At the Angelus on the feast of Saint Stephen, the Pope prayed for persecuted Christians “more numerous today than in the first centuries.” “From the martyrs we learn to forgive people we don’t get along with.” He wished everyone peace “in families, in parish and religious communities, in movements and associations.”
Vatican City () – Charity, the proclamation of the Word and forgiveness are the face of the testimony of the martyrs, persecuted because of the Gospel and “more numerous today than in the first centuries”. Pope Francis spoke about the testimony of the martyrs to the faithful gathered this morning in Saint Peter’s Square to pray the Angelus on the feast of Saint Stephen.
Francis noted that on the same days as the joy of Christmas the Church celebrates some dramatic figures of holy martyrs, such as Stephen and the holy innocents, the children killed by King Herod. “The liturgy – he observed – seems to want to distance us from the world of lights, food and gifts in which we could somehow concentrate these days. Why? Because Christmas is not the fairy tale about the birth of a king, but the coming of the Savior, who comes to free us from evil by carrying our evil on his back: selfishness, sin and death “.
The martyrs are “witnesses, that is, brothers and sisters who with their lives show us Jesus, who overcame evil with mercy. And in our days the martyrs are even more numerous than in the early days”. “Today – continued Francis – let us pray for these martyred and persecuted brothers and sisters who bear witness to Christ. But let us also try to ask ourselves: do we, I, bear witness to Christ? And how can we improve in this, in bearing witness to Christ? The pontiff invited to take as an example precisely the figure of Saint Stephen, one of the seven deacons that the Jerusalem community had consecrated for the service of tables, for charity. “The first testimony was not given with words, but through the love with which he served those most in need,” the Pope commented.
But Esteban also spoke of Jesus to those he met: “This was so important to Esteban that he was not intimidated by the threats of his persecutors, not even when he saw that things were getting ugly for him.” And the greatest testimony left by this first martyr was “when he was about to die and, following the example of Jesus, he forgave his murderers. It is forgiveness that says if we really practice charity towards others and if we live the Word of Jesus”.
“Let each of us think about our own ability to forgive – Pope Francis concluded – in these days when we may find ourselves, among many others, with some people with whom we have not got along, who have wounded, with whom we have never repaired our relationship. Let us ask the newborn Jesus for the novelty of a heart capable of forgiving, the strength to pray for those who have hurt us and to take steps of openness and reconciliation.
After the Angelus, the pontiff once again wished everyone “peace in families, peace in parish and religious communities, peace in movements and associations, peace for populations tormented by war, peace for the beloved and martyred Ukraine”. Finally, he thanked all those who had sent him greetings during this Christmas season, and especially for the gift of prayer.
