(Vatican Radio) By offering to Jesus the gift of his own life, Saint Stephen, the first martyr, honoured the coming of the King of kings – and showed us how to live the fullness of the mystery of Christmas.
That was Pope Francis’ message during the Angelus on the Feast of Saint Stephen. The Holy Father recalled the words of Jesus as He sent his disciples on mission: “You will be hated because of my name, but whoever endures to the end will be saved.” These words, the Pope said, do not take away from the joy of Christmas, “but strip it of the false, saccharine sweetness that does not belong to it. It makes us understand that in the trials accepted on account of the faith, violence is overcome by love, death by life.” If we are not all called to martyrdom, as Stephen was, nonetheless, the Pope said, “every Christian is called in every circumstance to live a life that is coherent with the faith he or she professes.”
Pope Francis acknowledged that following the Gospel is a very demanding path. But, he said, those who follow it “with fidelity and courage” will receive the gift promised by the Lord to men and women of will – the promise announced by the angels to the shepherds: “on earth, peace to those on whom His favour rests.”
The Pope called for prayers today especially “for all those who are discriminated because of their witness to Christ. He also asked us to pray that “thanks to the sacrifices of the martyrs of today, the commitment to recognize and concretely to ensure religious liberty” – which he called “an inalienable right of every person” – would be strengthened in every part of the world.
Following the Angelus, Pope Francis renewed his Christmas greetings and his prayers for peace. He offered a special greeting to everyone named Stephen or Stephanie on their name day – the feast of their patron saint. Pope Francis also thanked all those who had sent him Christmas greetings. He said he was particularly grateful for the gift of prayer, and prayed that the Lord might reward everyone for their generosity.
Finally, Pope Francis returned to the theme of “Christian coherence: that is, thinking, feeling, and living as a Christian. And not to think as a Christian and live like a pagan.” He prayed that Saint Stephen might give us the grace of Christian coherence.
Below, please find the complete text of Vatican Radio’s translation of Pope Francis’ Angelus address for the Feast of Saint Stephen, 26 December 2014.
ANGELUS ADDRESS
Dear brothers and sisters,
Today the liturgy recalls the witness of Saint Stephen. Chosen by the Apostles, together with six others, for the diaconate of charity in the community of Jerusalem, he became the first martyr of the Church. With his martyrdom, Stephen honored the coming into the world of the King of kings, offering to Him the gift of his own life. And so he shows us how to live the fullness of the mystery of Christmas.
The Gospel of this feast gives a part of Jesus’ discourse to his disciples in the moment in which He sends them on mission. Among other things, He says, “You will be hated by all because of my name, but whoever endures to the end will be saved.” (Mt 10:22). These words of the Lord do not disrupt the celebration of Christmas, but strip it of that false saccharine-sweetness that does not belong to it. It makes us understand that in the trials accepted on account of the faith, violence is overcome by love, death by life. To truly welcome Jesus in our existence, and to prolong the joy of the Holy Night, the path is precisely the one indicated in this Gospel: that is, to bear witness in humility, in silent service, without fear of going against the current, able to pay in person. And if not all are called, as Saint Stephen was, to shed their own blood, nonetheless, every Christian is called in every circumstance to live a life that is coherent with the faith he or she professes.
Following the Gospel is certainly a demanding path, but those who travel it with fidelity and courage receive the gift promised by the Lord to men and women of good will. At Bethlehem, in fact, the angels announced to the shepherds, “on earth peace to those on whom His favor rests” (Lk 2:14). This peace given by God is able to soothe the conscience of those who, through the trials of life, know to welcome the Word of God and observe it with perseverance to the end (cf. Mt 10:22).
Today let us pray in a special way for all those who are discriminated against because of their witness to Christ. I want to say to each of them: If you carry this cross with love, you have entered into the mystery of Christmas, you are in the heart of Jesus and of the Church.
Let us pray also that, thanks to the sacrifices of the martyrs of today, the commitment to recognize and concretely to ensure religious liberty — an inalienable right of every human person — would be strengthened in every part of the world.
Dear brothers and sisters, I hope all of you will enjoy a peaceful Christmas feast. May Saint Stephen, Deacon and Proto-martyr, sustain on our daily path all of us, who hope to be crowned, in the end, in the festive assembly of the Saints in paradise.
AFTER THE ANGELUS
Dear brothers and sisters,
I greet you in the joy of Christmas and I renew my best wishes for peace for all of you: peace in families, in parishes and religious communities, in movements, and in associations.
I greet everyone named Stephen or Stephanie: Best wishes!
In these past few weeks I have received so many Christmas greetings from Rome, and elsewhere. Because it is not possible for me to respond to each one, I want to express today my heartfelt thanks for all of them, especially for the gift of prayer. Thank you from the heart! May the Lord repay your generosity.
And don’t forget: Christian coherence — that is, thinking, feeling, and living as a Christian. And not to think as a Christian and live like a pagan. Not that! Today let us ask Stephen for the gift of Christian coherence…
And please, continue to pray for me. Don’t forget!
Happy Feast Day, and have a good lunch. Arrivederci!
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Below, please find the complete text of Vatican Radio’s translation of Pope Francis’ Angelus address for the Feast of Saint Stephen, 26 December 2014. ANGELUS ADDRESS Dear brothers and sisters, Today the liturgy recalls the witness of Saint Stephen. Chosen by the Apostles, together with six others, for the diaconate of charity in…
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(Vatican Radio) Departing from his prepared remarks on Christmas Day, Pope Francis offered a heartfelt plea for “all those children who are killed and ill-treated.” He spoke passionately about the “infants killed in the womb, deprived of that generous love of their parents and then buried in the egoism of a culture that does not love life”; of the children “displaced due to war and persecution, abused and taken advantage of before our very eyes and our complicit silence”; of “infants massacred in bomb attacks” even in the place where the Son of God Himself was born.
“Their impotent silence cries out under the sword of so many Herods!” he said, recalling the slaughter of the innocents by Herod the King following the birth of Christ. “On their blood stands the shadow of contemporary Herods. Truly there are so many tears this Christmas, together with the tears of the Infant Jesus.”
Pope Francis prayed that Jesus might “save the vast numbers of children who are victims of violence, made objects of trade and trafficking, or forced to become soldiers; children, so many abused children.”
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Departing from his prepared remarks on Christmas Day, Pope Francis offered a heartfelt plea for “all those children who are killed and ill-treated.” He spoke passionately about the “infants killed in the womb, deprived of that generous love of their parents and then buried in the egoism of a culture that does not…
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(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis celebrated Midnight Mass in the Vatican Basilica on Christmas Eve to mark the Nativity of the Lord and in his homily spoke of how much the world needs tenderness today.
Please see below the full text of Pope Francis’ homily for Christmas Midnight Mass 2014:
Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord
Homily of Pope Francis
Vatican Basilica
Wednesday, 24 December 2014
“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shined” (Is 9:1). “An angel of the Lord appeared to [the shepherds] and the glory of the Lord shone around them” (Lk 2:9). This is how the liturgy of this holy Christmas night presents to us the birth of the Saviour: as the light which pierces and dispels the deepest darkness. The presence of the Lord in the midst of his people cancels the sorrow of defeat and the misery of slavery, and ushers in joy and happiness.
We too, in this blessed night, have come to the house of God. We have passed through the darkness which envelops the earth, guided by the flame of faith which illuminates our steps, and enlivened by the hope of finding the “great light”. By opening our hearts, we also can contemplate the miracle of that child-sun who, arising from on high, illuminates the horizon.
The origin of the darkness which envelops the world is lost in the night of the ages. Let us think back to that dark moment when the first crime of humanity was committed, when the hand of Cain, blinded by envy, killed his brother Abel (cf. Gen 4:8). As a result, the unfolding of the centuries has been marked by violence, wars, hatred and oppression. But God, who placed a sense of expectation within man made in his image and likeness, was waiting. He waited for so long that perhaps at a certain point it seemed he should have given up. But he could not give up because he could not deny himself (cf. 2 Tim 2:13). Therefore he continued to wait patiently in the face of the corruption of man and peoples.
Through the course of history, the light that shatters the darkness reveals to us that God is Father and that his patient fidelity is stronger than darkness and corruption. This is the message of Christmas night. God does not know outbursts of anger or impatience; he is always there, like the father in the parable of the prodigal son, waiting to catch from afar a glimpse of the lost son as he returns.
Isaiah’s prophecy announces the rising of a great light which breaks through the night. This light is born in Bethlehem and is welcomed by the loving arms of Mary, by the love of Joseph, by the wonder of the shepherds. When the angels announced the birth of the Redeemer to the shepherds, they did so with these words: “This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger” (Lk 2:12). The “sign” is the humility of God taken to the extreme; it is the love with which, that night, he assumed our frailty, our suffering, our anxieties, our desires and our limitations. The message that everyone was expecting, that everyone was searching for in the depths of their souls, was none other than the tenderness of God: God who looks upon us with eyes full of love, who accepts our poverty, God who is in love with our smallness.
On this holy night, while we contemplate the Infant Jesus just born and placed in the manger, we are invited to reflect. How do we welcome the tenderness of God? Do I allow myself to be taken up by God, to be embraced by him, or do I prevent him from drawing close? “But I am searching for the Lord” – we could respond. Nevertheless, what is most important is not seeking him, but rather allowing him to find me and caress me with tenderness. The question put to us simply by the Infant’s presence is: do I allow God to love me?
More so, do we have the courage to welcome with tenderness the difficulties and problems of those who are near to us, or do we prefer impersonal solutions, perhaps effective but devoid of the warmth of the Gospel? How much the world needs tenderness today!
The Christian response cannot be different from God’s response to our smallness. Life must be met with goodness, with meekness. When we realize that God is in love with our smallness, that he made himself small in order to better encounter us, we cannot help but open our hearts to him, and beseech him: “Lord, help me to be like you, give me the grace of tenderness in the most difficult circumstances of life, give me the grace of closeness in the face of every need, of meekness in every conflict”.
Dear brothers and sisters, on this holy night we contemplate the Nativity scene: there “the people who walked in darkness have seen a great light” (Is 9:1). People who were unassuming, open to receiving the gift of God, were the ones who saw this light. This light was not seen, however, by the arrogant, the proud, by those who made laws according to their own personal measures, who were closed off to others. Let us look to the crib and pray, asking the Blessed Mother: “O Mary, show us Jesus!”
(from Vatican Radio)…