At noon today, the Feast of Saint Stephen, the first martyr, the Holy Father, Pope Francis appeared at the window of his study in the Vatican Apostolic Palace to recite the Angelus with the faithful and with pilgrims who were gathered in Saint Peter's Square.
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
Today, we celebrate the Feast of Saint Stephen. The memory of the first martyr follows immediately after the Solemnity of Christmas. Yesterday, we contemplated the merciful love of God, who took on flesh for us; today we see the consistent response of the disciple of Jesus who gives his life. Yesterday, the Lord was born on the earth; today his faithful witness is born in heaven. Yesterday and today, the darkness of the denial of life appears, but the light of love shines ever more brightly, overcoming hatred and inaugurating a new world.
There is a specific aspect in today's passage from the Acts of the Apostles that drew Saint Stephen closer to the Lord: it was the source of his forgiveness before he died from stoning. Nailed to the cross, Jesus said: Father, forgive them for they know not what they do (Lk 23:34); in a similar fashion, Stephen fell to his knees and cried out 'Lord, do not hold this sin against them' (Acts 7:60). Stephen was therefore martyred, which means that he bore witness, for he did like Jesus did; he was in fact true witnesses are those who act like Him: they pray, they love, they give, but above all they forgive because forgiveness, like the word itself says, is the greatest expression of the gift.
We can ask ourselves - what is the usefulness of forgiveness? Is it only a good thing to do or does it actually bear results? We find a response especially in Stephen's martyrdom. Among those who have implored forgiveness, there was a young man named Saul, who once persecuted the Church and tried to destroy it (cf Acts 8:3). Shortly after that, Saul became Paul, the great saint, the apostle to the gentiles. He received Stephen's forgiveness. WE can say that Paul was born from God's grace and from Stephen's forgiveness.
We too are born of God's forgiveness. Not only of Baptism, but every time that we are forgiven, our hearts are reborn, become regenerated. Every step forward in our life of faith is marked with an early sign of divine mercy. Only when we are loved can we in turn love others. Let us always remember it, it will do us good: if we want to grow in faith, before anything else, we must receive God's forgiveness; me must meet the Lord, who is always ready to forgive everyone, and who by forgiving, heals our hearts and revives us in love. We must never grow tired of asking for divine forgiveness, for only when we are forgiven, can we in turn forgive.
However, it's not so easy to forgive, it is always very difficult. How can we imitate Jesus? Where do we begin to forgive the small and the great wrongs that we experience every day? First of all, we begin in prayer, like Saint Stephen did. It all begins in our hearts: in prayer, we can face every resentment that we might experience, confiding those who have done us wrong to the mercy of God: Lord, I ask your mercy for him, for her. Then it turns out that this inner struggle to forgive purifies us from evil, and prayer and love sets us free from the chains of interior resentment. It is very difficult to live with resentment! Every day, we have opportunities to learn how to forgive, to live this highest of gestures that draws mankind closer to God. Like our heavenly Father, we too become merciful, for through forgiveness, we overcome evil with good, we transform hatred into love and therefore make the world a cleaner place.
We entrust many people to the Virgin Mary - and unfortunately there are many - who like Saint Stephen, are undergoing persecution in the name of faith, our many modern-day martyrs; may our prayers be directed toward receiving and granting forgiveness: receiving and granting forgiveness.
Following the recitation of the Angelus, the Holy Father continued:
Dear brothers and sisters,
I greet all you pilgrims who have come from Italy and from other countries. I repeat to all of you my wishes that contemplating of the Child Jesus, with Mary and Joseph by his side, may inspire us to be merciful and to love one another in our families, in our parish and religious communities, in our movements and associations, in all the faithful and in people of good will.
In recent weeks, I have received many congratulatory messages from Rome and from other places. It is not possible for me to respond to each one. Therefore, today I want to say thank you to all of you, especially for the gift of your prayer.
Happy feast of Saint Stephen, and please don't forget to pray for me. Enjoy your lunch and good bye!
Greetings of His Holiness, Pope Francis
prior to the recitation of the Angelus
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
Today, we celebrate the Feast of Saint Stephen. The memory of the first martyr follows immediately after the Solemnity of Christmas. Yesterday, we contemplated the merciful love of God, who took on flesh for us; today we see the consistent response of the disciple of Jesus who gives his life. Yesterday, the Lord was born on the earth; today his faithful witness is born in heaven. Yesterday and today, the darkness of the denial of life appears, but the light of love shines ever more brightly, overcoming hatred and inaugurating a new world.
There is a specific aspect in today's passage from the Acts of the Apostles that drew Saint Stephen closer to the Lord: it was the source of his forgiveness before he died from stoning. Nailed to the cross, Jesus said: Father, forgive them for they know not what they do (Lk 23:34); in a similar fashion, Stephen fell to his knees and cried out 'Lord, do not hold this sin against them' (Acts 7:60). Stephen was therefore martyred, which means that he bore witness, for he did like Jesus did; he was in fact true witnesses are those who act like Him: they pray, they love, they give, but above all they forgive because forgiveness, like the word itself says, is the greatest expression of the gift.
We can ask ourselves - what is the usefulness of forgiveness? Is it only a good thing to do or does it actually bear results? We find a response especially in Stephen's martyrdom. Among those who have implored forgiveness, there was a young man named Saul, who once persecuted the Church and tried to destroy it (cf Acts 8:3). Shortly after that, Saul became Paul, the great saint, the apostle to the gentiles. He received Stephen's forgiveness. WE can say that Paul was born from God's grace and from Stephen's forgiveness.
We too are born of God's forgiveness. Not only of Baptism, but every time that we are forgiven, our hearts are reborn, become regenerated. Every step forward in our life of faith is marked with an early sign of divine mercy. Only when we are loved can we in turn love others. Let us always remember it, it will do us good: if we want to grow in faith, before anything else, we must receive God's forgiveness; me must meet the Lord, who is always ready to forgive everyone, and who by forgiving, heals our hearts and revives us in love. We must never grow tired of asking for divine forgiveness, for only when we are forgiven, can we in turn forgive.
However, it's not so easy to forgive, it is always very difficult. How can we imitate Jesus? Where do we begin to forgive the small and the great wrongs that we experience every day? First of all, we begin in prayer, like Saint Stephen did. It all begins in our hearts: in prayer, we can face every resentment that we might experience, confiding those who have done us wrong to the mercy of God: Lord, I ask your mercy for him, for her. Then it turns out that this inner struggle to forgive purifies us from evil, and prayer and love sets us free from the chains of interior resentment. It is very difficult to live with resentment! Every day, we have opportunities to learn how to forgive, to live this highest of gestures that draws mankind closer to God. Like our heavenly Father, we too become merciful, for through forgiveness, we overcome evil with good, we transform hatred into love and therefore make the world a cleaner place.
We entrust many people to the Virgin Mary - and unfortunately there are many - who like Saint Stephen, are undergoing persecution in the name of faith, our many modern-day martyrs; may our prayers be directed toward receiving and granting forgiveness: receiving and granting forgiveness.
Following the recitation of the Angelus, the Holy Father continued:
Dear brothers and sisters,
I greet all you pilgrims who have come from Italy and from other countries. I repeat to all of you my wishes that contemplating of the Child Jesus, with Mary and Joseph by his side, may inspire us to be merciful and to love one another in our families, in our parish and religious communities, in our movements and associations, in all the faithful and in people of good will.
In recent weeks, I have received many congratulatory messages from Rome and from other places. It is not possible for me to respond to each one. Therefore, today I want to say thank you to all of you, especially for the gift of your prayer.
Happy feast of Saint Stephen, and please don't forget to pray for me. Enjoy your lunch and good bye!
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