The day's readings remembered St. Stephen, the first martyr. Pope Francis didn't miss the opportunity to insist that there will always be persecution. What can not go missing, he said, are prophets.
POPE FRANCIS
“The Church needs prophets. What's more: it needs each of us to be prophets, not critics… this is something else. The prophet is the one who prays, looks to God, looks at his people, feels pain when his people err, cries, is capable of crying with the people, but is also capable of risking his or her life to tell the truth.”
The pope said each Christian must be a prophet of hope, people who denounce errors but never deny others a second chance.
EXTRACTS FROM THE POPE'S HOMILY
(Source: Vatican News)
“A true prophet is he who is capable of weeping for his people but at the same time of saying strong things in a direct way.”
“A prophet knows when to scold but knows also how to throw open the doors to hope. A true prophet puts himself on the line.”
“The Church needs prophets. What's more: it needs each of us to be prophets, not critics… this is something else.”
“May this service of prophecy never be lacking in the Church, Francis concluded, in order to be able to always go forward.”
