With temperatures in Rome continuing to drop, the pope held his General Audience in Paul VI Audience Hall inside the Vatican. He stopped to accept a cup of tea from this priest standing among the crowd.
Then the pope continued his catechesis on the Acts of the Apostles, reflecting on the story of St. Paul, who turned his sufferings as a prisoner into a proclamation of Jesus as the risen Lord.
POPE FRANCIS
“Paul's love for Christ is so strong that even these chains are seen through the eyes of faith, faith that for Paul is not a theory nor opinion about God and the world, but rather an impact of God's love on his heart. It is love for Jesus Christ.”
Pope Francis remembered persecuted Christians of today. He likened modern-day martyrs to St. Paul's own life of sacrifice dedicated to Christ.
POPE FRANCIS
“Today in the world, in Europe, many Christians are persecuted and give their lives for their faith.” “Martyrdom is the breath of a Christian's life, of a Christian community. There will always be martyrs among us. This is the sign we're on the path of Jesus.”
After the audience, performers from the Moscow State Circus impressed the pope with their human pyramids and juggling. They performed to “Jingle Bell Rock,” in the spirit of Christmas.
Claudia Torres
