St. Stephen removes ‘false saccharine sweetness’ from Christmas, says Pope
December 26, 2014
In his St. Stephen’s Day Angelus address, Pope Francis said that the saint, by his martyrdom, “shows us how to live the fullness of the mystery of Christmas,” and that the Gospel of the day (Mt. 10:22) strips Christmas “of that false saccharine sweetness that does not belong to it.”
“If not all are called, as Saint Stephen was, to shed their own blood, nonetheless, every Christian is called in every circumstance to be to live a life that is coherent with the faith he or she professes,” the Pope said as he called upon Christians “to bear witness in humility, in silent service, without fear of going against the current.”
The Pontiff also prayed for persecuted Christians.
“Today let us pray in a special way for all those who are discriminated against because of their witness to Christ,” he said. “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.”
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