Pope: martyrs reveal that Christmas is not a fairy tale, but the coming of the Saviour
In the Angelus on the feast of Saint Stephen, the pope urged the faithful to pray for persecuted Christians who today are more numerous “than in the early times”. He urged them to learn to forgive the people “with whom we have not got along”. He also expressed his wish for “peace in families, peace in parish and religious communities, peace in movements and associations”.
Vatican City (AsiaNews) – Pope Francis addressed the faithful gathered in St Peter's Square for the Angelus prayer on the feast of Saint Stephen. In his address, he said that charity, proclamation of the Word and forgiveness are the face of the witness of martyrs, persecuted for the Gospel, who “are numerous, more so than in the early times.”
The pontiff noted how during the joyful days of Christmas, the Church marks the tragic fate of some holy martyrs, like Stephen and the Holy Innocents, the children killed by King Herod.
The “liturgy,” he said, “really seems to want to steer us away from the world of lights, lunches and gifts in which we might indulge somewhat in these days. Why? Because Christmas is not the fairy tale of the birth of a king, but it is the coming of the Saviour, who frees us from evil by taking upon himself our evil: selfishness, sin, death.”
Martyrs are “witnesses, that is, brothers and sisters who, through their lives, show us Jesus, who conquered evil with mercy. And even in our day, martyrs are numerous”.
“Today,” the pope went on to say, “let us pray for these persecuted martyr brothers and sisters, who bear witness to Christ. But it will do us good to ask ourselves: do I bear witness to Christ? And how can we improve in this?”
For the pontiff, the faithful must take Saint Stephen as an example, one of the seven deacons that the community of Jerusalem had consecrated for table service, for charity.
“[H]is first witness was not given in words, but through the love with which he served those most in need,” the pope said. Yet he spoke of Jesus to those he met: “This was so important for Stephen that he did not let himself be intimidated even by the threats of his persecutors, even when he saw that things were going badly for him.”
The protomartyr left his greatest testimony “at the point of his death when, following the example of Jesus, he forgave his killers.” For Francis, “It is forgiveness that tells whether we truly practise charity towards others, and if we live the Word of God.”
“Let us think,” Francis noted in concluding, about our “capacity to forgive, in these days in which perhaps we encounter, among the many, some people with whom we have not got along, who have hurt us, with whom we have never patched up our relationship.
“Let us ask the newborn Jesus for the newness of a heart capable of forgiveness: we all need a forgiving heart! [. . .] Let us ask for the strength to pray for those who have hurt us, to pray for those who have harmed us, and to take steps of openness and reconciliation.”
Following the Angelus prayer, the pontiff reiterated his “wish for peace: peace in families, peace in parish and religious communities, peace in movements and associations, peace for those peoples tormented by war, peace for the dear and embattled Ukraine.”
Finally, he thanked those who sent him messages of good wishes during this Christmas period, expressing particular gratitude for the gift of prayer.
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26/12/2009
