Pope
Francis: Martyrdom is a grace from God
(Vatican
Radio) Pope Francis greeted pilgrims from El Salvador who came to the Vatican
on Friday to thank the Holy Father for beatifying Archbishop Oscar Romero in
May of this year.
500
people including Bishops, priests, religious, lay people and seminarians from
El Salvador came to the Vatican on Friday to say quite simply “Thank You” to
Pope Francis for beatifying Archbishop Oscar Romero in May 2015. The Archbishop
was shot dead as he celebrated Mass in a hospital chapel on 24 March 1980.
Speaking to the pilgrims gathered, Pope Francis said Oscar Romero’s life
was taken violently, while he was celebrating the Eucharist, a supreme
sacrifice of love, sealing with his blood the announcement of the Gospel.
At
the heart of his address was the theme of martyrdom. The Pope recalled the
martyrs of the past and said that today too the blood of many Christian martyrs
is still being dramatically shed in the world, but he added, with the certain
hope that it will bear fruit "in a rich harvest of holiness, justice,
reconciliation and love for God."
He
also underlined that no one is born a martyr, saying that it is a grace that
the Lord gives. The Holy Father recalled the words of Archbishop Romero
himself when he said, "We must be willing to die for our faith, even if
the Lord does not give us this honour.”
Pope
Francis went to say that the martyr is not someone who is relegated to the
past, a beautiful image that adorns our churches and we remember with
nostalgia.
No,
he stressed, the martyr is a brother, a sister, who continues to accompany us
in the mystery of the communion of saints, and that, “united to Christ, does
not ignore our earthly pilgrimage, our sufferings, our agonies.”
People
like Archbishop Romero, said the Pope, are a treasure and a hope for the Church
and for Salvadoran society.
Concluding
his address the Holy Father noted that the upcoming Jubilee of Mercy, and the
example shown by Oscar Romero for his beloved nation was a stimulus for a
renewed proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
The
Pope added that “the holy people of God on pilgrimage in El Salvador who still
face a series of difficult tasks, need like the rest of the world, the
evangelizing announcement of the Gospel that will help to advance the promotion
and development of a nation in search of true justice, genuine peace and the
reconciliation of hearts.
Không có nhận xét nào:
Đăng nhận xét