By Deborah Castellano Lubov
Martyrs are convincing witnesses of the beauty of the Gospel…
Pope Francis gave this reminder on Thursday morning when welcoming participants in the Conference of the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Causes of Saints on martyrdom and offering one’s life.
READ POPE FRANCIS’ FULL ADDRESS HERE
The Holy Father began by recalling the conference was guided by Jesus’ words in the Gospel of John, namely that, “No one has greater love than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (Jn 15:13).
To be holy, Pope Francis noted, “does not simply require human effort or personal commitment to sacrifice and renunciation,” but, “above all,” he said, “letting oneself be transformed by the power of God’s love, which is greater than us and makes us capable of loving beyond what we thought we were capable of doing.”
Paid for love of Christ
The Pope recalled that during the Congress the participants reflected on two forms of canonized holiness: that of martyrdom and that of the offering of one’s life.
“Since ancient times,” the Holy Father marvelled, “believers in Jesus have held in great esteem those who paid personally, with their very lives, for their love for Christ and the Church.”
“Even today, in many parts of the world,” the Pope recognized, “there are numerous martyrs who give their lives for Christ.”
In many cases, he went on to say, “Christianity is persecuted because driven by faith in God, it defends justice, truth, peace, and the dignity of people.”
In this context, the Pope pointed out his decision, in his Bull of Indiction for the upcoming 2025 Jubilee of Hope, to “define the witness of the martyrs as the most convincing witness of hope.”
Martyrdom today
For this reason, the Pope said, he decided to institute, within the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, the Commission on New Martyrs – Witnesses of Faith.
Pope Francis concluded by thanking the participants and encouraging them to carry on, with passion and generosity, their work for the causes of the saints, while entrusting them “to the intercession of the Virgin Mary and all the witnesses of Christ, whose names are written in the book of life.” – Vatican News
