Full text: Angelus address of 26
December 2017
Full text of the Holy Father's remarks at the Angelus for
the feast of St Stephen
Christopher Wells
Pope Francis’ Angelus address for 26 December 2017, the
feast of St Stephen the first martyr (unofficial English translation of the
prepared English text):
Angelus
Dear brothers and sisters, buongiorno!
After celebrating the birth of Jesus on earth, today we
celebrate the birth of Saint Stephen into heaven. Even if at first sight it
could seem that there is no link between the two events, there is one, in fact,
and it is very strong.
Yesterday, in the liturgy of Christmas, we heard proclaimed,
“The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us” (Jn 1,14). Saint Stephen created
a crisis for the leaders of his people because “filled with faith and the Holy
Spirit” (Acts 6,5), he believed firmly and professed the new presence of God
among men; he knew that the true temple of God was now Jesus, the eternal Word
come to dwell among us, made like unto us in all things but sin. But Stephen
was accused of preaching the destruction of the temple of Jerusalem. The accusation
they make against him is of having said that “Jesus, this Nazorean, will
destroy this place and subvert the customs that Moses handed down to us” (Acts
6,14).
In effect, the message of Jesus is discomforting, and
discomforts us, because it challenges the worldly religious power and provokes
consciences. After His coming, it is necessary for us to convert, to change our
mentality, to reject thinking like before. Stephen remained anchored to the
message of Jesus even to death. His final prayers — “Lord Jesus, receive my
spirit,” and “Lord, do not hold this sin against them” (Acts 7,59-69) — are the
faithful echo of those pronounced by Jesus on the Cross: “Father, into Your
hands I commend My spirit” (Lk 23,46), and “Father, forgive them for they know
not what they do” (v.34). Those words of Stephen were possible only because the
Son of God had come upon the earth, and died, and rose for us; before these
events, they were humanly unthinkable expressions.
Stephen prayed Jesus to receive his spirit. The risen Christ,
in fact, is the Lord, and is the sole mediator between God and men, not only in
the hour of our death, but also in every moment of life: without Him we can do
nothing (cf. Jn 15,5). So we too, before the Baby Jesus in the manger, can say
to Him, “Lord Jesus, we entrust our spirit to You; receive it,” so that our
existence should truly be a good life according to the Gospel.
Jesus is our mediator, and He reconciles us not only with
the Father, but also with one another. He is the fount of love, Who opens us to
communion with our brothers, removing every conflict and resentment. Let us ask
Jesus, born for us, to help us to take up this double attitude of confidence in
the Father and of love for our neighbour; it is this attitude that transforms
life and makes it more beautiful and fruitful.
To Mary, the Mother of the Redeemer and Queen of Martyrs,
let us lift up our prayer with confidence, that she might help us to welcome
Jesus as Lord of our life, and to become His courageous witnesses, ready to pay
in person the price of fidelity to the Gospel.
After the Angelus
Dear brothers and sisters,
In the climate of Christian joy that flows from the Birth of
Jesus, I greet you and thank you for your presence.
To all of you, who have come from Italy and from different
countries, I renew my best wishes for peace and serenity: for you and for your
families, may these be days in which to taste the beauty of being together,
knowing that Jesus is in our midst.
A particular greeting for the faithful of the national Ukrainian
Pilgrimage: I bless all of you and your country.
In these weeks I have received so many Christmas greetings.
Since it is not possible to respond to each one, I express today my feelings of
gratitude, especially for the gift of prayer. My heartfelt thanks! May the Lord
reward you with His generosity.
Happy feast day! Please, do not forget to pray for me. Buon
pranzo, and arrivederci!
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