In the Angelus prayer of the feast of St. Stephen, Pope Francis urges Christians to bear witness to faith in Christ, paying for evil with good and breaking the cycle of hatred with love.
By Devin Watkins
Pope Francis prayed the Angelus at noon on Saturday, as the Church marks the feast of St. Stephen.
The Pope said the saint was the first person to bear witness to Jesus with his life, making him the first Christian martyr, meaning “witness.”
St. Stephen was “the first in a series of brothers and sisters who still carry light into darkness today.” These men and women, the Pope added, do not succumb to violence, but break the chains of hatred with meekness and love.
“On the nights of the world, these witnesses bring the dawn of God,” he said.
Forgiveness sows seeds of conversion
Pope Francis said that St. Stephen shows the way of all other Christians, which is to “imitate Jesus.”
However, the Pope added, one might ask, “Are these testimonies of goodness really necessary when the world is full of evil?” The first reading of the day (Acts 6: 8-10; 7: 54-59) offers the answer in tiny detail, he said.
While Stephen was dying from his wounds, he prayed that God would forgive his murderers. The text says that among those for whom Stephen prayed and for whom he forgave was “a young man named Saul,” who “was consenting to his death.”
Saul, the Pope pointed out, would become Paul, the greatest missionary in history. “Paul was born by the grace of God, but through the forgiveness of Stephen, his witness. This was the seed of his conversion. This is proof that love actions change history.
The usual acts of love change history
Even small acts of love can change the course of history, the Pope said, because God “guides history through the humble courage of those who pray, love and forgive.”
Pope Francis said that we too can make a difference through the usual events of daily life.
“We are called to bear witness to Jesus wherever we live, in our families, at work, everywhere,” he said, “even just giving the light of a smile and fleeing the shadow of gossip and forcefulness “.
He also offered advice. Instead of complaining when we see something wrong, we should pray for the person who made the mistake.
“Saint Stephen, while at the receiving end of the stones of hatred, responded with words of forgiveness. That’s how history changed. “
It turns evil into good
Each of us, said Pope Francis, can turn evil into good when we return the love of hate.
And he urged everyone to pray for the many Christians who suffer persecution for their faith in Jesus.
“We entrust these brothers and sisters to the Virgin Mary, so that they may respond gently to oppression and, as true witnesses of Jesus, win evil over good.”