The Feast of St. Stephen is a fitting time to be reminded of the Truth that is the basis of freedom. Here is an explanation from the 1986 document from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Instruction on Christian Freedom and Liberation:

21. One of the principal errors that has seriously burdened the process of liberation since the Age of the Enlightenment comes from the widely held conviction that it is the progress achieved in the fields of the sciences, technology and economics which should serve as a basis for achieving freedom. This was a misunderstanding of the depths of freedom and its needs.

The reality of the depth of freedom has always been known to the Church, above all through the lives of a multitude of the faithful, especially among the little ones and the poor. In their faith, these latter know that they are the object of God’s infinite love. Each of them can say : ” I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Gal 2:20b). Such is the dignity which none of the powerful can take away from them; such is the liberating joy present in them. They know that to them too are addressed Jesus’ words: “No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you ” (Jn 15: 15) . This sharing in the knowledge of God is their emancipation from the dominating claims of the learned: “You all know … and you have no need that any one should teach you” (1 Jn 2: 20b, 27b). They are also aware of sharing in the highest knowledge to which humanity is called. (14) They know that they are loved by God, the same as all other people and more than all other people. They thus live in the freedom which flows from truth and love.

There are several ways in which one might appreciate this passage in light of reflecting on St. Stephen’s martyrdom. Perhaps the most straightforward is to consider how the word “martyr” illuminates the relationship between truth and freedom. A “martyr” is a “witness.” Stephen first dedicated himself to serving the material needs of the Church as a deacon. This was a work that Stephen freely took on, though it is also one that he accepted after he had been chosen for it. In carrying out his diaconal duties, Stephen elicited the ire of some who debated with him. These disappointed debaters then instigated a condemning mob using false charges of blasphemy. Stephen was radiant with the splendor of truth throughout. He himself had a vision of heaven. In this sense, he was a “fact witness” in the traditional sense. While witnessing in this vision, he gave a testimony, continuing as a witness in the traditional sense. His special access to the truth gave him freedom to testify that fear might otherwise have quashed. We now look to his persistence in witnessing even in the face of death—especially in the face of death—as we consider how his example as a martyr illuminates the relationship between truth and freedom today.