"The Copts who had their throats slit because they were Christians" died "with the name of Jesus on their lips" because they had fully understood "the scandal of the cross". But "the martyrial road" is part of the daily life of every Christian, even in the family, in the defence of people's rights, in the experience of illness. And it is the Holy Spirit who helps to know how to bear witness and to welcome "the whole truth". Pope Francis said this in the Mass celebrated on Monday 11 May in the chapel of the Santa Marta house, also recalling that he had telephoned Coptic Patriarch Tawadros on Sunday on the occasion of Friendship Day between Copts and Catholics, the second anniversary of the meeting that took place in the Vatican on 10 May 2013.
"In today's first prayer" at the beginning of the Mass, the Pontiff said, "we asked for the grace to make the fruitfulness of Easter ever present". And indeed, he explained, 'Easter is fruitful' because 'it is the life that Jesus Christ, the Lord, has given us through his cross and resurrection'. But "how is this fruitfulness implemented?" The answer, Francis noted, is found in the Gospel of John (15:26-16.4) proposed by the liturgy today.
In practice, "the Lord prepares his disciples for the future". And "there is a word that may seem a little strange: scandalise". Jesus says, according to John: "I have told you these things so that you will not be scandalised". The question to be understood is: "Of what scandal is Jesus speaking? The scandal of the persecutions that will come, the scandal of the cross?".
The Lord 'adds a promise' by saying: 'When the Paraclete, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will bear witness'. And then, "always in the same discourse", he goes on to say: "I have many things to say to you, but right now you are not able to carry the weight of them; but when the Paraclete comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you into all truth". In short, the Pope explained, Jesus "speaks to us of the future, of the cross that awaits us, and he speaks to us of the Spirit, who prepares us to give Christian witness".
Moreover, continued Francis, "in these days the Church makes us reflect so much on the Holy Spirit: Jesus says that the Holy Spirit who will come, whom he will send, will guide us to the full truth, that is, he will teach us the things that I have not yet taught, these things that he - added the Pope quoting today's Gospel passage - must say and of which they, the disciples, are not yet able to bear the burden". Furthermore, the Lord also says that "the Spirit will make you remember the things that I have said and that with life have fallen into oblivion". And here, Francis explained, "is what the Spirit does: he makes us remember the words of Jesus and teaches us the things that Jesus was not yet able to tell us, because we were not able to understand them".
"Thus the life of the Church is a journey guided by the Spirit who reminds us and teaches us, who leads us to the whole truth," he emphasised. And 'this Spirit, who is our companion, also defends us from the scandal of the cross'. St Paul, speaking to the Corinthians, says: "But the Cross is foolishness, for those who go to perdition". Then he resumes and adds: "The Jews ask for signs". And "really how many times in the Gospel did the Jews, the doctors of the law, ask Jesus" to give them "a sign". For their part, "the Greeks, that is, the pagans, ask for wisdom, new ideas". But "we preach only Christ crucified, scandal for you - for the Jews - and foolishness for the Gentiles".
The Cross of Christ, therefore, is the scandal. For this reason, the Pope clarified, "Jesus prepares the hearts of his disciples with the promise of the Paraclete, for what will happen to them". And he says: "I have told you these things so that you should not be scandalised" by the cross of Christ. John reports these words of the Lord: 'They will drive you out of the synagogues; indeed, the hour is coming when everyone who kills you will believe that he is worshipping God'. And we today, the Pontiff noted, 'are witnesses to these who kill Christians in the name of God because they are unbelievers, according to them'. This "is the cross of Christ". Here is the relevance of Jesus' words in the Gospel of the day's liturgy: "They will do this, because they have known neither the Father nor me". Jesus thus reminds us that what happened to him will also happen to us: "the persecutions, the tribulations". That is why we should not be scandalised, knowing that "it will be the Spirit who will guide us and make us understand".
"Yesterday," Francis then confided, "I had the joy of phoning the Coptic Patriarch Tawadros, because it was the day of Coptic-Catholic friendship: we talked about some things". But, he added, "I remembered his faithful, who had their throats slit on the beach because they were Christians. These believers, by the power given to them by the Holy Spirit, were not scandalised. They died with the name of Jesus on their lips. It is the power of the Spirit. The testimony. True, this is martyrdom, the supreme witness'.
There is also, the Pope continued, 'the testimony of every day, the testimony of making present the fruitfulness of Easter - which we asked for today at the beginning of the Mass - that fruitfulness that the Holy Spirit gives us, which guides us towards the full truth, the whole truth, and makes us remember what Jesus tells us'.
Therefore, remarked Francis, "a Christian who does not take this 'martyrial' dimension of life seriously has not yet understood the path that Jesus taught us: the 'martyrial' path of every day; the 'martyrial' path of defending people's rights; the 'martyrial' path of defending children: fathers and mothers defending their families; the 'martyrial' path of many, many sick people who suffer for the love of Jesus. We all have the possibility of carrying on this Easter fruitfulness on this 'martyr' path, without scandalising ourselves".
Continuing the Eucharistic celebration - "memorial of that cross" in which "the paschal fruitfulness is made present" - the Pontiff asked "the Lord for the grace to receive the Holy Spirit who will make us remember the things of Jesus, who will guide us to the whole truth and prepare us every day to bear this witness, to give this little martyrdom every day or a great martyrdom, according to the will of the Lord".
[Pope Francis, S. Marta homily, in L'Osservatore Romano 12/05/2015]
