For the martyrs of our day, witnesses to Christ – The Pope Video
This month, I want to tell you a story that is a reflection of the Church today. It is the story of a little-known witness of faith.
Visiting a refugee camp in Lesbos, a man told me, “Father, I am Muslim. My wife was Christian. Terrorists came to our place, looked at us and asked what our religion was. They approached my wife with a crucifix and told her to throw it on the ground. She didn’t do it, and they slit her throat in front of me.” That’s what happened.
I know he held no grudges. He was focused on his wife’s example of love, a love for Christ that led her to accept, and to be faithful to the point of death.
Brothers, sisters, there will always be martyrs among us. This is a sign that we’re on the right path.
A person who knows told me there are more martyrs today than at the beginning of Christianity.
The courage of the martyrs, the witness of the martyrs, is a blessing for everyone.
Let us pray that those who risk their lives for the Gospel in various parts of the world might imbue the Church with their courage and missionary drive. And to be open to the grace of martyrdom.
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Let us pray that the dignity and worth of women be recognized in every culture, and for an end to the discrimination they face in various parts of the world.
Let us pray that the sick who are in the final stages of life, and their families, receive the necessary medical and human care and accompaniment.
Let us pray that the Spirit help us recognize the gift of different charisms within the Christian community, and to discover the richness of different ritual traditions in the heart of the Catholic Church.
Let us pray that people with disabilities may be at the center of attention in society, and that institutions offer inclusion programs that enhance their active participation.
Let us pray for the Pope, so that in the exercise of his mission, he may continue to accompany in the faith the flock entrusted to him by Jesus, always with the help of the Holy Spirit.
On Wednesday, 4 October, Pope Francis has issued his Apostolic Exhortation Laudate Deum (Praise God), a follow-up statement on ecology to his Encyclical Laudato si’ on the Care of Our Common Home, which was issued eight years ago.
