Pope at Audience: martyrdom is
the air that Christians breathe
 |
During his General Audience on Wednesday, Pope Francis held
up the figure of St. Paul as a model for Christians saying suffering,
persecution and martyrdom are a sign that they are walking in the footsteps of
the Lord.
By Robin Gomes
Even today Christians are being persecuted and marginalized,
Pope Francis said in his catechesis, adding, it is a blessing to be a witness
of martyrdom.
The Pope reflected on the “seal of suffering” that
increasingly marked the life of St. Paul as recounted in the Acts of the
Apostles. The intrepid missionary is not only an ardent evangelizer among the
pagans but he is also the suffering witness of the Risen One.
Passion of Christ and Paul
Upon his arrival in Jerusalem, Paul is met with “ferocious
hatred” with people saying he was a persecutor who is not to be trusted. As it
was for Jesus, Jerusalem also becomes hostile to Paul. He was led out of
the temple to be lynched but was saved by the Roman soldiers. Accused of
teaching against the law and the temple, he was arrested and began his journey
as a prisoner to various authorities of the region.
The Pope drew attention to similarities between Paul and
Jesus. Both were hated by their adversaries; accused publicly, both were found
innocent by the Roman authority; Paul is associated with the passion of his
Master and his passion becomes a living Gospel.
Today's martyrs of faith
The Pope noted that Christians continue to suffer for the
sake of Christ even today. Just before the General Audience, he said, he met a
group of Ukrainian pilgrims, who suffered for the Gospel without negotiating
their faith.
“Today in the world, in Europe,” the Pope pointed out, “many
Christians are persecuted and they give their lives for their faith, or are
persecuted with white gloves, that is, left aside, marginalized.” “Martyrdom,”
he stressed, “is the air of the life of a Christian, of a Christian
community.”
“There will always be martyrs among us: this is the sign
that we are on the path of Jesus." "It is a blessing from the Lord,
that among the people of God, there be some witness of martyrdom," the
Pope said.
Witness of faith
Called to defend himself against accusations in the presence
of King Agrippa II, the Pope explained, Paul’s apology turns out to be an
effective witness of faith, the Pope said.
Paul narrated his own conversion and how the Risen Christ
entrusted him with the mission among the nations. In carrying out this task,
the apostle showed how the prophets and Moses foretold that Christ should
suffer and that, “as the first to rise from the dead, He would proclaim light
both to the people and to the Gentiles”. Paul's passionate witness touched the
heart of the King, who lacking the decisive step, replied, “You will soon
persuade me to play the Christian.”
Chains – sign of faith
Paul was declared innocent, but could not be released
because he had appealed to the Roman Emperor. Thus, the Pope said, the
unstoppable journey of the Word of God continued to Rome, where Paul ended up
in chains.
Pope Francis noted that because of this, Paul is portrayed
as a prisoner whose chains are the sign of his fidelity to the Gospel and his
testimony to the Risen One. For Paul, as Pope Benedict XVI noted, faith is not
a theory or an opinion on God and the world but is the impact of God's love in his
heart and his love for Jesus Christ.
Pope Francis concluded, urging Christians to pray for the
grace to persevere in their faith amid trials, seeing everything with the eyes
of faith and being faithful to their vocation as disciples and missionaries of the
Lord.
Không có nhận xét nào:
Đăng nhận xét