of the greatest martyrs of the Iconoclast persecution. Born in Constantinople and dedicated to God before birth, he became a celebrated monk and abbot known for holiness, asceticism, defense of sacred images, and fearless resistance to imperial heresy. This episode recounts his early life, monastic formation, heroic leadership, persecution under emperors Leo the Isaurian and Constantine V Copronymus, false accusations, trials, exile, miracles, and finally his brutal martyrdom. His life stands as a testimony to unwavering faith, courage in persecution, and complete devotion to the truth of the Catholic faith. St. Stephen the Younger reminds us that true victory lies in fidelity to God, even during intense suffering. His example invites us to examine our own hearts and grow in humility, meekness, charity, and fortitude. ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS 00:00 – Intro 00:20 – Butler’s Lives of the Saints: St. Stephen the Younger 00:33 – Birth and early dedication to God 00:45 – Early education and grounding in the Catholic faith 01:08 – Rise of Emperor Leo the Isaurian and Iconoclasm 01:24 – Persecution of holy images 01:47 – Stephen enters the monastery of St. Auxentius 02:06 – Death of his father and acts of charity 02:26 – His monastic studies and spiritual life 02:38 – Stephen becomes abbot 02:53 – Life of asceticism and labor 03:09 – Disciples gather; the widow Anne becomes a nun 03:24 – Stephen resigns as abbot for deeper solitude 03:40 – Intensifying iconoclast persecution 04:18 – Imperial attempts to force Stephen to reject holy images 04:46 – False accusations and persecution 05:22 – Emperor seeks excuses for execution 06:01 – The false novice plot 06:20 – Public humiliation of monastic habit 06:31 – Destruction of the monastery 06:49 – Transfer to Chrysopolis and interrogations 07:24 – Stephen’s bold defense of sacred images 07:41 – Exile to the island of Proconnesus 08:01 – Miracles and influence 08:35 – Trial before the emperor 08:58 – Icon argument using the emperor’s coin 09:35 – Sentence of death 09:52 – Martyrdom of St. Stephen the Younger 10:31 – Reflection on Christian martyrdom and virtue https://sensusfidelium.com/the-lives-of-the-fathers-martyrs-and-other-principal-saints/november/st-stephen-the-younger-m/ Get Butler's Lives of the Saints here: https://loretopublications.idevaffiliate.com/idevaffiliate.php?id=102&url=1 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 Support Catholic Businesses here - https://sensusfidelium.com/catholic-businesses/ Sensus Fidelium Press - https://sensusfideliumpress.com/ Sensus Fidelium Apps - https://sensusfidelium.tv/ Support Sensus Fidelium - https://sensusfidelium.com/donate-support/ 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 🙏🏻PLEASE HELP OUR CHANNEL GROW 🙏🏻 ▶ 1. Become a Channel Patron: https://www.patreon.com/SensusFidelium ▶ 2. Visit the website https://www.sensusfidelium.com for Gueranger, Saint of the Day, Apologetics, Meditation by the Saints, Scripture Study and more. ▶ 3. Subscribe to Other Video Platforms 🔴 SpiritusTV - https://spiritustv.com/@SensusFidelium 🔴 BitChute --- https://www.bitchute.com/channel/Sensus_Fidelium/ 🔴 Rumble --- https://rumble.com/c/c-298311 🔴 My Catholic Tube - https://mycatholictube.com/videos/sensus-fidelium-channel/ 🔴 LBRY.tv --- https://lbry.tv/@SensusFidelium:c 🔴 ODYSEE - https://odysee.com/@SensusFidelium:c 🔴 UGETube - https://videos.utahgunexchange.com/@Sensus%20Fidelium 🔴 BrandNewTube - https://brandnewtube.com/@SensusFidelium 🔴 GabTV - https://tv.gab.com/channel/Sensus_Fidelium 🔴 GloriaTV - https://gloria.tv/Sensus%20Fidelium 🔴 Brighteon - https://www.brighteon.com/channels/sensusfidelium ▶ 4. Paypal, Bitcoin, Anedot, Stripe, Square & PO Box donations - https://sensusfidelium.com/donate-support/ ▶ 5. YouTube: Click Subscribe, then Click "Notification Bell" = 🔔 Please "Like" our videos so that Youtube shares it to others by clicking the "Like" thumbs-up under the video = 👍🏻 ▶ 6. Please share this video 📲, and help others find Christ inside the Catholic Church! Please share this video on Facebook and Twitter using the share button. ▶ 7. Follow on Social Media: 🔴 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SensusFidelium/ 🔴 Twitter: https://https://twitter.com/Sensus_Fidelium 🔴 Parler: https://parler.com/profile/Sensusfidelium/posts 🔴 SP3RN: https://www.sp3rn.com/community/pages/14-sensus-fidelium 🔴 GAB: https://gab.com/Sensus_Fidelium 🔴 Bastyon: https://bastyon.com/sensusfidelium 🔴 GETTR: https://gettr.com/user/sensus_fidelium 🔴 INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/sensusfidelium/ 🔴 Telegram: https//t.me/RealSensusFidelium 🔴 Truth Social - @SensusFidelium ▶ 8. Follow on iTunes: 🔴 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sensus-fidelium-catholic-podcast/id1477010758 #StStephenTheYounger #LivesOfTheSaints #CatholicSaints #ByzantineSaints #ChristianMartyrs #Iconoclasm #HolyImages #SensusFidelium #Catho