Christians persecuted for their faith were mentioned by Pope Francis as an example of love and forgiveness in his speech from the window overlooking St. Peter's Square on Monday at noon on the feast of St. Stephen, which the church dedicates to the first Christian martyr.
Pope Francis pointed out that the death of the first Christian martyr falls on the days of the Christmas celebration. It's as if the liturgy wants to take us away from the world of lights, lunches, and giving gifts, where we can calm down a bit, he said.
According to the Archbishop's explanation, Christmas is not about the birth of a king,
but about the arrival of the savior, who takes upon himself the frailty, sins and death of people.
He emphasized that the ancient Greek word martyr means witness: martyrs are witnesses who show with their lives that Christ overcomes evil with mercy.
"There are still many martyrs today, let's pray for these persecuted brothers and sisters who bear witness to Christ," declared the Pope.
He added that we should ask ourselves how we demonstrate the same with our own lives. Saint István served the needy: he combined the preaching of Jesus with love.
Pope Francis believed that forgiveness also serves witnessing. He explained that in these days we should think about whether we are able to forgive all those with whom we are not on good terms, who have offended us, or with whom we have never contacted again.
Source and full article: vasarnap.hu/MTI
Featured image: Vatican News
