Vatican City, 26 December 2013 (VIS) –
At midday today, the feast of St. Stephen, protomartyr, the Holy
Father prayed the Angelus with the faithful gathered in St. Peter's
Square despite the rain. After commending their courage in facing the
bad weather, he narrated the story of the martyrdom of St. Stephen,
the deacon who was stoned to death after a speech which provoked the
enmity of members of the Sanhedrin, and who died asking forgiveness
for his executioners.
“In the joyous Christmas season, this
commemoration may seem out of place. Christmas in fact is the feast
of life and infuses us with feelings of serenity and peace; why break
the spell with the memory of such atrocious violence? In fact, in the
eyes of faith, the Feast of St. Stephen is in full harmony with the
profound significance of Christmas. Indeed, in martyrdom, violence is
conquered by love, death by life. The Church sees, in the sacrifice
of the martyrs, their 'birth in heaven'. Therefore, today we
celebrate the 'nativity' of St. Stephen, which springs fundamentally
from the Nativity of Christ. Jesus transforms the death of those who
live Him into the dawn of a new life!”
In the martyrdom of St. Stephen we see
the reproduction of “the same confrontation between good and evil,
between hate and forgiveness, between meekness and violence, that
culminated in the Cross of Christ. The memory of the first martyr
immediately dispels the false image of Christmas: the mawkish
fairytale image that does not exist in the Gospel! The liturgy
restores to us the authentic meaning of the Incarnation, connecting
Bethlehem to Calvary and reminding us that divine salvation implies
the struggle against sin, passing through the narrow door of the
Cross. This is the path that Jesus clearly showed to His disciples”.
“Therefore, today we pray in
particular for Christians who suffer discrimination for their witness
to Christ and the Gospel. We are close to those brothers and sisters
who, like St. Stephen are unjustly accused and subjected to violence
in various forms. I am certain that, unfortunately, there are more of
them now today than in the early days of the Church. This occurs
above all where religious freedom is not yet guaranteed or fully
developed. However, it also takes place in countries and regions
where, although freedom and human rights are formally protected, in
practice believers, and especially Christians, encounter limitations
and discrimination. I would like to ask you all to pray for a moment
in silence for these brothers and sisters. … And let us entrust
them to Our Lady”.
Following the recitation of the Marian
prayer, Pope Francis commented, “This is not surprising for a
Christian, as Jesus foretold it as an opportunity to give witness.
However, on a civil level, injustice must be denounced and
eliminated”.
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